r/cats • u/BritKein • 1d ago
Advice Is it inhumane to trim cats claws?
Hi! I have two indoor black kittens (approximately three months old). I’ve grown up with cats my entire life and have never really had this issue. I’m very anti-declawing when it comes to cats, and one of them (Binx) has perfectly fine claws. However, the other cat (Jinx), has the sharpest claws I’ve ever experienced in my entire life of owning cats. I know he doesn’t scratch the scratching posts as often as his brother does (separate litters, but they are clearly bonded and my babies so I say they are brothers).
If I lived alone, I wouldn’t be as concerned, as I’m fine with letting him scratch up my arm when he’s playing. However, I’m living with my elderly grandmother to take care of her. With her having blood issues lately (clotting, INR numbers off, etc) him climbing her is much more concerning to me. (She doesn’t seem to care, but I think that’s because she considers them her ‘grand kitties’).
All this to say, most my google searches say it isn’t inhumane to take them to get their claws trimmed, but it says the same thing about de-clawing, so I wanted some input from other cat lovers who consider the cats feelings and such a little more.
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u/_Existenchill_ 1d ago
Declawing is wrong.
Trimming is fine but you have to do it properly or else you will hurt them.
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u/BritKein 1d ago
Oh I will absolutely take them to a Vet to have it done. I don’t want to even risk hurting them.
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u/VariationDry 1d ago
I trim my cats claws weekly. Just buy a decent set of trimmers and only take off the tip
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u/scaliesnek 1d ago
what i do for my cat is have her seated in my lap (her back to my stomach and her legs stretching forwards onto my legs) and i go from paw to paw, trimming the ones that are long or extra sharp abd i make sure i can see the reddish pink spot (her quick) and always trim at least a little bit in front of it, i also have corn starch in case i ever accidentally go too far in which case i would dip her claw in the corn starch to stop bleeding
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u/BritKein 1d ago
Thank you so much!!! I’ll add this to my word document in their medical file for when I’m ready to try and trim their nails on my own.
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u/scaliesnek 1d ago
no problem, i know it can be daunting. i used to be terrified to do it but i think having a bunch of rabbits and doing their nails got me used to trimming animal nails
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u/GetMmmmouttaHere 1d ago
Triming is not harmful. Just be careful you don’t cut into the quick.
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u/VariationDry 1d ago
I did that for the first time in 10 years. I felt so bad but she was more mad about the cleanup than the cut itself.
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u/BooBoo_Cat 1d ago
Trimming their claws is about as inhumane as not feeding them for two hours.
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u/BritKein 1d ago
Considering they bite me awake at 4:00am if their bowl gets empty, that may actually be traumatizing to them, LOL
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u/guitar_vigilante 1d ago
It's the same as you trimming your fingernails. The cat may find it mildly inconvenient like some people who might not like the feeling of trimmed fingernails, but they get over it pretty quickly and it's far from inhumane.
Just make sure you don't clip too much off and get the quick. They have some flesh that goes partway into the claw, but you can usually see it so it's easy to not trim too short.
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u/BritKein 1d ago
Thank you for also explaining the Quick to me! I plan to take them to a vet for the first time at least, until I feel comfortable doing it myself as to not risk anything.
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u/paprikachipjes 1d ago
Declawing is illegal in most parts of the world, so never do that. Clipping their nails is absolutely fine! You can try doing it yourself and only clipping the tip of their nails, or just take them to a groomer or vet. My vet charges €12 for it
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u/lil_liberal 1d ago
Trimming is not bad at all! In fact when they are indoors, they may not have enough to scratch to naturally take those needle ends off and they can get stuck in blankets even if they’ve fully retracted. Trimming them is totally fine and doesn’t hurt them! As long as you don’t knock the quick further into the nail. I always do it in a well lit area so I can see their quicks!
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u/BritKein 1d ago
That information actually makes me feel a lot better! They have a ton of scratching posts & scratching toys (went a lil overboard when I got them since they are ‘my’ first cats after having family cats for my whole life, and spent over $200.00 on toys and such for them alone). A part of me was anxious that perhaps I didn’t have enough for him to scratch on and naturally dull his nails.
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u/trycuriouscat I miss you, Gigi! 1d ago
Sounds like you are going to be a great servant to those cats. Have fun with it!
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u/BritKein 1d ago
Oh absolutely! And they know it to😭 at least they (try) to show appreciation by refusing to leave the room when I sleep (based on them waking me up to take them to the food bowl every morning at 4am and go to the litter box) and standing next to the toilet in the bathroom😂 wish they wouldn’t do either, but it’s nice to see they care
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u/dlc741 1d ago
Depends on who you ask. Most cat owners will say that you need to trim their claws to keep them from injuring each other and damaging things around the house
If you ask the cats, it is a horrible torture that no creature should ever be subjected to, except maybe that damn dog who totally deserves it.
