How many claws does a cat have on its paws?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Even not all avid cat lovers know exactly how many claws a cat has on its paws. What can we say about ordinary pet lovers! Logic dictates that there should be 20 claws, as, for example, in a person - 5 on each limb. But is it really?

Why does a domestic cat need claws?

Once upon a time, these animals were not pets, but lived only in the wild and did not even think about coexisting with humans. Over time, people tamed these wayward beauties, and since then they live in peace and harmony. But no matter how little the cat is on the street, she remains a hunter.

Surely you have seen how active your pet begins to behave at the sight of a fly or a bird outside the window. It is in her that the hunting instinct, laid down by nature, wakes up. In order to successfully get their livelihood, any animal needs a weapon. In a cat, this role is played by claws. They allow you to accelerate, push off the ground when jumping, climb trees and, of course, catch prey. In addition, claws help to better balance and land correctly.

How many claws does a cat have?

Having learned that the cat haspaws 18 claws, you probably won't believe it. After all, like a person’s nails, there should be 20 of them. But this is not so. Having asked this question, people usually try to find out their number on their own. First, count how many claws on the front paw of the cat. Right on the foot, 4 leathery fingers are clearly visible, each of which is equipped with a sharp claw. Their cat uses most often. But the fifth is not so striking - it is located much higher than the foot. In this regard, the front paw of a cat is similar to a human hand with the thumb set aside. The fifth claw is easily palpable, and in some animals it is even clearly visible to the naked eye.

Now you can move on to the hind legs. In their structure, they are somewhat different from the front ones - primarily in that there is no fifth toe on them: only 4 on the foot. Thus, we found out how many claws cats have: 4 on the hind legs and 5 on the front paws. Total 18.

Why does a cat ruin things?

The owners of almost any animal sooner or later face the problem of damaged things. Dogs tear shoes, birds destroy paper, and cats sharpen their claws on their favorite upholstered furniture. And no matter how much they are scolded for it, they continue to destroy the expensive upholstery of sofas and armchairs. The question of how many claws a cat has fades into the background when all thoughts are on how to wean the animal from ruining furniture.

First, you need to understand why it does it. The claws on the front paws of a cat grow much faster than on the back. At the same time, the animalspending all the time at home, not used to climbing trees, running and jumping. Accordingly, the claws are constantly growing and are not erased by various obstacles. But nature did not provide for such a measured lifestyle of a predator and did everything to ensure that the claws grew quickly. Therefore, the animal is forced to constantly grind them down so as not to cling to every corner.

What to do with the claws?

How many claws a cat has, we have already found out. It remains to figure out how to get rid of them so as not to harm the animal.

For many, the problem of long cat claws is not only damaged furniture, but also scratches on the hands and body. Some animals are not able to control their "weapon" and in a fit of active play they can even scratch a person's face. This is especially dangerous for children. Some use special silicone nozzles for protection. They will need the same number as the claws of cats - on the hind legs, 4 each and on the front, 5 each. They are mounted on each claw and held securely for quite a long time. If you just want to protect your furniture, you can only use the attachments for the front paws - the rear paws are not dangerous in this case.

Some prefer to cut cats' claws. Not a bad way if you are going to see a veterinarian or have relevant experience. The fact is that the claws of cats are not arranged in the same way as human nails. Accordingly, their haircut is a more time-consuming process. If you look closely at the claw, you will notice thatvessels are visible through the light. In no case should they be touched when cutting. You can stop the bleeding without problems, but it will be much more difficult to protect an open wound from infection. If the claw is pigmented, that is, it does not shine through, the vessels are not visible at all, then the risk of injury to the animal increases.

Claw removal is not recommended at all. Many veterinarians are skeptical about this. The main reason is that when the claw is removed, an entire phalanx of the finger is destroyed, which leads to a violation of the skeleton. Plus, the cat loses the opportunity to defend itself, which is a big stress for any animal. It doesn't matter how many claws a cat has - they were all designed by nature in the required number, and it's not worth trying to fix it.

What other ways are there to protect furniture from claws?

If you are not ready to attach plastic to the paws of an animal or wield scissors, you will have to look for another way to deal with the destruction of furniture. When wondering how to distract a cat from the sofa, many people remember the so-called scratching post. There are special boards covered with hard fabric, and entire multi-storey complexes with corridors and shelves. The only question is how much money you are willing to spend on such a structure and how much space you can allocate for it. It is also worth remembering that not all animals enthusiastically accept such a gift - many simply ignore it.

Now you know how many claws a cat has on its paws. Take care of your animal and treat it with understanding - so all difficult questions will bemuch easier to decide.