this post was submitted on 02 Jul 2025
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As they dig their claws into your leg to better launch themselves off the bed...
Cut their claws, I taught my adult cat that me touching his paws is okay and that sometimes he gets a trim. We can now "spar" all the time because he just doesn't have sharp points to claw me with. He can make biscuits on me all he wants, jump on me, off me etc.
I would not recommend that unless you know what you are doing. Unlike other animals, the claws of cats have living tissue inside, which means a cut too far from the tip is like cutting off a fingertip and pretty painful, just be forewarned.
e: thats also the reason why declawing is brutal and inhumane - there are a lot of nerve endings there too
Declawing and cutting claws are very different things
yeah sure they are, i didn't want to put those 2 things on the same level! i just wanted to say that you can't cut them like you would with a dog's claw without hurting your cat, and if in doubt, at least let the vet show you how first.
Dog's claws also have living tissue and require extreme caution.
ok, i didn't know that, but i never had a dog in my life. TIL, thanks!
All animals have living tissue in their nails / claws / talons, birds, dogs, cats, etc. Trimming their nails is completely normal and part of a routine that keeps them healthy. Otherwise you run the risk of talons curving and going into the foot of a bird for instance. For cats, they can grow these huge dead nails in their rear legs for instance, they usually try to bite them off. Cutting the tip helps them peel off and get rid of those.
That's why declawing is not only inhumane, it is 100% stupid - you can achieve the exact same "result" - your cat not being able to damage furniture - by providing them with a scratching post and regularly cutting their nails - without maiming your pet. There are more alternatives to declawing, like silicone covers for their claws too. The people who go for it are literally the worst.
Not really a problem often. Cats with light fur tend to have white nails and you can see the quick (the living part of the nail) really easily. There are also methods on how to cut the nail properly, with correct angles and specialized scissors. Even with dark-coloured claws, it isn't hard to avoid it. Simply trimming the extremely sharp hook end is enough, you don't need to cut half their claw off.
Declawing means removing a digit in a cats' paw. It is a completely different process to what I'm describing here and is a horrific thing to do to a cat, basically maiming it in the process. It should only be done as last resort in illness to save a cats life, not to prevent it from scratching. It is basically the difference between cutting your nails so they are short, and cutting the end of your fingers so there is no nail to cut.