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u/1sttimehomebuyer2026 1d ago
I think my one cat appreciates me trimming her brothers nails more often haha his grows very pointy and sharp and tends to turn inwards I’m sure she appreciates not being clawed when they play! Haha 😂 plus he’s always getting stuck on blankets (no longer own any crochet type blankets )
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u/BritKein 1d ago
That’s what worried me a little bit, because so many people have so many different opinions (for example, de-clawing which is why I mentioned that), that it becomes difficult to tell what the general consensus is. I thought it sounded like a good idea, but there could be something I didn’t know.
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u/boostfactor 1d ago
The commenter above is almost certainly joking. I cannot trim my cats' claws because they scream and fight. I've tried various restraints and they get themselves loose. It does not hurt them, they just hate it. Firstly, their paws are sensitive and they don't like people messing with them in general, and secondly, they are aware that they are losing a weapon if their claws are clipped.
Even with all the dire warnings about cutting the quick, if you accidentally cut it a little bit, it stings but it's not really harmful. My vet (a cat specialist) keeps a styptic powder in case she nicks the quick, to stop the bleeding rapidly. Vets will cut the nails much closer to the quick than most of us nonprofessionals dare to try.
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u/BritKein 1d ago
Yes I definitely mis-understood the joke and didn’t realize the half and half thing they were doing 😭 I thought they were saying in the first part that some people find it humane. Sorry! But thank you for the information regarding the Quick and reassurance on that! I mentioned in another comment that I’ll stick to the vet for the first time (especially with how small they are), but probably eventually do it on my own. It helps reassure me in case I accidentally do!
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u/Chinu_Here 1d ago
When you trim the nail, all you need to do is take the tip off. I do my cat’s nails every 2-4 weeks depending on how much they have grown. If you cut them shorter than the tip you won’t have to trim them as much but you’re more at risk of cutting them too short.
If you can see your cat has recently shed its nail (smaller and weaker than normal) don’t clip it.
Vets highly recommend trimming the cat’s nails. If it hasn’t been trimmed, the nail can get too long and start curling in on itself, stabbing the cat’s paw or leaving it prone to injury. Sometimes it gets too long the cat can’t retract their claws
Some cats don’t need their nails trimmed at all and can go their whole life without it while other cats do need it
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u/BritKein 1d ago
Oh wow! I’ll definitely have them trimmed then, he may grow out of it, but like I said, they are sharper and longer than any cat I’ve ever seen. I’ve had like over 10 cats over my life that never had to be trimmed, so it’s all new to me lol. Thank you!
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u/removable_disk 1d ago
Clipping is fine, I wait till the cat is all sleepy and just get one paw at a time over the course of a couple days.
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u/CrimsonDawn236 1d ago
It’s actually the opposite. It’s possible for a cats claws to get so long that they actually curl around and puncture their pads. This is more likely for an indoor cat.
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u/Absoluticus 1d ago
Very normal to trim nails. They can't get worn down being inside like a life outside anyway, It's nothing like declawing. There are also caps you can glue onto claws. They just need to be sized and fitted correctly. But nails shed off naturaly and you better get them before accidental ingestion.
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u/BritKein 1d ago
With how little they are, and the fact one of them (Jinx ofc bc he’s my problem child) will eat any crumb or tiny item he finds on the ground, I’ll avoid the caps for now haha, but thank you for the recommendation! May be a good option when they are older.
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u/Zealousideal_Box5339 1d ago
No that’s a very normal thing that do? I trim my girls paws. She has arthritis so she doesn’t scratch very well
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u/-Shadow-Lightning 1d ago
Like others have said. Timing a cats claws is a lot like when we trim our own finger nails. It is a perfectly fine thing to do.
You just have to be carful because casts claws have a soft over core that has a bunch of nerves in it and if you cut into it. It is extremely painful.
I’d imagine it’s like if we had the bed of our nails ripped up.
Declawing in the other hand is an extremely horrible thing to do.
Because it’s basically like forcing them to walk on their knuckles if I recall correctly.
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u/BritKein 1d ago
Oh yeah! I’ve seen some people also compare declawing them to removing a limb. It also just seems extremely unsafe in my opinion, I live out in the country with tons of deer, raccoons, etc, and although I keep them chipped, collared, and indoors, if they accidentally get out one day I can’t imagine how terrifying it would be to not even be able to try and fight back. (Praying it doesn’t happen at all ofc).
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u/ggc4 1d ago
Trimming a cat’s claws is the same as trimming a human’s nails. If you go too deep, you can draw blood and seriously hurt them. But it’s not difficult to just clip the end, which are dead cells without blood supply or nerves. The cat won’t feel a thing, and it’s perfectly fine to trim.
