Soft Paws for Cats

[luckymom30]

Has anyone here tried them? Wondering if they really do work.

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[Bostonman]

When I had my cat we tried them once. They would come off after a day or two plus her nails grew so fast that they didn’t last long anyways.

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[dhg]

I find an ordinary cheap nail clipper works well

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[luckymom30]

Thanks, we have tried scratching posts and cat nip and also cat towers and nothing stops our cats from scratching the furniture.

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[Bostonman]

I used to cut my cats nails all the time. I never had trouble with furniture though. I guess you could get it *GASP* declawed. I don’t want to here about the animal cruelty. Just saying its an option if nothing else works. Or else learn to not like your furniture.

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[justcuz]

Then you shouldn’t have brought it up, Bostonman. No, do not get your cat declawed (I suspect the OP is smart enough to know better). It IS cruel and you’d only be trading for new behavioral problems because taking off digits at the knuckle inhibits natural movement for the cat and often leaves them with chronic pain. If someone did that to me, I’d probably pee on their pillow too! Regular clipping, like dhg mentioned, at least leaves a blunt end and I will agree with Bostonman in that all the reviews I’ve heard on Soft Paws are that they just don’t stay on.

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[inactive]

my .02.

I put wide clear tape on corners of couch. My cat can’t scratch through it, but it is definitely ugly. Also, i put a small flat scratching/sisal placemat-sized rug nearby with catnap and when she uses it and i’m around, she gets a tasty treat – on the scratching pad only. it has reduced the problem by maybe 75% and, yeah, if i don’t keep her claws short, it’s much, much worse and she’ll try new spots on the furniture.

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[JustSarah]

Aww… I expected this to be about Kitten Mittens!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47D9-U8hn5I

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[Lindsey]

Have you guys got any tips for clipping nails? My cat acts like I’m ripping his claws out every time my husband and I try. We’ve tried to give him treats afterwards but he’s not having it. We’re lucky if we can get a few drive by clips in, getting one or two nails at a time. I love my kitty, but I also love my furniture. Help.

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[squareeyes]

I’ve never had any trouble clipping my current two cats, or my previous cat, but when I tried to do my neighbor’s cats for them it was a lot more difficult – that was a two-person job with one holding the cat and comforting/distracting, while the other gets to work.

I’m able to just grab my cat, lay him on my lap on his back, with his head closest to me, and then carefully snip the tips of the claws only. I use regular fingernail clippers. You need to avoid cutting the quick at all costs – they’ll never let you near their feet again if you cut too much. I think a lot of cats will need to have this done one or two paws at a time then go back later to try to finish the job.

Another friend waits until her cat is sleeping then manages to clip a nail or two before it wakes up and escapes. Not an ideal process, I think by the time you get all four paws done it’ll be time to start over, but if it’s the only way that works…

If all else fails, take them to your vet’s technician one a month or so. I once asked the vet tech to clip my cat’s claws thinking that she’d be able to cut them shorter than I would risk, but no, it was just the same. It wasn’t worth it to me, but if you just aren’t able to get your cat to comply it could be worth it.

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[meinws]

As crazy as this sounds…. IT WORKS.

I have sibling kitties, one brother and one sister. My girl kitty will sit on my lap and let me file her claws with a nail file – my boy kitty – not so much. He stresses a LOT when we try to do his claws.

I don’t remember where or why we tried this, but we took a sock (men’s sport sock – clean) and put it over his head. The second the sock is on – he thinks he’s somewhere that he can’t move, his paws come up and he basically gets in a fetal position. It takes about 45 seconds to clip the nails – on all four paws – and when you pull the sock off – he’s just excited because he’s out of the ‘hole’ he was in and has no idea that we’ve clipped his nails.

Good luck – this method was the result of trying posts, tapes, sprays, etc. to no avail.

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[Al]

Kitten Mittens – love it. That show is funny, we need to watch more of it. LOL.

Anyway, I have always been able to brush my cats teeth and clip their claws.

My recommendations for what they are worth are this:

1. Patience

2. Start by just touching their paws or their mouth when they are relaxed. Then give them treats afterwards. Don’t even contemplate getting the clippers or toothbrush out.

3. Once they let you do #2 with ease, then show them the clippers/toothbrush until they stop looking at it with pure suspicion and ignore the item. If it involves toothbrush, give them some toothpaste on your finger and let them lick it off. Do not insert finger.

4. Only then start touching the clippers/toothbrush (with yummy toothpaste) to claw or mouth. This could take a long time before they stop freaking out but they will…remember, only do it when they are relaxed.

5. Eventually you’ll be able to full on clip and brush with caveats…a) one cat may only allow teeth brushing in one room of the house and no other b) another cat may only allow claws to be cut when in semi-delirious sleep state after much belly rubbing but hey, it works! c) one cat may allow it to be done w/in a week and the other take two months.

Now we have a new dog. And so starts the process with the dog…a whole new experience.

oh, and item d) once a dog is in the house cats may disallow any sort of teethbrushing or claw trimming for a long time.

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[j]

I have one cat who loves getting nails clipped, while my other cat hates it. When I clip her nails, I wrap her in a towel and pull out one paw at a time. Not seeing the process seems to help her. If she’s not in the towel, I end up looking like a scratching post.

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[Author]

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