Anyone use soft paws/claws on their kitty?

[slj84]

Okay so Jasper had settled in nicely, and has become the a fur ball of terror.  Well okay he's not that bad.  But he's well a kitten :p

That being said.  I was afraid of my dogs beating him up. Yeah... He's sneak attacking them.  Landing on their backs and digging his claws in.  It's not aggression a he just plays really hard.    And he drew blood on one of them the other day.  Oh I trim his nails weekly. They don't go any shorter.

I cringe at the thought of declawing... I don't like any idea of hurting him in that way at all (No debates on this please!).  But he's also terrozing my other babies!

So I started looking into alternatives that could make us all happy and came across soft paws/claws. He's about 3.5#'s so he may just fit into the kitten sized one.  It comes 40 in a pack.  And he would only need them on his front claws. So I would only need 3 packs a year.

Anyone use these with any luck?

Oh he also has more scratch toys, toys in general then most cats so he had plenty of things to scratch and play with, along with me and my dogs.

[kaoskat]

I've never used them but I've heard good things.

[CoonhoundBetty]

Yes! We use Soft Paws with our girls. My oldest, Mae, was declawed as a kitten, and I definitely regret it--it changed her attitude so much. Polly and Juliet, my polydactyl cats, wear the nail caps with no problem. I find that the trick is to catch them while they are napping, lay down and just pet them, and slowly start to put the caps on. Sometimes you can get them all done in one go, but most of the time, I do it in two or more occasions. Plus, it's really cute to see a cat with a mani/pedi

[slj84]

I've got him pretty will use to being handled for toe nail trims, so the hard part is keeping him still.  He is only 11-12 weeks old.  So he may even outgrow this attacking thing. He also attacks my feet.  But I'm smart enough that I just stop walking and the game is no fun anymore.  The dogs get taken by surprise, so that just adds to his fun. 

I'm very very new to cats.  I am a dog person when all is said and done (I just understand dogs better). But not to say I dislike cats.  Or don't love my kitten (I do so very much). Just everyday is a new learning experience for all of us.

What's funny is I hear so much kittens are easier then puppies.  Yeah I find him more difficult cause it's like talking to a cute fluffy wall!

[MikeysGrrrl]

I've used those on previous cats (picking some up for our new cat), they work so well, they don't seem uncomfortable for the cat and they look super cute

[Elisto]

We used them years ago on a cat that had a bad habit of tearing up anything wood. At first, she would do a little kick with every step to try to shake them off (funny, but pitiful), but after a day or two she got used to it.

[Moony]

Since he is so young it would be easiest to just get him declawed when he gets neutered. Kittens heal up so much better than larger kitties.

On the nail cap side of things I haven't heard any bad things about them (I work at a vet clinic and I have never once seen a cat with them and we see a lot of kitties!). I would try to deter your kitty from attacking your pups just in case for some reason they decide to snap at him. Good luck

[shockponie]

My SIL uses them on her cat who scratched her daughter's face when she pulled his leg really hard. They've had no incidents since; she just has to make sure he doesn't lose any caps (& yes, she's teaching her daughter to be nice to kitty).

[Sunshine]

I always wondered about them myself. I trim my cats nails, but, they go grow like crazy - sometimes they're needles! And it only takes one little needle claw to snag my dress or the couch, etc... I've wondered about buying them.

I have one polydactyl cat with 7 toes (in the mitt shape) - and I remember taking him to a vet once and the vet looked at me and was like, "We can declaw him and remove these extra toes/claws if you want"... I was stunned honetsly. I was like of course I don't want that! I cut his nails weekly and why oh why would I EVER want to modify my wonderful poly-kitty? I didn't go see that vet again. He also referred to that cat as "a little freak"... 

[MikeysGrrrl]

I always wondered about them myself. I trim my cats nails, but, they go grow like crazy - sometimes they're needles! And it only takes one little needle claw to snag my dress or the couch, etc... I've wondered about buying them.

I have one polydactyl cat with 7 toes (in the mitt shape) - and I remember taking him to a vet once and the vet looked at me and was like, "We can declaw him and remove these extra toes/claws if you want"... I was stunned honetsly. I was like of course I don't want that! I cut his nails weekly and why oh why would I EVER want to modify my wonderful poly-kitty? I didn't go see that vet again. He also referred to that cat as "a little freak"... 

Awwww what a terrible thing for the vet to say about your beloved pet. I don't blame you for never going back.

