Has anyone used Soft Claws nail caps on their cat? I'd like to hear your experiences with them. Do you put them on yourself or have the vet do it? Also did your cat accept them very easily? I'm afraid my cat would absolutely freak out if she had plastic glued to her claws.
2006-08-08 17:37:36 · 6 answers · asked by michi 3 in Pets ➔ Cats
My cat absolutely will not allow me to trim her nails (not even one). No matter what I do, she always wins on this issue.
2006-08-08 18:27:36 · update #1
We've not had good luck with them in the clinics where I have worked over the years-- they'd usually come off too soon on active cats that like to scratch. And as another poster said, you still have to trim the nails before putting them on-- so why go through all that hassle when a short, well-scratched nail is about as easy on human skin and a lot easier on everyone's patience than a glue-on nail tip?
Scratching is normal, and I commend you for looking into a humane option to onychectomy surgery (amputation of the first bone segment and claw; "declaw"). Your best bet, though, is to get the kitty used to nail trims-- maybe one nail at a time at first if you have to, or pay the small fee at your groomer's or the vet's office and have them clip kitty's nails every few weeks. Also provide plenty of appropriate scratching toys, posts and climbers to let your kitty have the opportunity to perform this grooming and exercise task.
2006-08-08 18:04:29 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
So long as the cat is fairly easygoing or properly restrained they're not too hard to put on. The biggest problem is if you use too much glue or have bad aim with it; then you might stick your fingers together or, worse, stick yourself to the cat. It may be best to have the vet (actually, probably a tech) show you the first time. Most cats accept the caps OK, although glue fumes irritate most of them so again be careful with the tube.
My biggest problem with them (if you want to call it that) is that before putting on the Soft Paws you're supposed to trim the nails; and if you can do that, what do you need the Soft Paws for?
2006-08-09 00:48:11 · answer #2 · answered by dukefenton 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I read great reviews about them so I tried them. However, I hated them. The trimming is a pain and puting them on takes forever. And besides, I didnt like that the nail can't retract all the way back in like normal. I only tried a few at a time and my cat chewed them right off.
2006-08-09 00:54:14 · answer #3 · answered by Kisses 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We used them when our cat was literally climbing the walls, chewing up the drywall. The little prick would hang in the archway and stare at me till I ran at him. We put them on ourselves. It definitely takes two people. They worked great and broke him of the habit. Eventually we moved where we could let him outside so it was better than having him declawed.
p.s. He actually didn't seem to mind them, but you have to hang onto them until they've had a chance to dry.
2006-08-09 00:43:07 · answer #4 · answered by Rare Indigo 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We used soft claws, but had some issues with them. We had no problem putting them on our cats (even our skitterish kitty) it really was no more difficult than cutting their claws. They didn't even really bother with them, they did walk backwards for the first day trying to figure out what they were walking on. The soft claws worked for us for months, but on our kitty Kelko, the claws wouldn't come off. We watched waiting for the soft claw to come off and it didn't. We went to cut it off and we couldn't get to it, it had pushed itself into his paw. We had to take him to the vet, and walked out $500 less in our pocket. Then they put this funny cast on his arm to keep him from bother it (and they had to cut the nail almost to the paw to cut off the soft claw.) They told us that the cast would stay on for a week and then we'd bring him back to remove it. He was home less than one minute and he managed to get it off. We got a new cast on him, it lasted three days but he managed to get it off himself (by then we just gave up.) Soft claws are great for many other reasons, but just watch your kitty to see if they are naturally shedding them or you can run into the same problems we did. :)
2006-08-09 00:53:53 · answer #5 · answered by Serena 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I've been wondering about this too! I haven't tried them yet because I'm pretty sure they would chew them off.
2006-08-09 00:42:44 · answer #6 · answered by KyLeth 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