# claws showing when retracted



## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

Is it normal for claws to stick out this far when they're retracted? One of Celia's claws has always protruded a little, but I don't remember seeing one claw on each foot sticking out like this, or this far. Just wondering if this is common.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Hi Spirite! 
Those claws look like they're on Celia's back feet?
To me, a bit of a trimming is in order!
My kitties get their back claws trimmed, as well as their front ones, especially since the boys, when they wrestle, like to 'rabbit' kick each other!
Also one of the things I've noticed, is when cats get to be seniors, their claws can start thickening, and getting more brittle...
So even more important, to keep them trimmed!
S.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Mine do (well, I mean my cat's claws stick out.) I also take it as a hint they need a trim.


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## Arianwen (Jun 3, 2012)

Most of mine have one or two claws that don't retract as much as the others but they do look long. This does become more pronounced with age.


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## meggie (Mar 13, 2014)

Both my cats have a couple claws that never retract.


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

Thanks everyone. Aha. I was wondering if it had something to do with age. Wow, I've never even attempted to do the back claws...  Do your vets routinely do all of the claws? I think mine have only done the front ones. From now on, I'll ask to have all of her claws trimmed when we go in. 

Actually, we're going to the vet tomorrow anyway, so she'll get a manicure and a pedicure.


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## LakotaWolf (Aug 10, 2012)

How old is Celia?

My 17-year-old lady has the same thing... on ALL her back claws ;} All of them stick out; I've asked my vet about it (because it freaked me out) and she said it's totally normal for older kitties, and it's harmless.

I trim Wintressia's back claws even though she's outdoors during the day - otherwise they start to grow all croggled and start to touch her pawpads :/

p.s., Win's claws have also started to look ... really scrofulous, for lack of a better term  They're yellowish, thick, and overall look pretty gross. They're also very brittle. I asked my vet about these aspects as well and she said, again, it's normal in older cats. So if you see Celia's claws start to look a bit more aged or brittle, it's likely nothing to worry about :}


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## Augustine (Nov 27, 2014)

Yep, definitely normal. I have to trim my overweight senior's back nails because they get a bit too long otherwise.

Thankfully my kittens are still young and active enough to deal with their back paws themselves.


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

Thanks for your responses. It makes sense - it's the same with humans: nails thicken and yellow as we age. 

So I have gross-looking claws to look forward to...  (and gross-looking nails, for me)

LakotaWolf, Celia is about 15.5 years old, so she's getting on in years. And she's never been good about personal hygiene (eyes are always gunky, butt is never clean), so I'll just add claw care to the list of things I have to help her with.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Spirite, 
My Grandma Callie, who's 16 now, has very thick, but brittle claws, I keep all of hers trimmed, so she doesn't snag up on anything, and hurt herself...

It also sounds like a 'potty patch' trim, would help Miss Celia's rear end cleanliness!!
S.


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## Mandy and Ellie (Oct 22, 2013)

My childhood cat Cuddles is now nearing 18 and hers do the same thing! She only has her back claws (we found her as a stray already front paw declawed, sadly) but we've noticed when she started getting into her senior years that a few of her back claws stick out further than the rest. Even with trimming, there's a few that stick out further. 

Not sure if they grow unevenly now, don't all retract the same, or maybe our older kitties walk with more of a limp due to sore hips/arthritis which wears them down unevenly.


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## skyfire322 (Dec 18, 2013)

It's good that I found this thread! My two year old's back claws are protruding similar to the OP's. I've heard mixed things on whether to trim the back claws or not.


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## LakotaWolf (Aug 10, 2012)

Skyfire, I've heard conflicting opinions on that from vets AND cat owners.

I think it depends a LOT on your cat's personal situation and environment.

The back claws are the "rippers" when a cat is fighting/defending itself, so if your cat is full- or part-outdoors, and you live in an area where your cat regularly encounters other cats OR other animals (possums, raccoons, etc.) then I would not trim the back claws since your cat may very well need them someday.

If your cat is full indoors, then I think it's fine to trim the back claws.

I have a 17-year-old cat who is indoors/outdoors. She spends her nights inside the garage, but during the day she is super-sedentary and rarely leaves her heated pad. I live in an area where there are few "other critters" and no other cats in the neighborhood. These factors, plus the fact that her back claws do the whole "won't retract" thing and they grow all croggled, I DO trim her back claws regularly.

So IMO, it depends on your situation, and your cat's environment.


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

Celia's indoor only, though she gets to sit out on the deck or in the screened-in porch when it's nice out. She's such a wriggly worm that I wouldn't even try to do her back claws. She's not aggressive, but she reaaalllly doesn't like it when I do anything to her paws, ears, mouth, eyes...She turns into a sort of furry liquid that just oozes out of my arms. If the claws get brittle, then maybe a regular trim of the back claws is in order. 

10cats, Celia's poo doesn't get as far as her fur...she'll have a little piece that didn't quite make it all the way out, or I can tell (or smell) that the area right around her anus needs a little attention. And her way of doing that is...scooting. :roll:


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Hi Spirite, 
If you can't trim her back feet, ask the vet to do it...to long of claws, can also affect their walking...which our geriatric kitties don't need on top of arthritis!

I also discovered something else with Callie's back claws...because she does have arthritis in her hips and shoulders, she doesn't get to CLEAN those back claws, I cleaned an 'icky' build up of 'stuff' from each and every back claw...
Poor old girl!

The claws had to be extended gently, to get to this 'Claw plaque', for lack of a better word!!

LOL! Have to smile, visualizing Miss Celia, doing 'The Butt Scoot Boogie'!


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## LakotaWolf (Aug 10, 2012)

Win's claws are pretty nastilous. (They're so gross-looking they deserve their own new words to be invented for describing them.) I think I'll have to try scraping/cleaning them like you do with Callie, 10cats! Amusingly enough, Win loves to have her front paws touched/scratched/massaged, but if you so much as look at her back claws, she'll flee the area :/ 

I wonder if a kitty's front claws will also go the "can't retract any more" way as they age. I haven't seen it in Win yet. Maybe the musculature/tendons are set up a bit differently in the front claws!


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

10cats, I plan to get her back claws trimmed whenever we go to the vet, but I'm not sure how frequently I want to do this. She's so terrified at the vet, especially after the past couple of years, when she's had so many visits and so many unpleasant experiences. Most recently, the sebaceous cyst on her left thigh got infected (my fault - I apparently brushed over it too hard a couple of times), so the yuck was squeezed out and an antibiotic given. It appears to have filled right back up again though. 

Ha, if you were the person left to deal with the aftermath of Celia's scooting, you wouldn't be smiling!  

LOL LakotaWolf. Good question about the front claws. I can manage to clip Celia's, though it usually takes two passes per paw. She stops wriggling long enough for me to clip a couple, then does her oozing thing. It's the one that's the equivalent of the thumb that's really hard for me to get to, just because of the angle. And Celia is a very stubborn little kitty who keeps that claw retracted as if her life depended on it. :roll:


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