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Expert: - 11/25/2009


Question
It's extremely hard for me to get my cat into a carrier to take her to the vet and/or groomer.  She has all 4 claws. MAYBE, I can get a few front claws done when she is sleepy.  However, the back ones I can NEVER get to.  Is it true that their nails only grow to a certain point %26 stop?  A friend's vet told her that.  She has a cat that won't go in a carrier and she hasn't trimmed the nails in years.  Don't their nails begin to curl?  What happens to feral cats?  No one trims their nails.

Answer
Lou,

I can find nothing about any limits to the growth of cat's claws.  However, in the wild, they constantly are scratching on rough surfaces, like trees, stone walls, etc. which helps remove the outer sheath and keep the claws from growing uncontrollably.  The claws on the hind legs grow much more slowly and are generally not as sharp.

We have had one case of a claw defect where the claw on one thumb grew into the paw pad and had to be removed.  

To clip claws you can try a few at a time, as you are now doing and just take the tips off.  We like to use a pet nail scissors which is not very large and will not frighten the cat.  Still, it would be good if she has a sturdy exercise post she can stretch out to full length (from the tips of her hind toes to the tips of her front toes stretched over her head) and scratch those front claws on something like raw wood, sisal, or closed loop carpet.

If the cat cannot scratch, the claws on the front feet will tend to curl underneath.

Best regards... Norm.  

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Norman Auspitz

Expertise

I can answer most non-veterinary questions about cats. My particular expertise is pedigree cats, breeding and showing. However, I am versed in feline behavior, cat breeds and their characteristics, general feline husbandry, and the like.

Experience

I judged for the Canadian Cat Association from 1975 until 1982. I am currently an approved allbreed judge for the Cat Fanciers'' Association (the world''s largets cat registry), and have been judging for them since 1991. I have been breeding pedigreed cats since 1971 and have been exhibiting pedigreed cats in shows since 1970. I obtained my first pedigreed cat in 1970 and have never looked back. In 1971, I obtained my first Abyssinian which has become my primary breed. In addition, I have bred Manx and Persians. Currently, besides the Abyssinians, I am also breeding Maine Coons.


Organizations
Cat Fanciers'' Association, inc. (CFA) and the Manx, Maine Coon, and Abyssinian breed councils. I am currently Abyssinian breed council secretary.

Publications
Cat Fancy Magazine, The Abyssinian Chapter in The Cat Fanciers'' Association Complete Cat Book, and Articles for various editions of The Cat Fanciers'' Association Yearbook

Education/Credentials
I received a B.S. from Drexel University in 1968, a M.Math from University of Waterloo, in 1970, a Ph.D. from University of Waterloo in 1975, and a MBA from McMaster University in 1980. I received my approved allbreed judging status in the Cat Fanciers'' Association in 1999.

Awards and Honors
We have produced a number of Cat Fanciers'' Association (CFA) National winning Abyssinian and Maine Coons. We have produced a number of Abyssinian and Maine Coon Distinguished Merit females (an award for a top producing cat), including the first Distinguished Merit Abyssinian in the red (sorrel) color. I am the CFA Abyssinian breed council secretary and belong and/or hold office in a number of cat clubs. I am also a member of the CFA Judges Association.

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