? Civvie with really sensitive paws question

[AlphaCat]

One of my Civvies, Bandit, has always had sensitive paws.

I do not declaw, but I do trim nails at home. I have 7 cats currently, so it's safe to say both I and the cats are all nearly experts at this practice. I usually trim every 2-3 weeks, mostly when they "remind" me they need a trim.

Bandit showed up on our doorstep when he was about 4 months old. He's 5 years old now. Over our 5 years his nails have stayed pretty much the same... terrible.

They split down the middle (without me trimming them), they fall or get pulled out (I don't see how the nail disappears I just see the missing/regrowing nail) once one got infected we took him to the doc for antibiotics.

None of my other cats have these problems.

I do have another cat with sensitive paws, but even she's figured out nail trims make her feel a little better, so we've got a routine.

I noticed today Bandit isn't cleaning his paws. So I snatched him up and got out the baby wipes and cleaned the fur that hange between the toes as well as around the nail. We trimmed them too since he was there. He "let" me with some escape attempts and growling, but no biting. (Mostly he growls a bit, and moves his paws away, but no escape attempts when just doing a normal nail trim.) Today, his paws were just discolored fur (he's mostly white) and a couple of nails with fecal matter from litter digging.

Other than cleaning/trimming for him is there anything I should be doing for him for the pain/sensitivity of his paws?
Are brittle nails a sign of a nutrient deficiency (like with humans)?
And if yes, since all my other cats are fine, could this equal a disease symptom?

Anyone else deal with anything like this? What is your story, and what did you do?

Cute picture of Bandit attached so you extra want to help.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

I can't help with your question, but I do want to send a huge SQUEEEEEZE for the adorable picture!

 

[Candy&Company]

My Lucky went through this, it was one of the things that led us to go to the vet. Can I ask a couple questions first?

Most cats have sensitive paws, nails and pads - that's normal. But your baby's nails, are they thickened, hard, brittle? If brittle it could be a nutrient deficiency, then again some cats do great by keeping their nails short so that doesn't happen. Aka if they're long, this can happen (brittle). Shedding a nail "sheath" is normal - looks like a full cat nail on the floor but it's not, it's hollow and looks (when you examine it) like a "shell". Seems to be more common in untrimmed cats.

Does the hair in between the toes/pads smell and if so, can you describe it?

What is the state of his pads - the main (heel pad), and each 4 toe pads?

When you say he isn't cleaning his paws do you mean licking, or chewing too? Like nails, hair clumps, etc?

Brittle nails that crack/splinter could be from thyroid or kidney problems or from another disease - but unless you live in a less open part of the world, I'd wonder. There also could be bacterial or fungal things to consider and even immune or infections in the nail bed. More questions:

Are the nails discolored at all?

Do they grow fine, or are there problems?

Have you been trimming his claws regularly, and if so, has the "quick" moved back?

Is he sensitive or overly so on any other parts of his body? Does he have any known allergies? Have you introduced anything new into the house within the last 6 - 12 months like new detergent, furniture, etc, anything like that? Then again you said his nails have been like this since day 1, right?

Tip - if the feet are sensitive, run your fingers back and forth lightly over his whiskers - cheeks, eyebrows, chin, etc. and see if he reacts more strongly than usual. Same with manipulating his tail - stroking it, bending it, etc. If he reacts alot more than usual I'd look into autoimmune or something recently introduced into the house - not allergy, but a new "factor".

If not and it's just his paws, it could mean a specific exposure to something - usually chemical and new, or accidental. Unless you've actually switched brands recently or tried something 1 time as new I'd say the culprit, if this were the case, would be your shoes. What's your weather like, where are you, etc?

I keep coming back though to what you said, "stayed pretty much the same - terrible" - this was Lucky and a couple of my dogs actually. Can you tell me what your baby Bandit is eating, his habits, what he likes to get into?

Sometimes this is this par for the course and is normal for a lot of animals, no full explanation but other times there can be help.

 

[AlphaCat]

My Lucky went through this, it was one of the things that led us to go to the vet. Can I ask a couple questions first?

Yes, of course.

But your baby's nails, are they thickened, hard, brittle? If brittle it could be a nutrient deficiency, then again some cats do great by keeping their nails short so that doesn't happen. Aka if they're long, this can happen (brittle). Shedding a nail "sheath" is normal - looks like a full cat nail on the floor but it's not, it's hollow and looks (when you examine it) like a "shell". Seems to be more common in untrimmed cats.

Regular in size and length, just brittle.
I know what shedding looks like, (I think it's neat actually) but the part that comes off is pushed off by new growth. This isn't Bandit's issue, because when his nail is missing there's no new growth. It's just the pink skin/cuticle usually the nail grows back eventually, but one time it got infected we went to the vet...

Does the hair in between the toes/pads smell and if so, can you describe it?
Before cleaning them yesterday, they just smelled of litter box. Today they smell like the rest of him (no distinctive smell).

What is the state of his pads - the main (heel pad), and each 4 toe pads?
Pads are beautifully pink. They are actually less dry/callused than some of the other cats. I'm attaching a picture of the perfect beans.

When you say he isn't cleaning his paws do you mean licking, or chewing too? Like nails, hair clumps, etc?
Isn't cleaning as in normal bathing. He's not licking them to keep them clean. He'll come out of the litter box have stepped in his own poo and not clean off his paw. No bueno.

