Cleaning claws

One of my cats doesn't seem to clean his back claws, they usually have black crud around the nail. His front claws are fine and he takes care of them quite well. Anyone come across this and can tell me if this will cause him problems in the future?

 

Hmm.

Does he seem to clean the rest of himself quite well? Cats groom frequently, so if he seems to be cleaning regularly, I'm not sure why he would avoid the back claws. Is it possible he actually has something on them that he needs help removing? Or does this happen regularly?

 

I have seen lots of cats with black claws and they don't seem to be suffering from it. So, if there's nothing obviously wrong, then I would suggest leaving it alone. Kind of like 'don't fix it if it ain't broken' sort of thing.

 

It's a regular sort of thing. He grooms himself well everywhere else but he just never seems to get those back claws. When he was a kitten I would remove the gunk myself but now that he is older he won't sit still long enough. It doesn't appear to hurt him in any way so I haven't been worried too much. This is just the first cat that I can ever remember who does it. Of course Mouth is such an unusual cat I shouldn't have been suprised. He is my picky eater, chatter box and a very nervous little guy already.

 

You could try using cat scratch pads. It may help his back claws wear down, and then, the claws will be groomed at least. This one step maybe what helps take off some of the excess dirt by all the scratching on this type of pad. Hope this helps with his delicate condition. Some of these types of pads even have catnip in them. Good luck!

 

Hmm, that would be a good idea, but now that I think about it....do cats actually scratch/sharpen their back claws? I always see them doing it with their front ones, but not really with the back ones, hmm.

 

I've seen cats using their back paws while playing on a scratch pad. Some cats might not use their back paws, but some cats do use their back paws. I guess it wouldn't hurt to try it, and you may have everything to gain. Good luck!