# do your cats bite their toenails?



## CJinCA (Dec 5, 2011)

I've noticed that when Squeek grooms herself, she bites and pulls on her toenails with her teeth. Lickorish doesn't do that, at least not when I'm around. Is this a normal part of grooming? Does anyone else's cat do this?


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

OMG! MowMOw gnaws his toenails down as part of his grooming. I thought he was just a weirdo. 

When I see (or rather hear) him chewing on his toenails I know it's time for a trim and get out the nail clippers. If I keep them short he doesn't mess with him but the sound of him biting his nails is like nails on a blackboard to me. It makes my skin crawl.


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## Ritzpg (Dec 7, 2010)

Ritz gives herself a pedicure, back paws, and doesn't seem to mind it.
But when I, little olde ME, gives her a pedicure, front paws, well, I just don't understand why she doesnt' like it. Me, I'd love it if she'd give ME a pedicure, and apendage. Girl, she would hear me purrrr....


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## Leazie (Apr 14, 2007)

Both Bob and Miss Baby chew their toenails. The weird thing? They don't chew ALL their nails, just certain ones. Wish I could ask them way.


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## my5kitties (Sep 13, 2005)

With the exception of Momo, my cats chew their toenails. I always thought they did it to chew off the equivalent of a hang nail on humans.


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## Milky's Mammy (Oct 17, 2011)

Milky sometimes does it too. I always thought he was just particular about his toe nails!!


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## Claiken (Dec 18, 2007)

Simba does this too!! ive only ever noticed the one foot... i thought he was just a freak, on his own!! lol. glad to see others do too


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## Krista2882 (Jan 26, 2012)

Sylvester used to. And we would find what looked like "shells" of cat toenails around the house- like a thin outer layer came off.


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

No, my cats do not do this.


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## Fran (Jan 9, 2008)

Gracie does this, mostly her back toes. I always thought she was just being thorough..?

 Fran


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## Galathiel (Feb 6, 2012)

They are pulling the sheath off their nail I would imagine. They come off naturally when they "sharpen" their claws (that's what they are actually doing when they sharpen, stropping off the old sheath to reveal their new claws underneath. They shed them around every couple of weeks, but if it doesn't come off completely then they will pull them off. 

(Spouting all this from memory)


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## Cats&Plants (Aug 20, 2011)

Yeah mine do this too, they are pulling the sheaths off to reveal nice, new, SHARP claws lol. I am always finding little claw bits everywhere. In my bed, on my pillow, on the couch, on the floor. Sheesh lol.


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## Claiken (Dec 18, 2007)

Oh ok, so they are supposed to 'shed' nail layers?? Good. ive found a few around the house too.


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## yellowdaisies (Jan 25, 2011)

YES. Spencer seems to be chewing on his TOES rather than his toenails. It always looks like it would be painful.. I just thought he was weird, so I'm glad other cats do it too.


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## Meezer_lover (Apr 19, 2011)

Yoshi does this as well. I think it is his way of sharpening them. We have to cut them pretty much on a weekly basis. Apparently he likes them sharp!


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## jpimaging817 (Feb 11, 2012)

I had never even heard of this until now....Never once seen a cat do this


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## Shenanigans (Jul 23, 2011)

This is so funny, lol. I was sitting on the couch yesterday bumming around and trying to feel better, when I hear Apollo chewing on something. He was on the far side of my living room, blocked off by my coffee table. I thought for sure he had found one of his missing mice and was trying to eat it, so I jumped up and ran over to him, only to find that he was holding his back leg with both of his front paws, gnawing on his toe nails and grooming his foot. I had to laugh hysterically. I've never seen (or heard) him do this before, so yeah it caught me off guard.

All of my past cats have done it though, and I never understood why. It's a horrible sound, and I usually made them stop by sticking my finger between their little toes lol. Tickle spot? I dunno, but it made them stop.


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