Have you used Soft Paws?

Ok...so I noticed the thread placed about getting Soft Paws instead of declawing. So, I thought I would ask directly from those who've had them on their kitties what they thought about them.

I don't know if I'm considering them, persay, but I am curious and would like to hear from those that have tried them. Whether you liked them or not...please let me know.

I don't have particularly scratchy cats, but I do have a husband that's getting frustrated with Hobbes clawing up his recliner, and I think it'd be a nice little thing to do for him. What are all your thoughts on the subject?

Please let me know any problems you had with them.

THANKS GUYS!!

I've never used them. I clip claws instead.

I'm possibly the biggest promoter of soft paws ever!! hahaha... as I've mentioned on other posts - I used to work in a shelter and vet hospital and have assisted on too many a declaw surgery to ever again consider it an ok thing to do... Soft Paws have been a skin, furniture and relationship saver!! The Ollie-man almost destroyed my doors and furniture when he was living with my parents... my parents know how against declawing I am, so they were patient and forgiving (plus how can u yell at a cat as handsome as him... especially when the dog puts her head through the screen door and doesn't get yelled at, haha)... I've been using them since mid-April now and they're amazing! Ollie still scratches at his post, but no more damage to anything! Plus he loves to play rough and tumble (typical little boy!), so even though only his front paws are capped and he occasionally gets a good bunny kick in, my skin looks much better! He can still move his claws (like to catch toys and stuff) they're just nice and smooth and plastic now! The fall off as he sheds his nails and he practically runs to me like "fix it, mommy! fix it!" when they fall off! haha... yes he was annoyed by them at first, but that didn't last long and they don't affect the usage of his claws.

I just get the groomer to clip Zoey s for me and very little reason for other intervention..

Singa is abt 3 months now. I have never used them and i have never clipped the claws either. But after yesterdays bathing experience I now look like I tried to commit suicide. This is the only time she has ever hurt me or anything with her claws. Even in play she is quite gentle.

I don't know yet if I should rather clip or paste....

I think i'll monitor this and decide

Buzby, I was looking at the soft paws website and the pictures of the kitties sporting the product. From the pictures, it looks like the kitties' claws are continually extended when wearing the soft paws. Are they able to retract their claws when wearing the soft paws?

Originally Posted by x-ta-Z

Singa is abt 3 months now. I have never used them and i have never clipped the claws either. But after yesterdays bathing experience I now look like I tried to commit suicide. This is the only time she has ever hurt me or anything with her claws. Even in play she is quite gentle.

I don't know yet if I should rather clip or paste....

I think i'll monitor this and decide

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Unless Singa is a kitten, you'd have to clip her nails before you put soft paws on.

Originally Posted by jadedlaw

Buzby, I was looking at the soft paws website and the pictures of the kitties sporting the product. From the pictures, it looks like the kitties' claws are continually extended when wearing the soft paws. Are they able to retract their claws when wearing the soft paws?

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That's what I thought too, but it says on their website that they're made so that the cat can retract and extend his nails like usual. I don't know how that works though because you have to extend the cat's claw to put one on.

Originally Posted by jadedlaw

Buzby, I was looking at the soft paws website and the pictures of the kitties sporting the product. From the pictures, it looks like the kitties' claws are continually extended when wearing the soft paws. Are they able to retract their claws when wearing the soft paws?

Click to expand...

Yup Oliie can still retract his claws like normal.... people that just meet him for the first time don't even notice them (I use the clear) until they feel his paws on them... I check his feet every day by extending his claws manually to check and see if any have shed off... I think another reason they look so prominant in the picture is that the ones in the picture are colored - I'm sure the colored ones would be more noticable on Oliver too

I liked them.. It really did help while we were working on getting Paige to stop scratching innappropriately, and she looked so cute with her red claws! (my mom used to tell her that her manicure was soooo pretty! LOL) And I am considering using them on Molly, because she's part Maine Coon, and she really tears after Gibby sometimes, claws out.

The claws can be retracted as per normal, (they are no thicker than what I would call the cuticle, for lack of a better word, on a cat) and they are shed with the nail sheat, about 1/per month, sometimes a little more frequently if they're meticulous scratchers. They're relatively cheap, and come in a vriety of sizesappropriate from age 4 mos and older. be sure to get the right size.. but if you don't on the first shot, their website happily accepts the products back and will trade you for the proper size.

ALSO, they don't cause infections, unlike what someone's vet has said, so I thought I'd clear that up.

The soft paws FAQ page addresses the common questions about the caps.

I've used Soft Paws on 4 of my cats. They were all well-established furniture destroyers in need of retraining, and DH (before we got married) was very nervous about them destroying his furniture. There was no way I would have declawed them, so I'm very grateful to the maker of Soft Paws for providing a painless solution to the problem.

