# Do cats trim their own nails?



## Flycaster (Nov 3, 2015)

As part of her normal grooming behavior, my cat appears to be biting her nails when she gets to grooming her paws. I'm too fearful of cutting hr nails and I'm wondering if she might be biting off the tips.


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## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

No, she won't be biting off the tips, she's probably just removing loose bits - as the claws grow they shed a layer like a sheath. If you don't want to do her claws yourself then ask your vet to do it or show you how. It isn't hard - the hardest part is getting them to keep still.


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## moggie14 (Sep 11, 2013)

Funnily enough I've just done Sam's claws whilst he was snoozing on my knee in front of the computer! Dexter bites his nails but still needs them clipped every now and then.


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## Shrike (Jun 25, 2015)

They do chew down the back claws to keep them blunt. I think that's because if they were as sharp as the front ones they could get stuck when the cat wants to pounce (Like my Brooke is doing in my avatar)
They only remove the sheaf on the front claws though, so if you want the front ones less sharp you will need to trim them yourself - if you're worried about doing that get your vet to show you how.


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## Matrod (Dec 22, 2014)

I found my cats claws never needed clipping until they got older but then seeing as they are outdoor cats I never would have done it anyway. It's really quite easy to do once you get the hang of it, I only take the very top of the claw off.


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