gunk in claws

[msserena]

So I've noticed there is black gunk in between my cat's claws. It's litter, I'm sure. It's like the nails are hollow & stuff can get inside them. When I went to trim one of my cat's nails, she swatted at me, so that got me thinking how & why. I tried to dig some of the black stuff out but she wasn't having it. I'm curious if anyone else has noticed this? I had a girl for 17 years, always trimmed her nails & didn't notice anything like this before.

I attached a picture & drew a blue line where the gunk is. It's like the claws are a shell & they can fill up with litter, it's kinda weird. All 3 of them have the black crap. Last time I took one to the vet I asked about it & she didn't seem to concerned.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi there. There are sheath-like tissues that surround the claws and as the claw grows, the outer sheath-like layer sheds.

This appears most often when the claws are not cut frequently enough. I wouldn't try to dig out the black stuff, but rather cut her claws and let the sheaths fall away with the trimming process. If your cat's claws are trimmed often enough, I don't think you will have the same problem with the 'gunk' or seeing what you are calling the hollowness.

 

[msserena]

Hi there. There are sheath-like tissues that surround the claws and as the claw grows, the outer sheath-like layer sheds.

This appears most often when the claws are not cut frequently enough. I wouldn't try to dig out the black stuff, but rather cut her claws and let the sheaths fall away with the trimming process. If your cat's claws are trimmed often enough, I don't think you will have the same problem with the 'gunk' or seeing what you are calling the hollowness.

I trim about every couple of weeks & this has been going on since I went back to clay litter. I think this particular claw has been sensitive for awhile now. I was going to try to soak it & then try to clean it out, only if she lets me LOL. I mean that kitty litter is like cement, I can imagine how it must feel. I wish they would just pee & jump out, but no, they dig. I don't remember anything like this when I was using Okocat.