His back claws are so long that they extend out of his paws when hes not putting any wait on them. shouldnt they retract like his front. i dont want him declawed cause thats cruel. and i dont want to hurt him. So should i trim them and will it hurt or affect him? he scratches his neck alot. and he has cut his neck twice. he doesnt have fleas. is there something to get him to stop scratching himself. hes an outside cat and im assuming the other cat has bit or did something to his neck to irritate him.
2007-01-31 16:51:10 · 10 answers · asked by Matt 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
ive had him over eight years and i havent had this problem before, hes just older and doesnt go out as much to wear them down like he used to.
will this make it harder to trim them?
2007-01-31 17:10:47 · update #1
Hi Matt...trimming the back claws may be very helpful if you have observed your cat having trouble inflicting injury to his skin. Here's an instructional video by Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine for Feline Health on how to trim cat's nails safely: http://www.felinevideos.vet.cornell.edu/trimming_claws/full_movie.shtml
Because your cat is scratching himself he may have developed Feline Miliary Dermatitis (allergies) with either food, fungal skin infections, insect bites, autoimmune disorders, other feline metabolic disorders, etc. and should be evaluated medically to be treated respectively. More on feline Miliary dermatitis: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=1&cat=1332&articleid=150
2007-01-31 19:25:22 · answer #1 · answered by ♪ Seattle ♫ 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
They just snipped off the sharp tip, and soon your cat will be climbing without any problems. Claws are always growing. Often, the vet is able to snip off more then I would do, but since my vet doesn't ever do that for free, I never have my vet to it. And most of my cats never get a trim anyway, unless they decide to lay on my lap and then start to knead me with their claws out. Then it is done for self protection. You can get a special clippers (around $5) that you can use to take off just the sharp tip of the claws. A lot depends whether they control their claws while they are walking all over you. While I don't know how long it will take exactly, it won't be long. Maybe a week or so, depending on how short he snipped them. My cats can still climb even if I give them a trim, since I don't remove much.
2016-03-28 23:18:43 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If he's scratching the back of his neck raw, that could mean he has ear mites. If there's a lot of black junk in his ears and his back legs scratch like crazy when you rub his ears, it's probably mites and he should be treated for them. I like Acarexx the best for mites, or Revolution is great for outdoor cats as it treats multiple parasites, you have to get both of these at the vet.
It will not harm him in any way to trim his back nails, just avoid the quick (this is the pink fleshy thing inside the nail). Just enough so they aren't sharp is plenty, back nails don't resharpen as fast as the front-you can trim the front ones too.
2007-01-31 16:56:52 · answer #3 · answered by lizzy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes You can trim your cats back claws, just dont go too far, a general rule is to only cut the clear portion of the nail, any further back and you will make it bleed. you can also buy these caps that are harmless you just snap them on to your cats claws and it will prevent clawing and scratching and the best thing is that they are safe and wont hurt your cat
2007-01-31 17:05:24 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yo can certainly trim them , it won't cause any ill effect, just be sure to not cut into the pink or the quick. that hurts awfully.
If he allows you, distract him ( we use a nail file, my cats love them for some reason, and grasp them with their front paws, and I work quickly. ) it is normally a two person job... good luck!
2007-02-01 02:11:38 · answer #5 · answered by GRISCHAT 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sure - go ahead. I clip my cats nails all the time. Just be careful not to clip the quick (the pink part), it might hurt him. The only way it would really affect him is if he is a tree climber - he might not climb as well until he gets used to it.
2007-01-31 16:58:41 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I trim them, and my cat is fine. Just make sure you only trim the tips, because where the claw gets thicker, there are blood vessels and he could bleed.
2007-01-31 16:59:48 · answer #7 · answered by cpinatsi 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
we cut our little girls back claws. i check them every month and clip them when necessary. your little guy might or might not be happy with the idea. your best bet if you want to start trimming is to start them young. we started ours at 9 weeks old. she is a total indoor cat and a front declaw,(rules where we used to live at front declaw and spay/neuter at 6 mnths old)
2007-01-31 17:05:16 · answer #8 · answered by ♥ cat furrever ♥ 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes you can trim his nails just cut the tips just like a dogs
2007-01-31 17:04:58 · answer #9 · answered by fatjackmorrison 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yeah, just don't cut them too short.
2007-01-31 16:59:13 · answer #10 · answered by Miss Meagan 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