Why is my cat suddenly biting her nails and what should I do?

Question

A week ago my cat started to bite her nails. She won’t stop doing it throughout the day. We have plenty of scratchers. We tried trimming her nails. She continues. I don’t see anything wrong with her paws, I cleaned them just to make sure. It’s like a repetitive behavior and she’s never done this before and none of our other cats do this either. What can it be/What can I do? She’s playing normally, eating normally, drinks normally. It’s like she’s trying to pull them out. I’m confused.

Linda G, MS, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello. This could be a behavioral issue, or a behavioral issue plus paronychia ( skin infection around the nail/claws ). Even though you do not see anything unusual, a veterinarian can examine the skin, do a skin impression to see if there is a population of bacteria or yeast organisms present around the nail beds. An appropriate treatment can then be started. Often, this could also be an indication, & the only evidence of, an allergy. Allergies can come from the food or the environment & can be challenging to distinguish in cats with mild symptoms. So it is very helpful to get professional help with this. Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Why is my cat suddenly biting her nails and what should I do?

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