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!