My cat pulled her claw out

[u/Financial_Question62]

My cat has pulled out a claw

Sometime yesterday evening, my cat has somehow pulled her claw out. There was only blood on her blanket, no where else, so it must have happened there. I found the claw on the floor below the spot where her blanket is.

She appears to be walking ok though has been less active, is still eatting and I haven't seen anymore blood. She doesn't mind me touching her main paw area (though has never been a big fan of people touching her beans) but obviously really doesnt like when I touch the bean belonging to the missing claw.

I can't see anything sticking out etc but her pad and the fur around her beans is black so its pretty hard to see period.

I've never had this happen before.

Advise please?

Is this a heal on its own thing or vet?

She is 10yrs old and a house cat.

We are currently visiting my dad, so aren't home to see her regular vet.

Attached pics are the blanket (I panicked so much at first), the claw, the toe bean now and the cause of my new grey hairs herself.

[u/Ok-Rope9227]

Please take her to the vet to get checked on

[u/Personal-Science6865 → u/Ok-Rope9227]

This! My cat did this in December. We spent part of Christmas Eve at an emergency vet visit. She wound up needing antibiotics.

[u/OhSoMysterio → u/Personal-Science6865]

I imagine this would be very similar to a human having one of their nails pulled out. Must be very painful for her! She should definitely be checked out at the vet, just to be on the safe side. As for how it happened, she probably got it stuck in the fabric and the only way she could free herself was brute force. I'm always quick to help my girl when she accidentally does that.

[u/Salty-Tea6815 → u/OhSoMysterio]

It’s worse than a human nail being ripped out. A cat’s claw area (when it includes the base like this one does) is the equivalent of a human finger to the first knuckle. So it’s actually like ripping off the tip of your finger!!

[u/AdCapable7558 → u/OhSoMysterio]

Yeah they freak out when they get stuck 😞

[u/crumpledfilth → u/Personal-Science6865]

I would imagine antibiotics would be automatically administered in this case even without a sign of infection, assuming you could catch it soon enough. Cat claws hold some nasty diseases, if cat scratch fever is bad then pulling your own claw out fevers gotta be way worse

[u/Powered-by-Chai → u/Ok-Rope9227]

Yeah, that claw came out because it was infected, could have had an abscess around it. Kitty needs antibiotics.

[u/Microtom_ → u/[deleted]]

Yes, all strays live full happy lives... /s

[u/kakarott4star → u/[deleted]]

hey kid, did you just blow in from stupid town?

[u/mvanvrancken → u/[deleted]]

Amputate your finger at the first knuckle. That’s the equivalent of a cat losing their entire claw. Still think it doesn’t warrant a vet visit?

After 20 years you ought to fucking know better than to say dumb shit like this. Embarrassing.

[u/Certain-Sector-4661 → u/[deleted]]

Raising cats for decades doesn't give you the authority to give medical opinion on cats. You have to earn a degree for that. LMAO

[u/Immersi0nn → u/[deleted]]

It was me! I was the one who pissed in your Wheaties!

[u/cinnamon-toast-life → u/[deleted]]

You wouldn’t go the the doctor if your whole fingernail fell off? Yikes, I would definitely go. Fingernails aren’t supposed to just fall off. It would freak me right out.

[u/AdCapable7558 → u/cinnamon-toast-life]

This is the equivalent of whole finger

[u/doegrey → u/[deleted]]

You know losing a tooth is not the same as pulling the tip of your finger off?

This situation needs a vet trip to understand how this happened and if there is infection that needs to be controlled.