soft paws

cntrygrl

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 4, 2007
Messages
32
Purraise
0
what experience have you had with soft paws? i have a declawed 3yr cat at home and we just lost her brother a few weeks ago. i have been doing much reading here (thankfully) and have been giving serious thought to not declawing a our new edition when we find her. i have been reading about soft claws. any opinions? how difficult is it to clip a kitty's nails? any ideas welcomed!

cntrygrl
 

missy ro-ro

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 9, 2007
Messages
45
Purraise
1
Location
Austin, Texas
Hi! Just wanted to say that declawing is really a bad idea! There's a good article on the main cat site page you can read about. I don't have any experience with soft paws, but I've heard a lot of good things about them.

I regularly trim both my cats nails. Chloe has gotten so used to it that she doesn't mind. If you start trimming their nails when they are young and easy to handle, they will adapt to it. I usually wait until Chloe is asleep, then I can trim her front paws pretty quickly. Sometime I will do the back paws too. The most important thing to remember is to only trim the tips, you don't want to cut into the living part of the nail. My other cat Anya really hates to have her nails trimmed, so it's more complicated with her. I have to hold her down and do one paw, then the next day I'll get the other one.

Good luck!
 

howtoholdacat

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 26, 2007
Messages
1,248
Purraise
22
Location
Georgia, USA
I have used the soft paws several times but the last time I used them one stuck on my cat's claw and wouldn't drop off. I did not discover this until he began limping. He has really fluffy feet and I used the clear caps so I could not see it even though I regularly touch his paws. We had to go to the vet where they cut it off. The vet's comment to me was that they are more trouble than they're worth. My cat had two weeks of antibiotics and is fine now but I'll never use the product again. It's far less stress to me to replace my sofa.
 

renovia

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 26, 2006
Messages
4,360
Purraise
8
Location
Maine
that sounds very very strange to me! i'd even given them another try. did you contact the company?

many members here use soft paws with great success - one in particular is sarap. i was just going to tag into this conversation that i wanted to know if i'd be able to put this on luxor even when he is the squirmiest of cats? i can't even clip his nails without an act of congress helping me....
 

urbantigers

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 30, 2006
Messages
2,175
Purraise
7
Location
UK
I'm really glad you've decided against declawing - soft paws are a good alternative. You might not even need them. Clipping claws isn't difficult once you have a bit of practice so when you get your new kitty start off straight away but handling her paws and getting her used to you doing that. I clip Mosi's claws when he's lying on my lap and is sleepy but with Jaffa I just sit on the floor with him wedged between my knees. He doesn't like it too much but he tolerates it and we're both used to it now.

If you do that and keep the claw blunt and get lots of scratching posts you may find your new cat doesn't cause any problems with her scratching. Make sure the scratch posts are strong and sturdy (often cats scratch furniture because it's stable and doesn't wobble when they scratch it) and that they are positioned where the cat will use them. You may need to experiment with different styles (eg sisal rope, carpet, wood etc) and locations to find out what she likes. You also need to make sure it's tall enough as lots of cats like to stand up on their hind legs to scratch so need a post that's tall enough. If you do that and she still scratches the furniture then soft claws are an option.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #6

cntrygrl

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 4, 2007
Messages
32
Purraise
0
thanks for your input everyone! hopefully tomorrow will be the day we finally find a new friend for our abbey. out of 270 cats at the shelter, one has got to be the winner! i will get the nail clippers and scratching posts today and keep my fingers crossed.

cntrygrl
 

renovia

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 26, 2006
Messages
4,360
Purraise
8
Location
Maine
good luck, you'll be great with the new kitten, be sure to praise him/her for using the post!
 

critter crazy

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Apr 10, 2007
Messages
126
Purraise
1
Location
Binghamton, NY
Definitely dont declaw a cat!! Declawing a cat is just plain mean, and un-natural.

I know nothing about soft paws, but I do trim my cats nails once every 2 weeks.
 

salemwitchchild

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 11, 2006
Messages
1,440
Purraise
1
Location
Kentucky
I use soft claws with great success. You have to make sure you do not overuse the glue. Your only suppose to put a little at the tip. The glue should not be squeezed out the end of the cap. I also use colored caps so I can see when he has dropped caps off.

Puff has a habit of swatting my dog so I use them to insure that my dogs eye isn't poked out..
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #10

cntrygrl

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 4, 2007
Messages
32
Purraise
0
i'll let you all know how we make out! thanks for your input!
 

laureen227

Darksome Duo!
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 3, 2003
Messages
19,260
Purraise
387
Location
Denton TX
Originally Posted by SalemWitchChild

I use soft claws with great success. You have to make sure you do not overuse the glue. Your only suppose to put a little at the tip. The glue should not be squeezed out the end of the cap. I also use colored caps so I can see when he has dropped caps off.
i use them on my 2 clawed cats, as well. helps protect me & the furniture! Cable's are hot pink, Java's are purple.
 

renovia

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 26, 2006
Messages
4,360
Purraise
8
Location
Maine
i've been thinking i'd like to try this with luxor as he sometimes scratches until he bleeds - then i have to literally pin him down to try to get one claw cut. on soft claws, does it slow the growth? do you have to clip before you put them on again?
 

salemwitchchild

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 11, 2006
Messages
1,440
Purraise
1
Location
Kentucky
Originally Posted by Renovia

i've been thinking i'd like to try this with luxor as he sometimes scratches until he bleeds - then i have to literally pin him down to try to get one claw cut. on soft claws, does it slow the growth? do you have to clip before you put them on again?
Yes you have to clip before you apply. Puff is hard to clip as well. I simply have hubby help me. No it does not slow the growth. It takes about a month+ for them to come off. At first they may come off quicker than that. But after awhile they stay on longer. I guess because the glue leaves a residue and then new glue can stick to the old.
 

laureen227

Darksome Duo!
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 3, 2003
Messages
19,260
Purraise
387
Location
Denton TX
Originally Posted by Renovia

on soft claws, does it slow the growth? do you have to clip before you put them on again?
yeah, you have to clip again. maybe if you give him treats before/after/during the session? i don't think it slows the growth, tho. & sometimes they seem to come off faster than others. at first, i thought Java's came off faster than Cable's, but right now it's the other way 'round, so who knows?
 
Top