One of the things I hate about winter (and I assure you, there are *many*) is trying to get my car cleaned off in the morning. I get up way too early and I have to be out driving way too early. So this means I’m out cleaning my car - you guessed it - way too early! Some days I’m lucky and there will be a fine dusting of snow, or, better yet, nothing on my windshield. Some days I’m a little less lucky and there will be a thick layer of snow and ick covering the whole car. While that’s not fun to clear, it’s not as lame as that thin layer of frost just covering the glass enough so I wouldn’t be able to see where I’m going, were I to try. Not that I’ve done that. No, I’m a safe driver. A safe driver who thinks it’s a good thing there aren’t too many other people out there who could potentially be in the way as I’m *ahem* not driving down the street with inadequately cleaned windows.

So anyway, back to the frost. I find that it’s very hard to scrape this frost. I see a good amount of winter so I have a nifty scraper. It even has a snow brush on one end. But when I try to scrape that thin layer of frost I manage to get tiny little lines cleared. They’re about the width of spaghetti. No they’re not even that wide. They’re like angel-hair width. Certainly not good enough for adequate sight when driving. Not that I’ve tried. *ahem*

Eventually, with the car running and the vents on full blast, the frost will start to clear. But this takes time! Time that I don’t have since usually I’m leaving late for work. Wait. No, I , uh, don’t do that either. It’s also cold sitting out there waiting for it. I’ve found myself wishing for an ice scraper that would actually scrape it off with ease, perhaps something heated. I wished that someone out there would make such a thing so I could buy it and make my morning easier.

Someone did!

I was paging through a catalogue, looking for some Christmas ideas and there it was. I Gasped. I squealed. And then I ordered one. An early Christmas present for myself. I’ve used it several times now and I really have been pleased. I’ve been meaning to test it against the regular scraper and see how it compares but so far I’ve been using it when I’m out in the cold, uh, not leaving late for work. It has been getting the frost off, though, and that’s what matters. I’ll post an update when I get around to the real scientific testing.

I am very much against declawing. I don’t think my kitties should have to be disfigured just because we don’t always agree on when they should use their claws. But, there is that occasional claw-use disagreement. Like when I’m standing at the counter making breakfast, and suddenly I find my self climbed like a tree by a kitten, curious to see what kind of yummy thing I’m making. Or when I see grandma’s Christmas present being used as a scratching post. Or when, for absolutely no good reason, Jack will reach up and grab my hand, claws out, hooking me like I’m a tasty morsel of meat. At these times, I threaten to declaw them myself. By hand. Right on the spot. Of course I don’t mean that so it’s fortunate that I have a suitable alternative.

Enter Softpaws to save the day!

“Soft Paws® are vinyl nail caps that are glued on to your cat’s existing nails. They look like a cat’s nail, only hollow.”

They claim it’s as easy as sliding the adhesive filled caps over the cat’s nails. This is true in theory but giving a cat a manicure isn’t quite as easy as they make it sound. Usually I have to sneak up on them and do it little by little so they don’t catch on. This is mostly successful. By the end of it I’m usually sitting on them to get them to cooperate. But cooperate they do. Oh sweet victory! They last for a long time and are pretty affordable.

And after the fighting, the wrestling and the capping are done? It’s like having new cats! Grandma’s Christmas present remains in one piece. I can stand facing the counter without fear. If Biscuit tries his little tree-climbing maneuver on me, I’ll feel his little soft paws hit the back of my leg before he slides back to the floor with a thump. My hands are bandage free.

Pretty much any scratchy kind of thing the cats might want to do is now softer and safer. They still try, it just doesn’t make me threaten them any more. For a while anyway.

Yay for Softpaws!