do softpaws work?

Question

I have a 6 month old kitten who loves to scratch. We don't want to get him declawed and I have seen softpaws and softclaws out. Anyone ever try these?

Answer 1

I use them on my 8 month-old kitten and I love them. But even though the cat can't really scratch they can still use their nails to grab things. My cat loves it that i wear rings because he can slip his nail through the rings and hold on that way. Much better than being gripped by the sharp nail!
Before you put them on you have to clean the nail and trim it. Then you put glue in the nail cap and slip it over the nail. It can be tricky. My cat sleeps like a log and I was able to get them all on while he slept.
The package says they last for about 4 weeks but my cat only looses one at a time so it is easy to replace.
The only really bad thing I have noticed is that when he does drop one and he has a sharp nail he has no awareness of it. He will get it stuck on everything and hurt me if he scratches. I have 3 other cats that go outside and do not wear caps and they all learned how to play without hurting me with their nails.
Also, you can't let the cat outside because it will no longer be able to defend itself or climb up trees if faced with danger.
Another thing that helps is to put a scratching post next to places where your cat likes to scratch and encourage them to use it instead of the inappropriate thing. Like I said, they can still pull things even if they can't scratch. My cat still tears up a wicker laundry basket (not as badly as if he had nails though) so I put one of those cardboard scratching posts next to it and now he usually pulls at that instead.
Don't declaw your cat. The nail caps work great! And I think they look cool, too. My cat has purple nails.

Answer 2

I think they're great. We used to have an indoor-outdoor cat, but later had to keep her inside all the time because coyotes moved into the neighborhood. She was too old to be declawed, so we used softpaws and they worked wonderfully. The only problem is that my kitty didn't like them very much. After a couple of weeks, we'd start finding them around the house because she had yanked them off (ouch!) Eventually she got used to them though :)

Answer 3

Yes, I have used them on my kittens. They work great. They still do the clawing thing, but it doesn't do any damage. By the time they grow up, you can have them trained to use a scratching post, and anyway they don't do it as much.
You have to get the cat used to you handling its feet, but this isn't too hard. They do come off after a month or two and you have to replace them. The first time, they may come off sooner because the kitten actually tries to get them off; but after a while they get used to them.
Sometimes you only have to do the front paws, depending on the cat.

Answer 4

LOVE THEM! Awesome alternative to the pain and agony of declawing, and they work very well. The cats hate them at first, but they quickly adjust. Also, apply them when the cat is good and sleepy. Good luck!

Answer 5

Both products work very well once on the cat. Your biggest problem will be getting your furry friend to cooperate when putting them on. I would suggest having another pair of hands available when doing so.

Answer 6

Yeah, they do. You just need to keep an eye out for when they start falling off so you can replace them before a claw accidentally scratches something it shouldn't.

Answer 7

They work! And you can dress up your kitten with different colors too. LOL

Be prepared for some drama king antics at first though. Mine and my sister's cats held their paws funny/walked weird for a few days.

Answer 8

I think it works but my cat still ignores everything exept armchairs