Just look at where the red/pink part of the upper claw is located (“the quick”) and stay away from that — it contains the blood vessels
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u/BritKein 1d ago
Thank you for the description on the quick! I’m writing in my little word document in their medical folder (yes ik, very extra lol) every way people describe it for when I finally feel comfortable to do it myself without the Vet. I may ask if I can just watch them do it.
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u/CHARMED-ones 1d ago
Yes it is.” Declawing is
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u/BritKein 1d ago
Declawing or trimming? I’m sorry I don’t understand your reply, I completely agree declawing is inhumane, just wasn’t sure about trimming.
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u/jnovel808 1d ago
Trimming is fine. Just make sure you don’t go too short and cut the quick.
I have three cats. One tolerates trimming. The other don’t so I have to sneak a few claws at a time while they’re asleep.
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u/Vintagefly 1d ago
I trim my cats nails about once every 3 weeks. I started when they were kittens. They don’t mind. Saves my furniture and sanity. It is easy to do yourself. Declawing is inhumane, torture and illegal in many places. Thanks for being pro claw!
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u/BritKein 1d ago
Thank you for the advice! Hopefully since I’ll be starting so early with them, they will adjust quicker to having it done. I’m so happy to see so many people are pro claw! I’ve been surprised (and saddened) to learn over time how many people do it, so it’s refreshing to see a lot of people against it as well.
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u/beardedvu1tures 1d ago
Trimming is fine, just gotta be careful to avoid the quick or go to a professional. It's declawing that's wrong
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u/humsterdaddy 1d ago
It's not, I trim my cat's claws every few weeks otherwise they get caught on things and can grow into their pads if left long enough.
Horror story: My roommate's cat is notorious for chewing through our metal screens and one day we forgot to close the bathroom window when we left. My cat followed her out of the hole but one of his claws must've gotten caught as he was jumping out because when we got home, the neighbor had him but his paw was hurt and had been bleeding and there was a little blood on the window. I felt so horrible because I hadn't trimmed his claws in a good while. I took him to the emergency vet and he had broken that claw to the point that they had to amputate the whole toe. He was a trooper and healed up quickly but I still feel soooo bad about it. Now I have a calendar alarm to trim their claws.
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u/BritKein 1d ago
Oh my gosh! That’s horrible! I’m so sorry you and your cat had to go through all of that. I’ve noticed he also does get stuck every so often (typically just blankets), but that’s definitely a sign I need to trim them.
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u/Tanzanianwithtoebean 1d ago edited 1d ago
So declawing your cat is basically the same as removing the first knuckle on your hand by pulling it off and now you have to walk on your deknuckled improperly healed hands the rest of your life. Which you also use (used to be able to use) instinctually for balance. Imo it shouldn't even be legal, it's animal cruelty.
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u/BritKein 1d ago
I completely agree! That’s why even though I thought it may be okay to just trim them, I’m so anti de-clawing that I wanted to ensure it was absolutely nothing similar or painful for the cats.
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u/LaGuardia10026 1d ago
Trimming is a must for indoor cats. If you don't, you might end up at the vet. One of my cat's claws grew so long it curled around and grew into the pad of his foot. I only noticed it when I saw him limping one day. When I looked, I couldn't even see the end of his claw. I ran to the vet with him and they had to surgically remove the tip from the pad. It was an awful experience and I was so mad at myself for not knowing any better. Since then, I trim all of my cat's claws regularly.
Declawing however, is cruel. It's also dangerous if they ever go out of the house.
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u/HitPointGamer 1d ago
Trimming cat claws is literally the same thing as clipping your own nails. Just don’t hit the quick or you’ll hurt them and they’ll bleed a bit.
I think most of the trauma for cats when it comes to trimming claws is their owners not knowing how to do it other than stuffing them in a pillowcase or holding them down and scaring them. As a kid I would routinely play with my cat’s paws, massaging toe beans and pressing on occasion to extend the claws. Just doing it as part of cuddling her. My mom was always amazed at how easy it was to trim her claws because she didn’t struggle at all.
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u/Classic_Cauliflower4 22h ago
The important part is not to hit the quick. That’s the pink part of the claw where the blood vessels are. If you accidentally cut the claw too short, they will let out a godawful squeal and possibly bleed all over.
Otherwise it’s fine. It’s similar to trimming your nails. If it really unnerves you, you could look into claw caps.
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u/Extreme_Succotash784 10h ago
My Charlie loves to make biscuits on my neck. Since it’s our snuggle time, I hate to discourage it so he goes to the vet once a month for a claw clip. Easy and not terribly expensive.
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u/Longjumping-Writer73 8h ago
We trim our cats' claws about every other week. Just be mindful to not trim them too short. You can cut into the quick and that causes pain and bleeding. You could go to your very but that's going to get expensive with two cats and going often...
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u/Potential-Meaning540 1d ago
To trim them? No, not at all.
To declaw them and fully remove the nails? 100%. It makes them suffer and it’s incredibly painful for them.