Every cat owner should know some basic knowledge about cat claws.

01. Basic knowledge

A cat has 5 claws on each of its front feet, and 4 claws on each of its hind feet. The fifth claw on the front foot is higher than the other four claws and is called a dangling toe. The function of the dangling toe can be regarded as our human thumb.

Claws are made of keratin, which is the main protein that makes up the epidermis of rawhide and fur follicles, and is also found in human fingernails.

02. Extension and retraction

For cats surviving in the wild, their claws are too important. Therefore, they must be well protected to prevent them from becoming dull. It wasn't until he came out that his "weapon" was revealed.

When the claws are relaxed, they are covered by a bony sheath, which is an extension of the last bone on each toe of each claw.

The principle behind how the claws can extend and retract freely is as follows: small ligaments attached to the toe straps hold the claws in place. Through the rapid expansion and contraction of ligaments, the claws can be extended and retracted freely. When it is necessary to extend the claw, the ligament suddenly exerts force and the claw "pops out" instantly!

03. Anatomy

There is a blood vessel in a cat’s toe nail, which is called “living flesh”. Live flesh does not extend to the tip of the nail. If you trim your cat's nails at the trim line shown in the picture below, you won't have any problems. But if you cut into live flesh, it will bleed. When necessary, use styptic powder.

The frequency of nail trimming should be maintained at once every two weeks. If the cat often likes to sharpen its claws, then it does not matter if it is not trimmed. Sensible cats rarely extend their claws to their owners.

04. Polydactyly

A normal cat has 18 claws in total, and polydactyly is a condition in which the number of claws increases due to a genetic mutation. Generally speaking, polydactyly on the front paws is more common.

The condition of polydactyly is hereditary. According to the breed standards of most associations, polydactyly violates the breed standards and is a disqualifying shape and cannot participate in competitions. Therefore, polydactyl cats cannot be used for breeding breeding cats.

But there is a special case in TICA, the polydactyl Maine Coon cat, which is listed separately as a breed.

So, how many paws can a polydactyl cat have at most?

▲ Hemingway and Cat

According to the famous writer Hemingway, there can be up to 7 claws on each foot, which is a total of 28. Because the Hemingway family had a particularly large number of polydactyl cats, which may be the result of inbreeding, polydactyl cats are also known as "Hemingway cats."

05. Declawing

I firmly oppose declawing the cat.