I've had cats all my life and never had this problem before- can I do anything about it? Orlando is huge and had huge paws. He 's very affectionate and cuddly and loves to reach out a paw and "pat" the face or arm of the person cuddling him. The problem is that he extends his claws when he does it and it hurts! It's obviously not a deliberate scratch but sometimes he draws blood, and it makes having him on your lap a nerve wracking experience. We live in the country, and I am reluctant to trim his claws because he needs to be able to climb and defend himself. Or am I being precious about this? I've never trimmed a cat's claws before...