Are the nails discolored at all?
Not the actual nail. He grows them beautifully white.

Do they grow fine, or are there problems?
They grow fine, except for the occasional brittle nail or missing nail.

Have you been trimming his claws regularly, and if so, has the "quick" moved back?
The quick is always back as I've always trimmed his nails.

Is he sensitive or overly so on any other parts of his body?
Nope. I can flip him upside down and nuzzle his belly.
Does he have any known allergies?
No. I have a cat with allergies, so no signs with Bandit.
Have you introduced anything new into the house within the last 6 - 12 months like new detergent, furniture, etc, anything like that?
No.
Then again you said his nails have been like this since day 1, right?
Yes. It's an intermittent problem (the brittle and missing) it's not going on currently actually. But he still has paw sensitivity. I can touch him anywhere except his paws. When taking his picture just now he meowed and when I let him down he moved just out of my reach to lay.

Tip - if the feet are sensitive, run your fingers back and forth lightly over his whiskers - cheeks, eyebrows, chin, etc. and see if he reacts more strongly than usual. Same with manipulating his tail - stroking it, bending it, etc. If he reacts alot more than usual I'd look into autoimmune or something recently introduced into the house - not allergy, but a new "factor".
No reaction. He's a very needy cat (he's the BABY but also the largest in height and length). He is always available for attention and can be touched anywhere. His whiskers are about 6 inches long so they get petted frequently as one of his attractive features. His tail is long hair, so he doesn't mind the stroking or bending there either. It's attention, he loves it.

If not and it's just his paws, it could mean a specific exposure to something - usually chemical and new, or accidental. Unless you've actually switched brands recently or tried something 1 time as new I'd say the culprit, if this were the case, would be your shoes. What's your weather like, where are you, etc?
I'm in Virginia, USA, but we've also live in Florida. But this isn't a new issue, so I don't think it's a weather or introduction issue.

I keep coming back though to what you said, "stayed pretty much the same - terrible" - this was Lucky and a couple of my dogs actually. Can you tell me what your baby Bandit is eating, his habits, what he likes to get into?
I feed 3 times a day. He's on Nutro Essentials Farm raised vhicken and brown rice. We went to that last year when I was hunting something to feed my whole house. I needed low carb for Fabby, but also low phosphorus/magnesium & ash b/c I have 2 boys who are prone to crystals. (Those two dietary needs are opposite, and it's terribly hard to find the two together.)
But then, this nail thing was a broken from the beginning.
We also changed litter in the house b/c of Fabby. The Arm & Hammer slide was great as her sticky large amounts of pee slid right up in cleaning. It is finer and more dirt-like than our previous Tidy Cats.
The cleanliness thing in noticing might be due to the litter, but that's not the sensitivity issue, as that's always been there.

 

[AlphaCat]

 

[Candy&Company]

Hi Alpha's parent!

Okay sounds like your little Bandit is actually doing just fine - though the nail drop/fall out is a little suspicious if this has been happening regularly it might actually have something to do with the nail bed itself - not a fungus or anything like that, but some kind of built in blockage every once in awhile - if you haven't had any kind of reoccuring frequent infections, etc. I'd say as odd as it is, it should be ok.

All of your answers check out in my knowledge. Sometimes nails tend to split, crack when they're getting ready to shed them - and other times, just the general dryness of them can cause it, plus the moisture-wicking effects of litter, cat beds, etc. Unless it starts effecting his quick, bleeding, really bad splintering, etc. I wouldn't worry.

The usual fix to this is trimming PLUS filing but due to the sensitive paws issue, that makes it a little tough. The best thing I can suggest is going to be a wee bit hard.

For Lucky, what helped him believe it or not, was the constant touching/manipulation of his paws - tiny little amounts of time. Touching, checking, stroking, little by little. To help the nails, what I did with Lucky, was once a day I'd pour a tiny amount of olive oil into a small lid (of any kind) - then take a paw (which might be hard) and with thumb under the main pad, fingers pressing down on top of the toes to extend the nails, look for the "cuticle" - usually opaque-whitish at the very very base of the nail where it meets the toe.

That's where you want to dab a drop of the oil and rub it in/spread it around. Lucky DID NOT like me for this - but it did help after awhile. Plus if they lick it, it's such a tiny amount it doesn't hurt them and even helps against hairballs.

For the splintering in the meantime, how does Bandit feel about nail files? That rough, gritty texture or the Dremil (sp?) rotary sanding attachment? You can use either of those to smooth at away, but it might be stressful for him. Due to the noise plus the vibrations.

But yeah as for the paws, frequently, tiny/short term handling of them will help rid him of the sensitivity - not all of it, but enough. Shoot for a time frame - like, "For 10 seconds I'll rub/handle his 1 foot" - then due that with the other three, then the next day shoot for maybe 15 seconds, etc. It's all in getting him used to it.

It'll take awhile so don't worry, it's normal - he'll never be rid of it, but it'll get easier to handle his paws for longer periods of time.

Oh, another trick - 2 hands, 2 purposes - my motto! With one hand, hold a paw and caress it, rub it, play with it a little AT THE SAME TIME with your free hand be stroking his head, face, neck, back, etc. scritching, anything that helps keeps him distracted enough to let you manipulate his foot for abit.

I'm also guessing he prefers really fine grade litters and not the courser varieties, etc? Love those pics, such a sweet baby!!!