New cat owner advice please

[Anicca79]

Hi everyone, I have adopted my first cat from a rescue centre and he has been with me a week now. I plan on letting him out in a few weeks but not just yet so he is an indoor cat. I have a problem. He has slightly overgrown claws (not to the point of causing him any discomfort I have kept a close eye) and I am concerned that I am going to have to cut his claws. I have bought him two different types of scratching post and the welcome mat indoors for him to scratch but he has shown no interest and is fairly disinterested in catnip too. I have laminate flooring throughout so not even carpet. Whilst I will cut them if I have to (I am very squeamish about it and worried about hurting him as I've never done it before!) I really don't want to! He lets me play with his back paws but pulls away and is unhappy with me touching the front ones. Am I going to have to put him through the ordeal of the vet or can it realistically wait about three weeks until he goes outside? Thanks!

[Walesgang]

Hello and welcome to cc.

Well done for adopting your cat. We are looking forward to getting to know you and your boy

What's his name by the way?

His feet/claws would have been checked before he was adopted. If they are not causing him any problems I would be tempted to leave alone for now. I never cut my cats' claws, but they do have access to a secure garden.

I would also suggest you keep,trying to persevere with getting him to use a scratch post/mat otherwise he is likely to use your furniture (my living room furniture has a definite cat scratch look to it

Keep us posted

Val and Gang (henry, tips, squeak and grey)

[JulieandBarney]

Hi there...and a great warm welcome to the Cat Chat gang !!!

Personally, I would never cut my cats claws, ever, I will leave that to the vet ! Just in case I get it wrong My fella Barney, has never needed his claws cut, to be honest, he does use our wicker chair in the kitchen as a great post !!!....I would just leave them be, unless absolutely necessary.....x

[nanny pamy]

Hi there. My cat (theo) is an indoor cat who also hardly ever uses his scratch posts. ive got 2 upright ones and 2 flat box types but he just sits on those two . I take him to the vet when his claws get long enough to cause him to get caught on things (carpet, furniture etc). Id never try myself but im lucky with my vet. He knows how nervous theo is and has a really good way with him and he only takes seconds to do his claws.

[Baggypants]

I have 3 cats and they are indoors too. I have to trim Bagheera's claws every few months - just her front ones as even though she uses the scratching post regularly her claws start to catch on her blankets, rugs and my clothes when I pick her up and she can't manage to free herself quite often.

I use normal nail clippers and I have to wedge her onto my lap (It would be useful if OH could help but well we know how useful men can be at times...) and then I extend her claws one at a time and just snip off the end making sure the clippers don't get near her toes. It doesn't hurt her but she hates it (naughty tortie!) and grumbles the entire time. But as long as I give her a treat straight away she forgives me quickly and if I don't do it she ends up caught on things.

My other 2 cats are fine though and I never need to do theirs so unless your cat's claws are catching on things I woulnd't worry about it too much.

[Crewella]

I do my oldies now and again, because they become less active and stop doing it themselves - I also have cats with no teeth that struggle with pulling off old nails. For a cat with no issues, and if it's only for a few weeks, I would leave it and let him do it himself when he gets out. As long as you have provided a scratching post if he wants it. His new home must still all feel pretty new and strange, so it might take him a while to get back into his grooming habits.

Congrats!

[greenkitty]

I have 4 cats, 2 indoors, 2 indoor/outdoor, my two indoor/outdoor girls I never do, one of my indoor boys I don't have to do either but one I do, a friend holds him for me and then I just nip the end off. There's a part inside the claw that you have to be careful not to cut otherwise it will bleed and be painful, you can normally see it though. I would be tempted to leave it until he goes out and see if they just wear down naturally.

[Anicca79]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the advice and reassurance! My boy is Ollie, a three year old tabby and white from the RSPCA. He is a big chatty boy and super affectionate. He rarely uses his claws when he's with me. He's a licker!

I am hopeful he is exploring the scratching post / mat when I am not there. I was pleased to see him near them a couple of times today but he is still nervous and runs away when startled. I think I will do as you suggest for now and hope for the best. I'll be getting a cat flap soon. I'm nervous about letting him out when it's time. He'd been in a cattery for a couple of months before coming to me so he won't have seen the outdoors for a while.

I'm trying to post a pic of him but this forum is not liking the file size. Anyway you'll have to take my word for it that he's super cute

Hope you are all having a good day