Whenever I clip our cat’s claws, a few days later they are sharp again. How does that happen? Is he sharpening his claws with the scratching post? Or do those claws somehow grow at the tip, rather than the base??
Cat claws are – think of them like a stack of cups.
When they scratch, they’re taking off the entire outermost layer (or, to continue the analogy, take off the topmost cup). Which is why one will occasionally find the odd claw castoff on the carpet. Usually by stepping on them. Ouch.
Clipping just hacks off the tip, so cats scratch away until they get to an intact layer. Your cat must be an absolute scratching post fiend.
Yep, clipping is just a (very) termporary measure, akin to clipping a human’s fingernails. No biggie for the cat who will be back as nature intended in days.
If anyone mentions declawing, that is another whole kettle of fish - it’s the equivalent of hacking the top joint off someone’s fingers. Declawing makes cats (and cat lovers) go 
What lizardling said. In addition, I think the claw tissue is strongest and hardest and thickest along the outside circumference of the claw, and like a crystal the claw has preferred directions it is liklier to break, and those directions follow a shape that leaves the claw tip sticking out the furthest.
So after the claw gets worn or trimmed, a hollow outer cylinder pops off, leaving a pointy inner layer? Fascinating.
But how come I’ve never seen the cast-off pieces? Anyone got a link to a photo?
Cats sleep during the day. Humans sleep at night.
You have no idea what your cat is doing in your house at night.
Think claws. Think sharpening.
I used to be fanatical about trimming their claws. I stopped and noticed they never really got any longer. I’ve always seen the spent claws around the house and never put 2 + 2 together.
So today I had my ignorance fought.
As luck would have it after I read your post I cast my eyes on the rug in my study and, lo and behold, there was a sheath. I don’t clip my two cat’s rear claws, so this looks like an intact cast-off from a rear foot. Sorry about the picture quality, but my hands aren’t really steady enough for indoor macros:
Cool, thanks!
(I expect my wife will now explain to me that the cat does shed claw sheaths but I never see them and she has to clean them up… :o )
Are you trying to give the poor OP nightmares?
Some sources claim that trimming cat’s claws interrupts the claws’ natural growing cycle and they recommend against doing it. See here.
Ah–that must be what they’re doing when they “clip” their claws with their teeth!
Best post ever.
My cats getting stuck to the carpet because their claws are so long and sharp interferes with their natural living cycles, because they are stuck to the carpet by their long sharp claws.
It’s pretty damn hilarious, though.
Naw. But if you are groggy in the morning when you are about to step into the shower, be forewarned.
BTW, none of our cats have their claws clipped. All have needle sharp claws. I measured the biggest cat’s claws and they came in at 3/8’s of an inch long.
None of our cats scratch us. We trained them as kittens.
Sorry, the above link should have pointed to here.
Cute, but not quite true. Cats are naturally crepuscular, that is they are primarily active during twilight (dusk and dawn) hours. They will sometimes adapt to their human’s hours; mine sleeps mostly through the night when I do.
Shhhhh! I know that. You know that. We just can’t let those who are afraid of claws know that.
I trim one of my cats’ fingernails every few days, because he insists on kneading my bare shoulders while I sleep. I hate dreaming I’m inside an iron maiden.
What I’ve noticed is that some of his claws are now rounded off. I only have to trim 6 of his 10 fingernails.
Isn’t that the point of trimming their nails?