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Different cats have different rates of claw growth. Robin's claws get trimmed every month because they grow fast and she's a big kneader (and it hurts!!) JJ I do less often because his seem to grow slower (every two months or so.)
Keep in mind scratching posts don't blunt the nails. When a cat 'sharpens their claws' with a scratching post, what they are actually doing is pulling off the old outside sheath of the nail. So a scratching post isn't really going to help with this problem...unless the problem actually is that she's not getting rid of those sheaths. When they build up enough, the nail looks very thick and wide. Enough build up can prevent the claw from retracting well and cause the cat to get stuck as you describe. Older cats often stop removing the sheaths efficiently on their own.
Either way, a regular trip to the groomer will fix the issue and it shouldn't cost much.
Our 13 year old has been getting his claws stuck badly in my clothes when he climbs up to my lap for some petting. I didn't know all that you have explained. I can cut claws - a vet tech showed me how - but I would rather have a pro do his claws now, at his age. I am a little concerned about doing it wrong. I have not ever had his claws trimmed, nor do we do that for any of our cats, and I had the (ignorant) idea that our sissel scratching posts, and we have 5 of them, were doing the job! I was wrong all along. Oh my goodness. Thanks, Parallel, on that one!
I used to be obsessed with fixing 'old cat claws' at the veterinary hospital. Anytime an old cat came in, I just had to clip and pull off all those built up nasty sheaths. So satisfying to finally reveal the nice clean white claw under it all!
I have a feeling she's either got sheath build up so her claws are thicker and getting caught in the sisal loops, or she's a little arthritic and she's not able to 'tug' herself off as easily as she used to.
Wonderful advice and feedback. I already called to vet office to take our sweetie old guy there for nail (and sheath, I am sure) "work" today!
Yeah, would be nice. She loves boxes of course but she's never been interested in a cardboard scratcher. Have tried a couple over the years.
Try some different shapes? I have s shaped cardboard scratchers and the flat ones. Some are left flat, but one is always placed on something to elevate one end, so it lays at an incline. They love the curved one especially.
One of my cats likes edge scratching, and she loves the cardboard for this (I tear off the slick print paper glued to the edges), though they did just get a new sisal scratcher that offers edges too. Not all sisal is created equal either, remember.
Sisal rope is more likely to catch a claw than sisal fabric scratchers. I use scratchers that use sisal fabric.
Here's their newest one, it's the slanted part that is sisal (you can see part of the older one in the pic too, they are from the same company)
Last edited by catsmom21; 01-08-2013 at 12:38 PM..
Oh, I never answered your question, I got side tracked by the never ending fascinating discussion of scratchers!. I trim claws every 4 weeks, generally. Some cats claws get long and sharp faster than others, but I do them all at once to keep it fair
One cat screams Help! Murder! through the whole process. She always has done so and probably always will. My ears are always ringing when I finish with her. Though I had to wrap her when she was a kitten, she no longer requires wrapping, she doesn't struggle or fight, just screams.
One cat just looks the other way and gets through it stoically. She came to me as an adult, and did not like it the first time I snipped her claws, but accepted it after the first time.
One cat, also rescued as a younger adult, took years to accept me trimming them at home, and I used to take her to the groomer every six weeks, but she now allows me to do all four paws at once, but it took many years of patient Paw Work training.
(I also always trim before a vet appointment)
For Amber, you know, she may not need it quite that often. As cats get older their claws do seem to slow down on growth. Take her in and have it done by a professional, and see how long it lasts. Check her claws once a week, and keep track of which ones grow fastest.
At the groomer, stay with her, if possible, to see if she does have a lot of claw overgrowth as described by another poster, or ask the groomer to take note of any special conditions of her claws.
Last edited by catsmom21; 01-08-2013 at 12:35 PM..
As an aside, I had to get rid of a sisal scratcher because Heather would spend the entire day eating the little strings. She's the only cat I've ever seen do that.
Our two tuxie boys seem to need their toenails clipped about every four weeks or so. They both love pulling at their sisal scratching post, so they keep the outer sheaths cleaned off, but they both grow really long, curvy toenails that reach the point of catching in the carpet if we don't keep them trimmed. One of them even gets to the point where he clicks when he walks on the linoleum in the kitchen, the way a dog does.
When I hear the Colonel start to click as he walks across the kitchen, I call the elder kid and ask her to stop by on her way home from work to help me with toenail duty. She sits on one of the straight kitchen chairs and holds one of the boys in her lap, sitting with his rump in her lap, his back pressed up against her stomach and chest, and holding his paws in her hands. They complain a little, but there's very little squirming - they know when they're good and thoroughly caught. I can get through all four feet in under a minute, and then the freshly trimmed one is harrumphing his way off to the living room, shaking his fur tuxedo back into place and muttering imprecations about pushy females.
The funny thing is that we've demoed this process to my spouse multiple times, and he has tried valiantly to serve as cat-holder, to absolutely no avail. Whichever cat is in his lap gives one or two good wriggles, slides out of his arms and is off like a shot, hiding in the farthest reaches of the basement. I personally think it's because he's the family soft-touch and the cats know it and take advantage of it. But that's ok. That's one of the things I like about him.
I trim their nails whenever I can catch them and the trimmer is handy. Since their claws all grow at different rates, I clip whichever nails need it at the moment, and the next time a cat winds up in my lap, I trim the ones I missed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by moved
He also gets a cookie after each foot is done.
LOL. Treats are a powerful incentive! I'll have to try that.
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