Soft Claws - Any Photos & Advise Pls

It takes at least two people to put them on. You could have your vet do it for you.

The lenght of time they stay on is variable, some could come off right away.

A few people that I know that use them really like them though.

Crystal

I've used them on Oliver for over a year now and love them.... I can't really get pictures though because I use the clear ones so you wouldnt be able to see them. You can have a vet or groomer show you the first time if you are worried about getting it right. They're kinda like putting fake nails on humans, you just put a little of the glue in each cap and slide it on the nail. Depending on the cat, you may need more than one person (one to stabilize the cat and one to apply) - Oliver's used to them now and I apply them myself. They're nail will still function normally and the caps will come off as each nail naturally sheds - your kitty will still use scratching posts, etc because of the natural want to do so, he just wont destroy furniture, skin, carpet etc anymore

I use Soft Claws and highly recommend them as an alternative to declawing. They are a learning experience. Whenever I have someone interested in a kitten that mentions declawing, I slap on a set and educate them. Here's a few tips I give my adopters:

1.\tDon’t get frustrated. It takes practice. Cats are unbearably stubborn and resistant to change. It may take you a week to get on your first set of Soft Claws and that’s okay. I actually never attempt to put on a full set on a new cat in one sitting. Put on one at a time and let him/her get used to the idea.

2.\tBe prepared for your cat to act as if you have just put it through horrendous torture! After application it’s antics in an attempt to remove the Soft Claws will probably make you laugh. This is only temporary, so don’t despair. Some particularly tricky cats even manage to remove a cap or two. They do stop attempting with repeated application.

3.\tGlue. I have found that the best super glue to use when applying Soft Claws is NOT the glue provided with the nail caps. I buy 3m Super Glue Gel, which is MUCH STRONGER and helps prevent the caps from falling off or from the cat removing them on their own (see tricky cat reference above).

4.\tDepending on why you’re applying Soft Claws, you might consider only applying them to the front paws. This allows the caps to last you much longer (4 – 6 months).

5.\tAfter you fill the cap with the super glue, take a needle, stick it in the cap and rub the glue around to ensure the whole area is covered. This helps surround the entire inside of the cap with glue, removing air bubbles and helps ensure the caps stay on. (This whole process really doesn't take as long as it sounds!)

6.\tIt helps to have one person hold the cat and one person applying the Soft Claws. The cat needs to be held for about 60 seconds for the glue to dry after applying the cap. If you are attempting this alone, I suggest wrapping the cat in a towel and straddling it between your legs. No, the cat will not be happy.

Kittens are by far the easiest. I hunt them down as they sleep and apply them. Ditto, my youngest Siamese is a terror to put them on, but he almost preens after they're all on. It's hilarious. I use the the clear and colors, whichever I have available.

Here's Ditto with the blue nails that match his eyes.

Yes, soft claws would be a good option. Ophelia likes to attack my legs, so I put soft claws on her. Now, she doesn't hurt me.

I put the soft paws on Lily by myself. She bites & growls, but I simply tell her to knock it off & give her a treat. She now somewhat tolerates me putting them on her. Ophelia requires two people as she doesn't sit still for long. This is about the only picutre I have in my phototbucket of Lily wearing her soft claws. I ordered 3 different colors-blue, purple, & pink. I alternate them on her claws so she has very pretty toes.

I love the softclaws! Nadra has a habit of pulling up the carpet on our steps if we dont put them on her. It is for sure a two person job though. They seem to last about 2 weeks before they start falling off. I like the colored ones so you can tell right away when one falls off, and also locate it on the floor easier. Plus she looks so cute with her colored pedicure.

Is it wrong to want to get pink Soft Paws/Claws for our kitty purely because they'd look really cute and match her collar???

I am sure Genevieve would want to be color-coordinated

No, you cant reuse them... I'm always finding Ollie's shed caps and see how it works is, the cap is glued to the outermost layer of nail, so the cap falls off when that layer of nail is shed, but the shed nail is still glued firmly to the inside of the cap

Do you do Ollie's front, or front and back???

I was at Petco yesterday, and found red and green ones, guess it was a xmas type thing, and they were on clearance for 5 dollars, so I couldnt pass it up, red and green are easy to see also...

