Shedded cat nail bloody

[meowmeow888]

My cat sheds his nails quite frequently, so it’s not uncommon to see his claws around the house. However, I found a nail shedding with dried blood today! Is there anything to worry about? The nail shedding is hollow, so thankfully it doesn’t seem like my cat ripped out a nail.

 

[Caspers Human]

Sounds like your guy got a little too rambunctious at the scratching post. Maybe he got a claw caught.

It has happened to our cat, Casper, on a couple of occasions.

Given what you say, as long as he's not still bleeding, he'll probably be okay.

If you can get hold of him, check his claws for injuries, just to be sure. Use a clean cloth, wet with lukewarm water and clean it if he'll let you. (Be gentle, of course! )

If you don't see any signs of pain (limping/favoring one paw) and, if there aren't any signs of infection (redness, swelling, drainage, tenderness) he'll probably heal up on his own. If you see any bad signs or, if you just don't know, get him in to the vet. He'll probably get a cleaning, some antibiotics and, probably, a prescription for you to give antibiotics at home.

That's what we do when it happens to Casper. We just keep an eye on it and, knock on wood, haven't had to see a vet about it, yet.

 

[cmshap]

I can't even see any blood when I look at those pics, personally (not saying you're wrong, just that I can't see it).

Edit: I guess it's the brown coloration that is the dried blood. I haven't personally looked at many cat claws. I've only ever had one cat, for 9 years, but he's the only one. When he sheds his claws, they are generally all-white, but sometimes have had brown in them.

Caspers Human summed up all the precautions to take if there's possibly any complications. In my mind, this seems like nothing to worry about.

 

[neely]

Another trick to keep in mind in case you notice he is having any discomfort: to help with healing and reducing irritation, try this home remedy, courtesy of Mamanyt1953 "Buy a box of chamomile tea bags in the coffee/tea aisle of the grocery store. Get PLAIN chamomile, no blends, which will be clearly marked. I recommend the commercial bags because they are all 100% German chamomile, which is medicinally active and safe for cats. The English variety which is popular in gardens is pretty useless medicinally, and TOXIC to cats...brew a cup of the tea, and chill it in the fridge (it will keep in there for about 3 days)...For external use, simply dip a cotton ball or clean, soft cloth in the tea, and swab it on the area. The tea has both soothing and healing properties, and can be dabbed on the skin multiple times a day. It won't cure what is causing the issue, but should help to make it feel better.

 

[meowmeow888]

Thank you all so much for your advice! I was worried that he was injured and secretly hiding his pain, but hopefully it was just some overly vigorous scratching!

Also, I had no idea the difference between German and English chamomile!