Not even all avid cat owners know exactly how many claws a cat has on its paws. What can we say about ordinary pet lovers! Logic suggests that there should be 20 claws, as, for example, in humans - 5 on each limb. But is it really so?
Why does a domestic cat have claws?
Once these animals were not pets, but lived only in the wild and did not even think about how to adjoin to a person. Over time, people have tamed these wayward beauties, and since then they live in peace and harmony. But no matter how little a cat is on the street, it remains a hunter.
Surely you saw how actively your pet begins to behave at the sight of a fly or bird outside the window. It is in her that a hunting instinct awakens in nature. In order to successfully get their own food, any animal needs a weapon. In a cat, claws play this role. They allow you to accelerate, push off the ground when jumping, climb trees and, of course, catch prey. In addition, the claws help maintain balance and land properly.
But how many claws does a cat have?
Learning that a cat has 18 claws on its feet, you probably won’t believe it. After all, like a person’s nails, they should be 20. But this is not so. Having asked this question, people usually try to figure out their number on their own. First, calculate how many claws on the front paw of a 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 cat's front paw is similar to a human hand with the thumb set aside. The fifth claw is easily palpated, and in some animals it is even clearly visible to the naked eye.
Now you can go to the hind legs. In their structure, they are somewhat different from the front ones - primarily in that there is no fifth finger on them: only 4 on the foot. Thus, we found out how many claws there are in cats: 4 on the hind legs and 5 on the front legs. A total of 18.
Why does a cat spoil things?
The owners of almost any animal sooner or later face the problem of spoiled things. Dogs tear shoes, birds destroy paper, and cats sharpen their claws on their favorite upholstered furniture. And no matter how much they scold them for this, they continue to destroy the expensive upholstery of sofas and armchairs. The question of how many cat's claws fades into the background when all thoughts are busy how to wean an animal from spoiling furniture.
First, you need to understand why it does it. The claws on the front legs of the cat grow much faster than on the hind legs. At the same time, the animal, spending all the time at home, is not used to climbing trees, running and jumping. Accordingly, the claws are constantly growing and do not rub off against various obstacles. But nature did not provide for such a measured way of life of a predator and did everything to ensure that the claws grew quickly. Therefore, the animal is forced to grind them constantly so as not to cling to every corner.
What to do with claws?
How many claws a cat has, we have already figured 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 spoiled furniture, but also scratches on the hands and body. Some animals are not able to control their "weapons" and in a fit of active play can even scratch a person’s face. This is especially dangerous for children. Some use special silicone tips for protection. They will need as many as the claws of cats - on the hind legs 4 and on the forelegs 5. They are mounted on each claw and held securely for a long time. If you just want to protect your furniture, you can use the nozzles only for the front legs - the back ones are not dangerous in this case.
Some people prefer to cut their claws to cats . A good way if you are going to see a veterinarian or have relevant experience. The fact is that the claws of cats are not arranged like human nails. Accordingly, their haircut is a more time-consuming process. If you look at the claw carefully, note that the vessels are visible in the lumen. In no case should they be touched when cutting. You can stop the blood without problems, but to save an open wound from infection will be much more difficult. If the claw is pigmented, that is, does not shine through, the vessels are not visible at all, then the risk of injury to the animal increases.
Removing claws is not recommended at all. Many veterinarians are skeptical about this. The main reason is that when the claw is removed, the whole phalanx of the finger is destroyed , which leads to a violation of the skeleton. Plus, the cat loses the ability to defend itself, which is a big stress for any animal. It is not so important how many claws a cat has - all of them were conceived by nature in the required quantity, and it is not worth trying to fix it.
What other ways to protect furniture from claws?
If you are not ready to attach plastic to the animal’s paws or use scissors, you will have to look for another way to combat the destruction of furniture. When wondering how to distract a cat from the sofa, many recall the so-called claw-claw. There are special boards covered in hard cloth, and entire multi-storey complexes with corridors and shelves. The only question is how much money are you 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 cats have claws on their paws. Take care of your animal and treat it with understanding - so all complex issues will be solved much easier.