Quote Originally Posted by badger View Post
I would love to re-home him (he's not MY cat, and my mother won't take him back because she's not in the country all the time), but I doubt anyone will take him.
From a neutral observer....

It sort of sounds like mom needs to be part of the solution. If she committed to care for the cat and then deposited him with you, she should be able to help you deal with his issues. That would include helping with the nails (or helping pay for someone to help with them). Perhaps a vet tech could come to your home to help? Lots of petsitters will come and help also (and they may be less expensive than the vet).