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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

8 month old kitten - sharp claws, scratching

16 replies

C1239 · 21/01/2020 18:43

Hi,
The last few weeks we ve noticed our kitten is scratching quite a lot and now he’s 8 months old his claws are quite sharp. Is this a stage they go through? Any ways of preventing it?!

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 21/01/2020 19:08

Does he have scratching posts, scratching boards, etc

Original poster
C1239 · 21/01/2020 19:24

Hé does but it is the kitten scratching post I got him when we first got him at 5 months old so I think I should probably get a couple of bigger ones as he’s grown a lot!

OP posts:
Checkmeowt · 21/01/2020 20:35

My two 8 month olds are like this aswell, climbing up the curtains, scratching the walls and sofas.. i would say it's something they grow out of at some point. I've got one of those big cat tree scratching posts that they love and toys they can bite and play with!

JorisBonson · 21/01/2020 20:45

Get cat trees, floor scratchers and things they can climb and scratch at the same time. And yes, kitten claws are like needles!

LucaFritz · 21/01/2020 20:46

Do you clip their claws ? Mine gets hers clipped once a week as well as having lots of scratching posts and things. If you don't clip them they can curl inwards and hurt their pads

Original poster
C1239 · 21/01/2020 21:06

Previously when we had family cats I don’t think their claws were ever clipped... is this something you would all recommend?

OP posts:
Bananarama12 · 21/01/2020 21:08

No you dont need them clipped. When they get old and less active, they MAY need clipping.

dementedpixie · 21/01/2020 21:08

My cats dont get their claws clipped. They go outdoors so need them for climbing up trees/fences

JorisBonson · 21/01/2020 21:08

I never get any of our 3 clipped - they all go outside and need them for climbing, scent marking, scratching etc. My vet agrees with this.

JorisBonson · 21/01/2020 21:08

X post with everybody!

LucaFritz · 21/01/2020 22:58

Should have mentioned my girl is an indoor cat so vet recommended a claw clip are they are quite long and curled otherwise and they end up protruding and causing discomfort. If your cat is outdoors then yes they need their claws

caringcarer · 21/01/2020 23:06

Cats need their claws to climb trees and also for protection if they get into a fight. If you have an indoor cat then get it a cat tree or two and they have scrating posts on. My vet said it was unnecessary to clip them even if indoor cats providing they coild scratch. If they ho outside at all it would be cruel to take away their means of protection.

lifeisgoodmostofthetime · 21/01/2020 23:18

Clip his claws. If they get too long they will curl and go into the pads on their paws. My cat goes out briefly but I still have to trim them as they get long

LucaFritz · 21/01/2020 23:24

It must vary cat to cat then if i left my girls uncut even with posts and trees etc she would be in agony as she has been in the past so maybe she just has very unruly curly claws she can't keep in shape with grooming alone Confused

Wereallsquare · 21/01/2020 23:30

Seconding the clipping of the claws. But check with your vet if in doubt.

Starstruck2020 · 21/01/2020 23:34

I agree with clipping claws- every now and then. If they are going outside you can just take the very ends off so they are not too sharp. If you do it from a young age they will get used to it and it will be an easy job.

I put double sided sticky tape on the chairs mine scratched when they were kittens and that helped stop them scratching

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