Trimming claws encourages claw usage? Food for thought....

[Suru]

I've only just clipped my kitten Pepper's claws for the second time today. The last time I clipped it was when she first came home in April since she was sticking those little pins in everything... but after clipping them for the first time, I thought that maybe trimming them actually encourages her to use her claws more to make up for the lack of sharpened claws - just like how people would use more force with a blunt knife vs a sharp one. And so I stopped clipping them. Since then I've been training her to not use her claws on me (claws = hiss, no claws = dinner and treats, etc), and my older gentle cat has also been a good role model. Pepper now has the softest gentlest paws ever (and I thought my older boy was gentle!) and I've wondering whether not trimming them actually helped contribute to this... would love to hear your thoughts and theories!

In case you're wondering why I clipped them today...? So I was cleaning her ears and eye boogers and giving her a general much needed grooming, and she was being so good and patient, that I decided to clip her claws too to complete the "spa" session. lol

 

[Maurey]

I’ve not noticed that being an issue with my cats, but cats have their own personality quirks. My cats are quite large and heavy, so they get a claw clip every time their kneading gets too pointy (as they can accidentally draw blood with vigorous kneading), before the vet (just to be safe/courteous — never had an incident at the vets’), and before they get bathed for skin and coat maintenance, as they like to climb up my clothing while I blow dry their fur.

That said, they’re both well-mannered and not inclined to scratch people, so clipping makes no difference with that either way.

 

[Neko-chan's mama]

Neko-chan gets a manicure once a month. Her kneading gets to be a bit much otherwise. She only uses her claws on her toys and scratching surfaces though. When she was a kitten, I yelped every time she used claws or teeth on me.

 

[susanm9006]

I don't think trimming claws encourages or discourages a cat to claw but rather the opposite. Cats scratch to loosen the old sheath on their claws and trimming only takes off the very tip so I think they will keep scratching. Plus it is sort of a tension reliever. But trimmed claws won’t poke or scratch you as much or do as much damage when they do scratch.

If you have a senior cat you have to pay close attention to their claws and do regular trims because they may start growing too long and actually into their paw pads.

 

[Willowy]

I've noticed that. From what I've seen, if you keep a kitten's claws trimmed too much, they don't learn how to regulate their claw usage as well as they do if untrimmed. So it's kind of a balancing act to keep them trimmed enough so a clumsy kitten doesn't get snagged on everything without keeping them too dull.

It doesn't seem to be a problem with most adult cats. I think they have a fair understanding of how sharp their claws are at any given moment (they have to lick them for cleaning so they oughtta know!).