One of my kittens front paws has a split nail. It doesn't seem to be hurting him but I'm afraid to cut it down because it appears to be broken right down to past the quick. It looked like there was a little bit of litter stuck in there, and I want to stop that from happening. Anyone know how to fix this?
2007-01-21 16:13:58 · 2 answers · asked by cream 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
If you take the kitten to the vet he can use a bit of medical glue to keep it from splitting more, than you just have to wait until its grown out a bit more so you can cut it. Because you're right, if you cut it now it may cause the split to become bigger and move down into the quick...then the nail would probably start bleeding. And believe me, the bleeding from a nail is hard to stop because the quick it the vein that runs into each nail. If you have an item called KwikStop..its a yellow powder you find at the pet store that you can dab onto the nail where its bleeding and it stops it almost instantly...its something good to have on hand if you plan to ct your cats nails at home. (But KwikStop is only used for stopping bleeding pet NAILS. It's also got a few different names so I would ask around). Good luck!
2007-01-21 16:33:28 · answer #1 · answered by Ash 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Cat's nails split all the time, but if it's split way down you do have to be very careful. There is a point in the nail where if you cut beyond it the nail will begin to bleed and it's really bad as it means you have hit a vein. As most people have alley cats they don't have groomers, I have 2 purebreds, so I have groomers as I can't deal with all the fur and knots. So, I suggest going to the vet, even though it's a small thing. You don't want kitty to have an infected toenail.
After this I would keep cutting the cat's nails on a schedule. The vet can show you how far down you can cut and it won't hurt the cat. Just be sure to wear a suit of armor when you do it. From one who knows.
Pyewacke & Emily's Mom
2007-01-22 02:00:37 · answer #2 · answered by lochmessy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