Was reading through this thread and wanted to say idk wtf these other people are flipping out about. I have owned cats for 15 years and not once have I ever bothered to trim nails on any cat I have had in my care. It’s a pain in the ass for me and for them, and I have never in all those years had any health issues arise from not trimming. The other people are right that trimming is different than declawing. Declawing is indeed very uncool, but trimming is not harmful as long as you don’t trim into the quick of the nail. However, maintaining that it’s an absolute necessity is simply wrong. At best, it’s nice for us humans because they are less likely to scratch you on accident (or on purpose if your cat is an asshole) or less able to fuck up your furniture. And while I haven’t ever had a cat who needed trimming for health reasons, I can acknowledge it’s not an impossibility so maybe there are specific scenarios where trimming is required.

Also, I kinda thought all cat owners knew this but per the meltdowns of some other people responding to you, apparently not; cats naturally shed their nails. There are layers to each nail, and when the outermost sheath is loose enough, scratching on something pulls it away. It’s not bloody or painful, it’s totally natural. If you give cats plenty of scratching post toys around the house, the act of scratching on those posts will help them to maintain their own nail health without the stress of me having to restrain them for clipping. Sure my cats have sharp claws, but tbh they know how to control their claws and I almost never get scratches from them. I’d say the only times I get scratched is if one of them is on my lap and something surprises them, like the doorbell ringing or the dogs suddenly barking, causing the cat to launch off my lap, lol.