Declawed Cat

asea

Before my fellow cat-lovers pounce on me, I'm asking for advice on an accidentally declawed cat, I'd never declaw my little kitties.

One of my cats had a big fit yesterday morning. The vet came & checked him out and we are keeping a close eye on him. We've found 4 of his claws which have come off (we think during the fit as it was very violent).

Will they grow back? Has this happened to anybody else's cat? His paws don't seem sore & there was no blood but am worried (although the sofas & carpets are probably a bit safer for it)

pboae

Cats do shed claws, and when they get older they can fall out and not grow back. If his paws aren't sore and there's no blood, and the vet couldn't see anything wrong, then he has probably just shed them, possibly with a little more force than usual if they got caught on something. Cats tear claws fairly often (usually fighting), and that is usually a bit tender, but it's not serious, especially if there is no blood.

Declawing involved amputating the last joint of the toe, and if something like that had happened, or if the claw had been wrenched out, there would be blood and soreness.

Do keep an eye on his paws though, and he starts to limp, licks at them excessively, or they become swollen or hot, then get him back to the vet, as an infection in the nail bed can be serious.

foreign_correspondent

I havent had cats for a long time, but I seem to remember that can happen but its only the top layer of keratin ie. its a bit like us breaking a nail, the nail bed remains and it will grow back - however, I am sure someone more knowledgable will be along soon!

asea

Thanks!

It's not just the usual bits of the claw that have come off, they are sort of off in their entirety. Will keep an eye on him, poor little fella

snowman2_2

Nails / claws often regrow normally. The body has an amazing ability to recover

rita-rabbit

They will grow back. The Tom came in with one claw missing one day & the stump was bloody, I cleaned it & gave him Pirotin to minimise swelling/infection & observed him - it grew back fine. It claw came off outdoors - the Tom goes on outdoor jaunts whenever it suits him & I noticed him limping & discovered the missing claw btw.

It might be helpful to trim the remaining sharp tips so that they are less likely to get caught on anything & thus rip off in case of another fit.

Hope vet can do something to sort your furbaby's fits though