We trim our cats nails, but those little caps can be a blessing. They take about 5-10 min to put them on and they usually last 2+ weeks. After you put them on your cat is likely to take some funny steps like it's drunk, it'll try to shake them off and then their right back to normal   When I used them before, whenever someone would see the cat, the first thing they would ask is "why did you paint their nails?" Seriously? I would never do that, although it's really cute and they end up looking like they just had a manicure

It's a godsend to furniture, clothing and even wrapping paper Sunshine

[Dragonsummoner]

I've been thinking about softpaw caps for my 3 kitties as well. They have them for sale at Petco for $21.99. My question is do they try and chew them off? When I first heard about the softpaws I thought is was a good idea, but I worried that kitties might try and chew them off and choke. My female kitty bites her back toe claws so I know not to use them on her back claws.

[slj84]

The website says they are safe if swallowed.  He takes apart his toys and his temporary cat tree (it's a kitty city build you own thing).  So he seems pretty good and pulling things off.  They are $12.99-$14.99 on amazon for soft claws and $18.95 for soft paws.

He got Sadie again tonight.  She yelped and came running to me. Yep that is my big bad jack russell. She's such a big baby.

Also he loves to lick my face, by lick I mean groom me alot. He only does this to me and no one else in the family.  Should I consider this a good thing in the cat world or something I should stop?  Well I do stop him after a bit because his tounge hurts after awhile.

[Oneleo1]

I think the grooming is natural, all of my cats have done it I've always just let them do it as long as it's not my face, and I stop them when it starts to get uncomfortable

The soft paws is a great way to go and will help poor Sadie from getting hurt by kitten claws! as he gets into his adult years those kitten sharp nails will dull a bit but probably not enough to help keep the scratches down on the poor pups.

[MiRaja]

I always wondered about them myself. I trim my cats nails, but, they go grow like crazy - sometimes they're needles! And it only takes one little needle claw to snag my dress or the couch, etc... I've wondered about buying them.

I have one polydactyl cat with 7 toes (in the mitt shape) - and I remember taking him to a vet once and the vet looked at me and was like, "We can declaw him and remove these extra toes/claws if you want"... I was stunned honetsly. I was like of course I don't want that! I cut his nails weekly and why oh why would I EVER want to modify my wonderful poly-kitty? I didn't go see that vet again. He also referred to that cat as "a little freak"... 

Yeah, that would've been the last time I went to that vet.  I like the vet I go to, my main vet loves my cats.  I had to take Momo in the other day, because she was off her food, and the first thing the vet says to me is, "What have you done to MY cat?!"  Hahaha.  Love it.  Everyone loves Momo.

Anyways, in regards to the OP, I've heard they work.  I would keep up on claw trims as well, but also add in some toys he can rough house with.  Momo is a crazy, energetic cat, so I actually give her stuffed animals with all the plastic bits removed, and she loves wrestling with them.  Scratchers are HUGELY important.  Even with his nails trimmed, he'll enjoy having that outlet and he can then get rough with it.  I would also suggest actively playing with him.  Give him time, where you sit down with him and play with him, with a cat wand or his preferred toy.  Tucker him out, and he won't look into roughing up the dogs so much.  I would also suggest scolding him when he attacks the dogs, or spraying him with a squirt bottle.  We have a kitten right now, and the squirt bottle is labeled, 'Chocho-be-gone," because she is SUCH a terror.  If that doesn't work, a good shake by the rough of the neck alla mama cat can sort it out too.  If he's having periods of time where he's being really rotten, put him to bed.  Stick him a kennel and let him conk out and settle down. 

You can train a cat, but you have to be on top of it, and you cannot let them get away with it, nor can you let the behavior slide.  You have to stamp it out.  I had problems with Momo, because she learned that if she would scream at my door, she would get fed earlier, but this meant me getting up at 5am after only going to bed at 3am, and I got sick of it.  She got locked up whenever she screamed at my door, and thus I gave her a NEW response to the behavior.  She screams at my door, she gets put to bed.  Period.  And it sunk in, especially after she messed the bed ( she was in there from 5am-9:30am, so never fear ) and then had to have a bath in response.  NOT a happy kitty, but she sure learned, even if it was more unpleasant for me to wash the poopy cat than it was throwing down the buffet bowl. 

Kittens DO grow out of it, and there's no need for a drastic thing such as a declaw.  Give it a bit of time, and work with him, and he'll be a snugglebutt in no time. 

[slj84]

He gets at least a hour of me and him time every night, lots more if I'm not working. Plus supervised play for several hours a night with the dogs.  I know my mom also gives him at least a hour of play with her everyday too.  He has about 4 different scratching things.  3 small stuffed animals to wrestle with, plus he plays with the dogs toys. On top of his small cat toys, and his kitty wand.   He has his own room right now when not supervised because he still tries to bite the electric cords. 

I can't spray him with the water bottle if he's after the dogs, as my dogs think water is acid (aka this is their punishment too when they are bad.  They hate water!).  I'm going to give the soft paws a shot.  I was spoiled by my dogs because they were all good puppies and didn't get into much trouble :p