# Cats back paws: Do they need to be clipped?



## sweetpea (Aug 8, 2004)

I have 3 cats and I have always clipped all four paws. I just adopted a cat from a shelter, and she is declawed in the front. She is very sensitive about letting people touch her paws. Does she need to have her back nails trimmed, or is that not necessary?

Thanks


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## Zalensia (Aug 25, 2003)

Bacl nails grow just like the front, if you dont want them to overgrow they need to be clipped.


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## RarePuss (Jun 16, 2004)

I clip Marsh's back just just as i do with the fronts. you wouldn't believe how big and long they can get!


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## Aonir (Aug 18, 2003)

Cheyenne is declawed in the front, and she gets her back claws trimmed just like the other critters. They can get really sharp and long!


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## Maleke (Jul 2, 2003)

I cut my kitty's back nails every other time. They run around SO much chasing eachother, and they try to get up speed on the kitchen floor but really their nails just scrape along it (since there is nothing to grip into!!!) so that really seems to dull them.


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## Kittys Mom (May 7, 2004)

Kitty is front declawed too. She has never let me do her back paws, in fact, she won't even let me touch them. She's very sensitive about all four of her paws. Either way, I've never clipped them. She bites them off on a regular basis. So, I figure she's fine, she grooms them herself. 

It always makes me a little sad because after she does the back claws she tries to do the front ones...ow! She pulls on her little toes like...where's the nail?

So, I'd just watch your cat, if she seems to take care of it herself, you probably don't have to worry about it.


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## queen of the nile (Aug 16, 2003)

I very rarely do the back claws, only if they are needle-sharp. They always seem to be much more dull than the front claws. I wouldn't do the back claws unless they were very sharp, or were getting overgrown (ie: cat sticking to the carpet).


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## sweetpea (Aug 8, 2004)

Thanks Kittymom. That's especially helpful. I appreciate everyone's help, but at least now I know there's a chance she can just do it herself. It wasn't something that had ever occured to me before.

Thanks,
Stacy


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## violina23 (Jun 28, 2004)

I clip Kiera's back paws as often as I can, but she's REALLY sensitive about touching her back legs in general, so I'm not always so lucky.


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## TAsunder (Apr 6, 2004)

Hm, I explicitly do not trim the back claws. I thought for sure I read from a reputable source that one actually shouldn't do this, as they rely on their back claws for traction in some cases. I'll try to dig up the link and see if I still think it is credible.

If not, maybe I'll try trimming one of my cat's claws... her previous owner mutilated her, er I mean, declawed her, so she likes to dig in with her rear claws when I pick her up, and then push off when she wants to be put down somewhere. The result is many holes in t-shirts.


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