Is there a compelling reason to not trim the claws of indoor/outdoor cats?

I once watched my old orange cat open the nose of a rude dog then charge up a metal downspout, 20 minutes after her nails were cut. I’m thinking Milo’s fine.

If my two cats were let outside,I would probably not trim their nails because of self-defense reasons.
I trim the nails of my cats once a week.

Milo goes outside enough and probably has enough trees to claw on. That should keep his claws dulled enough. If not, trimming is no problem. Whether or not the nails are needle-sharp, they pack a lot of strength behind them.

If the cat ever gets out of the house,and has been declawed,the cat will not be able to defend it self.

No one is talking about declawing.

This is where a cat tree comes in very handy to keep the cats nails sharp. letting the cat out side will give the cat a chance to wear down the nails a bit.

My two are indoor outdoor and have two cat towers. One in the garage and one in the house.

I just trimmed my males claws for the first time less than a week ago and they are already ⅔ razor sharp again. A slight trim to just take off the really sharp tips will not prevent a cat from still climbing if need be.

Marleys nickname is ’ The slasher’, he has a powerful swat and has nailed me on many occasions just being playful. I have to trim his claws. My female never scratches so I don’t trim hers.

No problem. Even trimmed, cats have enough armament left that they can climb and defend themselves (unlike declawing).

Declawing is likely what your good friend was thinking of when she was scolding. Trimming is not bad, and is actually healthy for the cat if he does not have a scratching post. I mean, my cat “trims” his nails every morning directly after I get up out of the bed. My poor door post! /lament!

No. My friend was not thinking of declawing. We both were talking about snipping off the sharp tip of the nail only.

I have six sisal scratching posts inside which get regular use, a formerly lovely cane door on a bureau, many screens with visible damage and enough trees outside to service a battalion of cats.

Milo does not let me do any mini-snipping. For that matter, he doesn’t let me do any maxi-snipping. I have to drive him and his car-sick GI system to the local humane society. For it to be worth their while, they do a 4-week trim.

So the consensus is that it is probably OK to not bother? That is certainly easier for me.

If you didn’t trim, they can actually get too long and be a problem. While he can wear them down himself, sometimes that doesn’t happen and it starts to curve back toward the pad. Trimming the claws doesn’t mean that he can’t get up a tree if need be, there’s more to the claw than just the tip.

@klutzaroo: That is what I had been led to believe. What happens to feral cats who never have manicures?

I have not trimmed my cats claws at all. He is an American short hair [aka plain ol kitty]. His claws are not curving into his pad, I just double checked just now. I looked at his claws from the vantage point of “at rest”, and also extended his claws.

Just sayin’.

@gailcalled They either figure out how to get their claws down or have issues.

@klutzaroo: By “get their claws down,” do you mean that the cats will blunt the ends by scratching a tree or wooden structure?

@gailcalled Exactly.

I have 5 cats.
I don’t bother with “trimming” their claws. Just doesn’t feel right/natural to do. I have had a few scratches in Life…but its just part & parcel with having a playful kitten or cat around.
I do have a few old small tree logs in unobtrusive areas of my home where they enjoy scratching away when its snowing outdoors.

Ya I would not bother, unless you are getting hurt so often it’s annoying.