Claws aren't retracting

29066 Views 7 Replies 4 Participants Last post by tanyuh, Jul 21, 2003

Chelle

Discussion Starter · Jul 20, 2003

I have 4 cats; two of which are older cats (18 & 15 years old).

Since they've gotten older, I've noticed that their front claws aren't retracting all the way. Most of my house has hard wood floors, so it doesn't seem like much of a problem, but we do have one room that has carpet and any time they walk across it, their claws get caught. The same thing also happens when they're walking across the furnuture. They both have arthritis so I'm really worried that they'll get stuck and hurt themselves trying to get free.

I did a quick search on line and on this forum and didn't see anything about it. But since it's happened to both of my cats, I thought it would be fairly common.

Is there anything I could do to keep them from getting stuck on things? Should I clip their claws?

-Chelle

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Chelle

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jul 20, 2003

Jessica said:
It's very common for older cats not to be able to retract their claws. It's perfectly normal but they run the risk of getting their claws stuck in things so if you can trim their nails that would help prevent that. If you can't trim them yourself bring them to a groomer or a vet and they'll gladly help you out.

I trim my dog's nails myself (and they're black), so cat's claws shouldn't be a problem. However, my mom says that if we trim their claws, they're gonna go nuts trying to sharpen them and will end up clawing everything in the house. Has anyone ever had that problem when clipping cats' claws.

-Chelle

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Chelle

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jul 20, 2003

Thanks. I went ahead and clipped their front claws (they weren't too happy about it, though). And yes, I do have a scratching post.

-Chelle

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