Soft Claw Endorsements?

I work with an adoption group and am asked quite a bit for advice about how to keep kitties from scratching- especially from people who have never had a kitty before, and who have so many different alternatives to consider.

I have no experience with Soft Claws and would very much welcome feedback from anyone and everyone who has ever used these or other claw caps for their kitties.

I would like to be able to share this thread with people who are considering use of claw caps versus other things to keep cats from scratching.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide

I use them and love them. Takes a bit of practice and a bit of getting used to for both owner and cat but saves the furniture and my arms from my scratching kitty!

I just clip nails. But from what I've read in here, sometimes its harder the first time and seems to be recommended that you take the cat to the vets and have them show you how to put them on.

I'm pleasantly surprised that a lot in here use them or are considering using them instead of running to the vet to declaw!

I use them and absolutely love them! Even my foster kitten wears them.

I love them. Our cat has been hard to train with scratching. She appears to sometimes scratch for attention (we get out of bed to move her to the scratching post). While we work with our stubborn girl, these have saved several pieces of furniture. It also requires that you keep up on the nail trimming and makes it easy to do so. When I don't see 4 orange nails, I know it's time again.

She was not so happy the first several times, but she's gotten used to the routine now. She did figure out how to rip them off if she can get to them within 10 minutes of having a new one on. Watch the cat carefully for 10 minutes.

I really wish I knew about these years ago; it would have saved a Persian rug from being completely destroyed.

For training, I also recommend Sticky Paws on places where the cat has been known to scratch. This stopped her from even trying.

We use the medium size and trim them a little. The small size isn't the right shape for her, but the medium is a little too long.

So it is best if someone using them for the first time might want to have their vet help apply them?

What about changing them? How often should new ones be put on?

How does someone figure out what size to get?

Originally Posted by BarbB

So it is best if someone using them for the first time might want to have their vet help apply them?

What about changing them? How often should new ones be put on?

How does someone figure out what size to get?

Click to expand...

1. I did not use a vet. If you read the customer directions you shouldn't have much problem. However if you are not sure how to clip their nails do have a vet show you.

2. They fall off after about a month on. Once you see they have fallen off trim the nail again and reapply a new soft claw.

3. The website I buy from has a size chart. Puff is my larger cat (Maine coon mix) and he wears a medium. My foster kitten wears a small. Though I could probably have gone with the kitten size.

This is very helpful. I will print this thread to hand out with our adoptions.

If anyone has more comments, I would welcome them .

I put them on my cat for the first time yesterday. If you can clip your cat's nails, then you can apply Soft Claws. The medium size may be a little large for my cat, but they seem to be usable without tripping. FWIW, using the clear caps may make it easier to see how much glue you're using. I took someone's advice from another thread and used Scotch Super Glue Gel instead of the glue that is included in the kit. My cat struggled with them a bit yesterday, but she was unable to remove any of them. She wasn't causing any major problems with her nails, but I am definitely happier with her in Soft Claws. And using Soft Claws is less maintenance than frequent nail clippings, so I can't think of any reason not to use them. They were very easy for me to apply, although I did manage to get glue all over my hands. I used too much glue on the first nail, but everything went smoothly after that. My cat didn't enjoy the experience, but it's no different than clipping her nails. There are reviews of Soft Claws at PetSmart.com, PETCO.com, Amazon, etc.

Thanks for all the feedback! I am doing an adoption show tomorrow and will print all the advice so far, so please continue to add to this thread. I will continue to use it, so I welcome everyone's advice.