Cats Claws Are Always Out

The kitty in my avatar has weird hind paws. The claws on her hind feet are sticking out all the time. It's like her little toes are deformed, or maybe she is just nervous. I'm not sure what the problem is, but her sister's claws are fine.

She is almost four months old. When we pick her up we get stabbed (a little) with her hind feet. I have examined her toes and a few of the claws seem to protrude more than normal.


She loves to cuddle, but she is on the prickly side!

You have me curious now and I'm going to keep an eye on this thread. My 13 year old cat has claws like that in the front. They get hung up on stuff all the time. We clip them with a nail clipper so they're not sticking out so bad. I figured it wasn't a normal thing, since our other cat's claws are not like this, but I never thought it was a big deal. I always wished we declawed her, but my husband doesn't believe in declawing.

(12-06-2012 06:36 AM)JaimieSkye Wrote:  You have me curious now and I'm going to keep an eye on this thread. My 13 year old cat has claws like that in the front. They get hung up on stuff all the time. We clip them with a nail clipper so they're not sticking out so bad. I figured it wasn't a normal thing, since our other cat's claws are not like this, but I never thought it was a big deal. I always wished we declawed her, but my husband doesn't believe in declawing.

She seems to have them out to cling to things, but they are still prickly even when she seems relaxed. I notice that she fans out her front paws as if she is kneeding/nursing.... she does this to my sister when she holds her - especially when my sister is wearing her pink velour type sweater.

I dont think I could ever commit to declawing one of my babies. If I were not able to take care of them (and give them away), I would be afraid of what would happen to them without claws. Of course they can wreak havoc on walls, furniture, and carpet big time. You have to cat proof your house, I guess lol

I had a cat like this once. She looked very similar to the cat in the avatar - she was black and tiny even when she was fully grown. Her claws always stuck out a little bit even when she was sleeping. I thought that maybe it was because she was so small that her claws just couldn't fit inside of her itsy bitsy toes. I know that my reasoning is whimsical, but then again, who knows? I would never ever suggest to declaw a cat because they are a natural defense for them. What if the cat got outside and a dog started chasing her? The first reaction for a cat is to climb a tree to escape and without claws this becomes impossible and hence, unsafe.

Have you tried keeping them clipped really close (not to the quick, but nice and short)? Maybe that will help her out. Or, here's the kicker, she could still be growing into her feet. You know, she's got some growing to do yet, right? So maybe her back legs have gotten well ahead of the rest of her body?

There's also a product that you can use to sort of coat her nails. It's like a gel nail for cats. Maybe try a pair of those until she either grows into her feet or the problem resolves itself. This could help with the prickly cuddles.