Should I be concerned?

I just put claw caps on my 4 month old kitten, and she didn't like the process but she tolerated it because I gave her some wet food to occupy her.  I went up now and one was off, and she is acting wild (which  is normal for her) but she's also panting on and off, and I didn't think that was usual for cats.  Could it be the soft paws?  Is it a sign of distress because the claw caps are bothering her, or could it be the glue??  Maybe she ate one and the glue?  Could that hurt her?  Thanks for the help!

Ok, I think she's fine, she's acting normal now and the panting has stopped.  I think it might have been a result of her crazy running around after I applied them, she was doing some crazy acrobatics.  She seems to hate the soft paws though, she is licking them constantly and trying to chew on them, I doubt she will leave them on.  I was just getting tired of her trying to tear up my mattress, and even with a scratch post beside the bed she would still scratch the bed.  I'm getting some better posts soon, but they are coming from the US and it'll probably take more than a week, and since I had these I figured I'd try them.

Does she try to resist you when you put them on? It could be you are unable to make them stay on if she is moving around in your lap.

If she obviously does not like wearing them, you need to start clipping her claws and train her to use a scratching post.

My cats did the same thing when I tried to put the soft paws on them when they were kittens. They ran around like crazy and chewed the soft paws off. Just like Emily said, I had to start clipping their nails instead, which I have to admit, was a lot easier than I had expected.

EmilyMayWilcha said:

Does she try to resist you when you put them on? It could be you are unable to make them stay on if she is moving around in your lap.

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They fit on pretty snug even without the glue, so I was releasing her between each application so I could prepare the next cap. She didn't lick or bite at them while I was doing it or for the 10 or so minutes after I put them on.  We were in the bathroom and I was keeping her distracted.  After I released her she turned into crazy cat though, and thats when she started panting.  I put a new cap on the one she managed to remove and now all of them are in place still.  She seems to be fussing with them a lot less now.

EmilyMayWilcha said:

If she obviously does not like wearing them, you need to start clipping her claws and train her to use a scratching post.

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Oh, I know, I actually do clip her claws anyway, and you are supposed to before applying the caps.  I don't know if I want to use the soft paws over the long run, but I have ordered a couple of scratchers with sisal weave and am hoping she takes to those better than the sisal rope one we have, but they could be 2 weeks getting here, and in the mean time I'd like to save my mattress   I really only posted because I was honestly worried that the glue was harming her or something, I have only once ever seen a cat pant like that before.

RIccaDawn said:

My cats did the same thing when I tried to put the soft paws on them when they were kittens. They ran around like crazy and chewed the soft paws off. Just like Emily said, I had to start clipping their nails instead, which I have to admit, was a lot easier than I had expected.

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I find it about as easy to clip a nail as it is to apply a soft paw, both require them letting you grab their foot.  She doesn't like having her claws clipped but it's doable.  She only managed to remove the one so far and none since so hopefully she gives up and starts leaving them alone. 

I guess I'm kind of torn on what to do about the whole claw thing.  If I could get her to use a scratching post and nothing else then that would be great and I wouldn't even want to use the soft paws, but I fear that if I am unable to find a post she likes, or can't manage to train her not to scratch other things then I am going to want to use the soft paws, but by then she won't have become used to them at a young age and won't tolerate them.  On the flip side, I worry that if I use the soft paws now, and she does well with them and I neglect to train her to use a post, then one day she will decide she doesn't want to wear the soft paws anymore, or will figure out how to remove them (as I have heard of some cats doing) and then she won't have been scratch post trained at a young age and we will struggle with that.  So confusing, ugh.

Shera, I strongly recommend going to the Cat Care and Grooming forum for information about posts, trees, and toys cats scratch on. I am sure a lot of members will have some suggestions.