Split Claws

Question
Hi,

I have two 7 month old kittens and recently checked their claws. I noticed they are dried and split at the ends, similar to a hair that has split ends. They are inside most of the day while we are at work and in the afternoon and evening they are outside playing before coming inside to sleep, so I don't want to restrict their 'outside time' to stop the splitting claws (which, I'm guessing, may be caused by climbing trees and so on?). I was wondering what would cause the splitting, how I can fix it, and if it's painful for the kittens...Thanks heaps, Laura xo

Answer
I really don't think this is anything to worry about. It sounds pretty normal to me, unless you are seeing any redness, swelling or signs of inflammation when you examine the feet and claws.

Cats' nails naturally slough off as they scratch in the wild (or on a scratching post). Sometimes they split during this process. I've seen it on my cats.

Unless the cat seems to be in pain and is favoring one or more paws, I don't think this is likely to cause any problems.

Hope this helps

iris