I have a scratching post for my cat so do I still need to trim her claws?

Answer 1

A scratching post gives your cat an alternative to using your furniture and carpets; it does not provide the means to keep the claws at their preferred length.

A cat that goes outside will wear down it's claws through normal behaviour. So, if your cat goes outdoors, then trimming may not be necessary. If it does not, then trimming is still required.

Just make sure you know how to trim properly; too much and you will go into the "quick" of your cat's nails (where the blood flow is) and hurt them.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Both of my cats need claw trimming even though they have scratching posts. The boy cat compulsively sharpens his claws by gnawing at the sheath to reveal fresh, sharp claws. If we didn't trim, he would have unpleasantly sharp claws. The girl cat is the opposite-- she doesn't remove enough of the sheath, so she gets a thick buildup of death scaly claw material. If we don't trim, her nails get so long that they click on the floors and start to throw off her gait.

Answer 3

It's really up to you.
My kitten has a scratching post but I still trim her claws.
I would definitely suggest trimming her claws anyways..it helps her out and you don't have to worry about things possibly getting scratched up as much.

Answer 4

YES. The post only takes off the shedding sides of the claws, which make the tips of the claws sharper and sharper. Cutting the tips off keeps the claws dull.

Answer 5

Let her scratch at the post.........then you should still check her nails, if they look like they need at trim, then trim them

good luck :)

Answer 6

the more you trim their nails the more they scratch