Strange cat loves to eat his clipped toe nails

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Strange cat loves to eat his clipped toe nails

Updated Dec 8, 2024

Dear Cathy,

I must have the strangest cat in world. I take out nail clippers, call him and he comes running. He lets me cut each nail and for some reason loves to eat the clipped nails. Maybe that is the distraction?

— Jeff, Henderson, Nevada

Dear Jeff,

You not only have one of those rare cats that comes when called, but you also have a cat that makes nail clipping easy. As for eating the nail clippings, I have never heard of a cat doing that, so I agree, you might have the strangest cat in the world.

Cathy M. Rosenthal is a longtime animal advocate, children’s author, syndicated pet columnist, and pet expert with more than 30 years in the animal welfare field. Send your pet questions, stories and tips to moc.tidnuptepobfsctd-45de38@yhtac. Please include your name, city, and state. You can follow her @cathymrosenthal

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Cathy Rosenthal (aka The Pet Pundit), CHES, CFE

Animal Welfare Communications Strategist, Writer & Educator

Cathy M. Rosenthal is an award-winning humane educator and author, animal welfare strategist, pet columnist, and speaker who has spent more than 38 years working in animal welfare with local and national humane organizations. She helps people better understand and care for animals through her nationally syndicated My Pet World column and has been the longtime pet columnist for the San Antonio Express-News since 2003.

In addition to her writing, Cathy develops humane education, leadership, customer service, and compassion fatigue training programs for animal welfare organizations nationwide, and has helped raise millions of dollars through grant writing, strategic communications, and program development.

Cathy is the editor and curator of Humane Perspectives: Leadership in Animal Welfare and is the author of several books, including Grant Writing Boot Camp for Animal Advocates, The Lucky Tale of Two Dogs, and The Happy Tale of Two Cats, which was the 2026 winner of the Association of Professional Humane Educators’ (APHE) "Educator’s Choice Award" for Best Humane Education Book for Young Children. She also received the 2026 APHE Nathania Gartman Heroes Award for Impact in Humane Education. Her humane education programs in Texas have reached more than 45,000 elementary school children since 2019.

She resides in Texas with her husband, their cat Sterling, and a former community cat, Maddie, who successfully negotiated an indoor living arrangement but still considers human affection highly negotiable.

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2 thoughts on “Strange cat loves to eat his clipped toe nails”

Wendy
May 15, 2025 at 8:07 pm

I just googled “cat eats nail clippings” and came across this. My orange cat does this, too! and he does a weird thing with shaking his head as he does it. Strange animal

Reply
1. Cathy Rosenthal
  May 15, 2025 at 9:08 pm
  
  So now there are two! While animals can sometimes developed unexplained odd behaviors, it’s always wise to get your cat checked out by a veterinarian if the behavior or habit is new — something they have never done before. Changes in behavior or habits can often be linked to underlying health problems.
  
  Reply