But I plan on doing all of my 4 cats this weekend...
Just wasnt sure if I should just do the front??

I didn't know that you glued them on, I heard that they fall of really easy, but those were probably ones that you dont glue on. Not sure.

I read in a book that Softclaws leaves the cats nails un-naturally extended (like a dogs) -- that they can't fully retract their nails with the caps on.

I had my 16 week old neutered the other day and they cut his nails for me while he was under. What a difference!! They are really blunt. When he scratches the couch when we are playing I can still "hear" it -- but the couch has no damage. My husband put a fan in the window last night and my curtains (sheers) where blowing -- kitty tried to grab them with his claws and could not even do it. The only thing that may still cause damage is when he scratches at screens (or tries to climb them!).

I am going to try cutting them myself in a couple weeks in an effort to convince my husband that we don't need to declaw him. His previous cat was declawed and every cat we know is so to him there is "no question about it."

Cutting is also a good option. Just be really careful when you do it because a cat's nail has a "quick" just like ours does. When you extend your cats claws out you can see it inside the nail if you look closely. If you cut too close to it, your cat's nails will bleed and you will have a very unhappy kitty.

I used to trim my cat Austin's nails when he lived indoors though and I think I only cut too close once. (One time is enough to make you SUPER careful fromt hen on out.) Good luck!

The cat can still use his nails naturally with the caps on... I can see it when Ollie's playing... usually, he keeps them in (like when he's teasing my poor old lady of a dog, haha - he runs by and bops her on the butt or the snoot and runs on, haha) but my dad likes to wrestle and roughouse with Oliver (like they'll be sitting on the floor and my dad will go like he's gonna grab Ollie's head in his hand... you know, coming in over top of him with his hand and Ollie will jump up and wrap his paws around my dad's arm and play bite him) and you can see that his claws are out, gripping onto my dad (well he has the caps on, but trying to grip).... it eventually turns into bunnykicking, which my dad thinks is hilarious and he can stand it cuz he's got thick daddy skin, haha....

I only cap Oliver's front claws because they were what was causing the furniture and most of the skin damage... the only time the back feet get involved is with play bunnykicking and that's usually provoked by one of us, haha... I know some people have capped the back too and I would if it was needed, but since it isnt on Oliver I don't since I'd feel a little bad that he may not get any satisfaction from scratching any itchies...

HTe claws still retract normally and they can scratch their posts and whatever like normal. Phenom didn't like them at first and walked around like she was trying to shake them off but quickly got used to the. I would highly reccomend them!

my vets office has a resident cat that they use soft-claws on. he doesn't seem bothered one bit by them. and the fact that my vet uses them is endorsement enough for me. they're the absolute best clinic with the best docs. i don't use the soft-claws on my babies though. i find it easier to clip their nails. with 5 cats, i'd be spending most of my waking hours up to my eyeballs in glue and little round things. and the way they squirm when it's toe trimmin' time, i'd end up glued to at least 3 of them!

Hmmm... this web site makes it look a little TOO easy!
http://www.safepetproducts.com/pilot.asp?pg=application

Hahaha, that's the first thing I thought when I saw the package and the cat's just sitting there..... I was just like "HAHAHAHA yeah right!" Ollie's good about the applications, but not that good! I'm convinced the cats in the "how to" pictures are on some kind of drugs to sit that still, hahaa

As requested, here are some pictures of Soft Claws on my cat Avery.





Together with my husband, I find them rather easy to put on and the Soft Claws do a great job of protecting me!

However, my husband has been maimed 3 times on the arms, each from Avery's rear claws even with his front paws covered. After the third (and worst time which included bite wounds) we decided to cover his rear claws too.

Here's a picture of a 'discarded and used' Soft Claw, and our most recent cat attack (it better be the last!). All scratches are from REAR claws. Also note that old scars are still healing behind the new ones!:

omg, why did your cat do that?

