Question for NoahsMommy or anyone who uses softpaws

[catcrazylady]

I have been thinking about trying soft paws on a couple of my NAWTEE KITTIES and I'm just wondering how well they work. Do they come off really easy? Do they have to be replaced often? How hard is it to put them on? Any info that anyone can give me would be greatly appreciated.

:) :) http://petoftheday.com/talk/images/our_smilies/smile.gif Thank You :) :) http://petoftheday.com/talk/images/our_smilies/smile.gif

[jazzcat]

I'd love to know about them too.

Jazz and Scout are fighting too much and Scout usually gets scratched. I had their nails trimed about two weeks ago and they've already grown back as sharp as ever. It's too expensive to pay $20 to have both done every two weeks.

[catlover4ever]

I used them with Tigger and Tony many, many years ago. I found that they were very easy to get on the claws once I got the hang of it. If my memory serves me right, they lasted about 1 month. I stopped using them because both Tigger and Tony were so hard to get them on. They were always squirming, growling, and clawing. I think that if I had started using soft paws when they were young they would have been used to having them put on them and I probally would still be using them today.

Sorry that is all the information I have. I think they are a wonderful product....I just had kitties that did not like them.

[jenluckenbach]

I stopped using them.
The length of time they stay on varies from cat to cat. They come off only when the cat sheds the outer layer of nail, and this is what varies. What I found on the majority of the cats I tested is that they lose 1 cap at a time forcing me to constantly be replacing caps (1 at a time). Only 1 cat actually kept them on for a good amount of time, 5 weeks.
They are not difficult to apply, but the cats tire of the routine quite quickly (after about 3 replacements most of the cats were growling and biting to make me stop).
My biggest reason for discontinuing use was I found them to be the cause of freak accidents, ones that could have resulted in injury if I were not there to monitor. Since the caps are super-glued into place, they do not fall off and they grow out as the nail grows out. This causes a rim to form between the cap and the cat's cuticle. I twice had to rescue a caught claw that was hooked on a string (from the scratching post carpets) that was too strong to break and now hooked tightly on the rim of the nail cap. I shudder to think how hard the cat would have pulled to release itself if I were not there to rescue.

[NoahsMommy]

We currently use them for the kittens to protect their eyes. Because of their lack of upper eyelids, they were getting serious corneal lesions. Being polydactyl kittens doesn't help matters either.

They kittens do really well with thier Soft Paws. They actually like having their claws clipped, but don't like the initial few minutes after a longer application (more than three or four).

To give you an idea as far as how long they last, I'll tell you how long Samson's pinks are turning to blue. He was scheduled for his spay surgery the first week of December and had all pink Soft Paws on all his toes. When we found out Emma was a boy, thus Samson, we couldn't wait to change those pinks to blues. ;) Right now, he has 6 blues and 8 pink toes. For kittens, I think that's good.

Phoebe seems to keep her's on longer than Samson.

As far as the application, it helps to have two people do it, although David is the one who actually does all the Soft Paws for the kittens. :)

For the bigger ones, its best to have one person hold and speak softly to the cat, while the other glues them on. You have to clip the claws first, then fill up the nail caps and then attempt to apply them right away. For us, we clipped their nails, then played with them. An hour later, we'd fill up half the nail caps (or just one or two, depending on the cat) and have one person hold, one person apply. You have to hold the cat for 60 seconds while the glue dries, that was probably the most annoying part for the cat as they want to get down.

Micah was the only cat that couldn't care less what we did. Basil didn't enjoy it, Noah and Noel had to be done while they were sleeping or quickly. ;)

Good luck with whatever you decide. If you need any tips, let me know.

[catcrazylady]

Thanks everyone for the info and advice. I'm not sure that I could get mine to hold still long enough to put them on. I just didn't want to buy them and then end up being frustrated. I'm still trying to get some of them to let me clip their nails and that is a fight now. I'll think about it and I'm thinking they probably won't work for my older kitties.
Thanks again everyone for the info!! You guys are GREAT!:D http://petoftheday.com/talk/images/our_smilies/biggrin.gif

[jazzcat]

Sounds like that may be too hard for me to manage with Jazz (the squirmer) and Scout. If I can just get them to let me trim their claws all would be great.