My room mate's cat whom isn't fed well, gets no exercise, etc, scratched me today and her nail tore out completely and stuck in my hand. I was inspecting it and it was just falling apart in my fingers. Is this a cause for concern? I'm going to talk to her when she gets back (she's on vacation at the moment) about caring for her better, is this a point I should bring up? I mean aside from the fact that she attacked me when I tried to fill up her food.. little nut job.
2007-09-15 09:29:48 · 4 answers · asked by pateo 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
This is completely normal. Cats shed the outer sheath of their claws regularly.
Indoor, adult cats tend to be lazy. Cats, by nature, spend most of their time sleeping. This is not generally a problem unless the cat becomes overweight. A healthy cat should be fairly lean. You should be able to feel the ribs, but not see them.
Some cats also get food aggressive. I've seen one REALLY bad case in my rescue experience. There are a lot of reasons she could be food aggressive, particularly if she was a rescue/shelter cat and you don't know her history. If this becomes a serious issue, you and/or your friend may want to seek the advice of a local animal behaviorist.
If you feel that your other concerns regarding the cat's feeding and treatment are well founded, then by all means bring your concerns up with your friend. But make sure to be tactful and don't become accusatory.
Good luck.
2007-09-15 10:21:49 · answer #1 · answered by m0rganrules13 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually, what you are describing sounds like a claw sheath.
Cats shed the surface of thier claws every so often, and leave behind a little shell of a claw, all flaked and fragile.
They do have sharp ends, too.
Even if you clip cats' nails they still go thru this process.
2007-09-15 10:05:55 · answer #2 · answered by Mimi B 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cats regularly shed the outer claw covering - it looks like a thin, fragile layer of claw material that usually comes off when they scratch something. It's not likely that the claw itself tore out just from scratching you - you'd be seeing blood if it did.
2007-09-15 09:45:41 · answer #3 · answered by daa 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
.Cat's normally shed their claws. No cause for concern. Good luck with your room mate - you're going to need it.
2007-09-15 10:07:19 · answer #4 · answered by risa131313 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