LaPerm won't scratch anything — vet claw advice

A vet flagging claw health in a 7-year-old LaPerm who's not using any scratch surface is worth taking seriously — overgrown or thickened claws can become genuinely uncomfortable at that age, and the behaviour change itself tells you something. Scratching is completely normal cat behaviour: it maintains claw condition, stretches muscles, and marks territory. The goal isn't to force it, but to find a surface and position your cat actually wants to use. Before I suggest anything, can you tell me — has she ever scratched anything in the past, or has this always been absent? And does she tend to stretch upward against things, or stay low and reach forward?

That's really helpful — vertical scratcher, previously motivated, now disengaged. At seven, LaPerms can get a bit set in their ways, and if the sofa corner no longer appeals (or she was discouraged from it), she may just need something that genuinely replicates that tall, upright stretch. The other factor with thickening claws is that older cats sometimes stop scratching because the sensation has changed and it's less rewarding. We want something tall enough for a full stretch, with a texture she can really dig into. Has she shown any interest in sisal rope versus cardboard, or do you honestly not know at this point?

Floor-level cardboard is pretty much the opposite of what she's told you she likes — she's a vertical scratcher, so that one was always going to be ignored. My recommendation is the SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Post. It's 32 inches tall, which is one of the few posts genuinely long enough for a full adult-cat stretch — most cheap posts are too short and wobble, which puts cats off immediately. It's covered in woven sisal, which is the texture most cats respond to when reintroducing scratching, and it has a heavy base that won't tip. Place it right next to where she used to scratch — that sofa corner — and rub a little dried catnip into the sisal to give her a reason to investigate. At her age, with the vet's concern about claw condition, getting the post right first time matters more than experimenting.

Yes — proximity and patience are the main tools. Put it literally in front of the sofa corner she used to use, not across the room. Cats redirect, they don't travel to a new destination. Sprinkle or rub dried catnip on it on day one. You can also try gently taking her front paws and placing them on the post — some cats respond to that tactile prompt, others hate it, so read her reaction. Don't push it if she walks away. If she's food motivated, placing treats on top of the post draws her to stand against it in exactly the right posture. Once she scratches even once, the scent marking kicks in and she'll return. Give it two to three weeks in position before moving it anywhere else.

Yes, keep trimming — especially given the vet's concern. Natural scratching helps shed the outer claw sheath, but it won't bring thick or overgrown claws back to normal on its own. Trim every three to four weeks, just the sharp tips, and if the claws look unusually thick or layered, flag it to the vet rather than cutting deeper yourself. The scratching post and the trimming work together — one's for maintenance, the other's for correction. Once she's regularly using the SmartCat post, you should notice the claw texture improving naturally over a few months.