At the time, the two youngest were 8, the middle cat (now the oldest) was about 14, and the oldest (now RB) was 16.

A tech at the vet's office applied Soft Paws to one of my younger cats to show me how, and I did the others at home. If you want to apply them at home, you'll need to be able to handle your cat's paws, because you need to trim the sharp tips off the claws to apply the caps. It's also easier to use the clear caps if you're new to this, so it's easy to see how much glue to apply. The colored ones are nice later, to make it easy to spot if one falls off.

Out of the four cats, I really only had trouble with 1 chewing them off too soon. For her, I applied the caps, dabbed them with bitter apple spray, and then distracted her with food & toys while the glue dried. That kept her from pulling them all off before the glue set. She would still pull hers off earlier than the other cats - on her, they'd last a few weeks, while the caps would stay on the other cats for the full 6 to 8 weeks. She's a bit obsessive about grooming, though - the other more laid-back cats didn't mind the caps after the first few minutes.

The only other problem I saw was with my oldest cat - because she was inactive and her claws didn't shed as much, her claws would continue to grow without shedding the soft paws. For her, I simply clipped off the end of the claw & nail cap, then removed the old nail cap, flaked off the old thickened nail (I had to do that for her even before using the soft paws), and applied a fresh nail cap.

And you may not have to use the soft paws forever: I just used them on my cats while they learned to use the appropriate scratching surfaces. After the cats were trained, I stopped using the caps & just kept trimming the claws to blunt the tips.

Ok, so my next question...

What is the normal reaction of a cat to having these on their nails? Do they go insane trying to sharpen them again? I've tried trimming their claws before, and felt so bad because they got really obsessed with getting them sharp again...they hardly did anything else!

Do they walk funny at first (such as when they step on something that sticks to the bottom of their feet)?

Will this cause my very-sensitive Sunny to go into hiding? She didn't in reaction to having her nails trimmed.

I don't recall Oliver walking funny when they first went on... he did lick at them for a bit at first, but the bitter apple spray and distraction seems like a good solution... If your sensitive kitty goes into hiding, I wouldn't take it personally, you are not hurting her by clipping and applying.... they'll get used to them shortly!

My cats did walk funny for a few minutes the first time, but they adjusted quickly. And they did try their scratching post a bit afterward, too. I imagine it feels a bit like a human getting fake long nails when you're used to wearing them short...takes a bit of getting used to the different feeling, but it's not unpleasant.

But none of the cats hid from me after I put on the caps - not even Sylvestra (the one who was prone to chewing them off). And Sylvestra will run away from me and hide if I even think about cleaning her ears or giving her a pill. (I don't know how she can read my mind!) I think the important thing in applying the caps (and in trimming nails) is to make it as pleasant as possible for the cat, with lots of petting and treats. It helps if you have someone to help give treats & pets while you hold the cat & apply the caps.

How an individual cat reacts to nail caps probably varies by personality. If your cats tolerate nail clipping, soft paws shouldn't be too much of an adjustment. They'd probably claw at their post for a while, chew on the caps a bit, and then forget about it, especially if you make an effort to occupy their mind with something fun or yummy right after you put the caps on.

i clip my cats nails..hes actually very good about it now..(i mostly do it when hes napping)..soft paws looks interesting..but luckily i dont have much stuff i care about (furniture wise) and river isnt really crazy about scratching thing..he does scratch my hamper and the noise bothers me. but other than that..hope you decide what works for you! if clipping might not work..then def. do the soft paws!

Originally Posted by sharky

I just get the groomer to clip Zoey s for me and very little reason for other intervention..

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I've tried clipping their claws, but it just sends them into a clawing frenzy to get them sharp again. Thankfully we have a cardboard clawing post that they really like, but I would like to stop the accidental human scratching (mainly because our 5yr old daughter doesn't understand that it's accidental). Sounds like I might give them a try!

I'll probably purchase them, take my babes to the vet, have him/her do one of them, and we'll do the other in front of the vet to be sure we're doing it properly. They're not that expensive...which is nice!

Think we might give it a try. Thanks for all your advice, guys!!

I have never used soft paws. And I've really never clipped my cat's claws either. Is it required to clip their claws?

But anyway, no I don't use, or even heard of, Soft Paws.

Originally Posted by Feline

I have never used soft paws. And I've really never clipped my cat's claws either. Is it required to clip their claws?

But anyway, no I don't use, or even heard of, Soft Paws.

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No, it's definitely not required to clip their claws. You don't have to do a darn thing to them if you don't want to. It's really just a preference.