I also use soft claws on my LuckyGirl. And while she does hate getting them on, we've never experienced any clawing like the pics below. And I guess I really don't understand how you could even get scratched that bad....I would seperate myself from the cat, I guess. Either way, putting the claws on is a process. I bring her bag of treats, and her basket of toys and sit on the floor. Then we play a little. The I get the clippers ready (you have to clip them a little before gluing on the caps), grab a hold of her, and clip a few nails on 1 paw. Then I let her go. Give her a treat. And play for a few more minutes. Then I grab a hold of her again and do a few other nails. And I repeat this until they are all clipped. Then I glue 1 nail, grab ahold of her and hold it on her claw for 30 seconds or so. Give her a treat, play some more (so she is not licking/chewing trying to get them off), do another nail, hold it for 30 seconds, treat, play some more. And repeat this until all the claws are on. The whole process takes about 2 hours... I like to give her enough time in between to run & play, so it's not so traumatic. But she never hisses or bites even when she's really PO'd... she usually will just growl this sad little "please stop meowmy" growl. I also talk to her while I'm putting them on, in a soothing voice, with familiar words of praise: "your such a good girl, mommy loves you" I think this makes it a little easier on her.

In a few weeks you will notice 1 missing. Then you just clip & pop on a new one. It takes 5 minutes for 1 nail. And then repeat whenever you notice 1 missing. My girl has had hers on since May. I bought a $20 set, that had 4 sets of 10 caps in it, 2 reds & 2 blues. We are now in August, and she still has on her red set, and I have maybe 4 red caps left in the pack, and 2 whole sets of blue caps. So I think that is a long time for them to last. My only complaint, is that the little tops for the nail glue, which act like a funnel to get the glue into the tiny nail cap, is disposable after each use. And when you are putting on 1 at a time, as they fall off, you end up with no more funnels for the glue, and the tip of the super glue is too big to fit inside the little cap. So I've been getting creative, using a drop on a toothpick. But I have ended up with a red nail stuck to me instead of the cat!

Wow those scratch wounds are horrible! Good thing your husband loves you and the cat! I don't know your technique for holding while applying, but i'd suggest wrapping the back half of the cat tightly in a big ol blanket, and then have your husband kneel on the floor and hold the cat bewteen his thighs (make sure he's like sitting back on his feet while on his knees and keep his feet close together behind him to prevent the cat from scooting back) and make sure he's got a good tight grip on the cat's scruff, he wont hurt the cat... in this position you can kinda trap the cat and use your body weight to keep him under control while the caps are applied.... I know fosters and smith sells something called the cat bag.... keeps the cat's back half under control but exposes the front paws and head - kinda the same thing as using the blanket (It says you can use it as a pet carrier too, but I wouldn't... seems to weird)

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...59&N=2002+2015

I've just been sneaking them on when Anya is asleep. Of course she's still a small enough kitten where I can put them on without trimming her nails first. I'm positive she wouldn't sleep through that.

And dcgirl79...those claw marks that your Avery gave your husband are horrible? What HAPPENED???

The soft claws aren't really a problem to put on. We put both the front claws (all 10) at the same time, and all the rear claws (8) at the same time. Towel restraint technique does help, and Avery's quite calm as long as we speak to him softly and keep him distracted while the claws go on.

The scratches on my husband were from a 'crazy night' that Avery was recently having. At 4 a.m. in the morning, our catty was making noise, and my husband went to see what was going on (without his glasses, of course!). After leaving him some food, he was caught by surprise going back to his bedroom by a jump / grab leg / bite attack! My husband responded by verbally scolding Avery (think kneeling and pointing at mr. cat), but Avery for some reason was *very* high strung.

Catty jumped onto my husband's forearm, took a bite out of his upper elbow area, grabbed and held on with his front paws and went to town using his rear claws. When I heard the ruckus and came outside to see what was going on, Avery was still stuck on my husband's arm - my husband didn't know what to do! It was a good 5 seconds of grab / bite / scratch attack.

I grabbed Avery's 'play towel' and shooed him off with a few swipes. Suffice to say, within 10 minutes of this ordeal (after nursing the wounds with antiseptic and Polysporin), we promptly put on his rear claw covers. We understand that he's got some animal instincts, but our little catty can be dangerous when he's in the mood. I think he was overly playful since the 'grab / bite / rear claw scratch' technique looks very similar to how he plays with his toy mice.

I have a question: Can the cats eat the caps once they are shed? I have a problem eater who tries to eat all kinds of plastic, and I fear that she'd just swallow these caps when shed. She doesn't (to my knowledge) eat shed un-capped claws.

i think if she did, it would pass straight thru her, but not sure