My cat's claw looks like it broke or shed. Should I be concerned?

Hello and thank your contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It is hard to say what happened to the nail without seeing and examining it in person. I suspect the claw is shedding and the hanging bit is only a thin layer of the shedding claw. If that is the case, you should be able to gently pull it off with your fingers or clip it off with a nail clippers (you should clip the white part of the claw only). If the claw is broken close to the nail base, touching the toe will be painful to your cat and there will be usually blood around the nail. So, try very gently to pull off the hanging part of the claw. If it is causing pain or discomfort, most likely there is also some damage to the nail base and you may need to take your cat to your local vets to clip the nail very short to remove the damaged part.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is difficult to know what to do without being able to evaluate him more closely. However, this is not likely a concern of any kind unless you notice any smell or discharge associated with it as in that case it may be an infection. Have a good day!

Thank you for including pictures of Tommy's feet! The nail bed could just be dirty causing the brown color. My own cat gets this build up on his nail beds as well, and I used a soft cloth and some warm water to clean it off. You can try that to see if the helps. As for the thing sticking out of his pad, it could be a nail that has broken off in it or it could be a benign growth. I would have him checked out by a vet for this, but I wouldn't considered it an emergency because his pad doesn't look swollen or painful.

Hello, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It’s difficult to tell for sure what’s going on without examining Timmy myself, but from the appearance of that discharge in the photo I’m concerned Timmy may have an infection in that nail bed. This could happen after trauma, or if he punctured his foot on something sharp. I recommend having Timmy seen by a vet, as he may need a course of antibiotics. It’s also possible he has a mass growing on that toe, but that would be considered less likely at his young age. I hope this helps!

Is it possible that Mickey got in a fight with something? I can't tell from the photo's if the nail is actually broken or not. They do have an outter cuticle that can shed but the nail is still fine and intact. Examine the 'quik' of the nail (that's the pinkish area at the base of the nail). If the break is through that area, if you see blood or redness around the base of the nail, have Mickey examined by the veterinarian. Clean off his paws as best he will let you. Check him all over for any bite wounds and have him examined if any area found. You may also just have him examined to be safe. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Ouch! Poor Marcel! I would take Marcel to the Vet. If he is otherwise ok, you can wait until the Vet opens. He needs that nail trimmed all the way back, otherwise it is a source of pain. If the toe is swollen the Vet may also provide antibiotics and pain medications for a few days. If he is licking the paw, which is common, try to get an E-collar to stop the licking. He may have to continue to wear it until the tow swelling has improved. Ultimately Marcel will be fine! I hope this helps and I wish Marcel a speedy recovery!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Phoebe. If she isn’t limping, it isn’t bleeding excessively, there is no sign of infection, and she’s acting normally, no you don’t need to rush her into a vet. I would have it checked out by a vet, but it’s not an emergency. If she is showing any of the things I mentioned above, then yes I would rush her into a vet. Keep her from licking at it, and keep the area clean and dry until she sees the vet. I hope this helps!