Soft claws or declawing?????

[blackmagic1987]

I need some opinions and if anyone uses soft claws, do they work??
thanks

 

[rblaude]

I've been using soft claws on my new kitten for a couple weeks, and they work just fine. None have just randomly fallen off yet - only one has so far "grown out." (They fall off with the nail sheath as that grows out.) They're protecting my couch and shower curtain well, although my kitten is usually good about using the scratching post anyways.

I've yet to replace a soft claw. The vet helped me put them on the first time so I don't know how hard it will be to do it on my own. Regarding the one that has grown out, it was on his little tiny dew claw and I can't even get the kitten size to fit it again, so I'm waiting for him to grow more.

They've gotten great reviews from what I've seen, so I'm hoping for the best. I had declawed my other cat when she was a kitten, and she's now very nippy. I can't help but wonder if there's a link between that and her declawing, although she's never seemed bothered by her paws or lack of claws.

 

[blackmagic1987]

my mom had her cat declawed and he's acted out ever since. My 6 year old sucky cried constantly when she was fixed and I hate to put her through that again. Then I've done a little more research on declawing. I'm not sure I want to but although they are all great with their 2 storie cat house that grampa made them they also have their own spots they like to scratch. ONe of the boys has destroyed the trim around our bedroom door. Our 6 year old has destroyed the part of the carpet that goes up the inside of the wall so I can just remove it and you'd never know. The other boy likes to go under things like the chairs and the bed. it's just a decision we don't want to make.
thanks I think I'll try the soft claws.

 

[white cat lover]

Most people here are going to say don't declaw. I am opposed to declawing. While Soft Claws are more work & less permanent, they work just fine. They do not have the "effects" that declawing can have(litter box issues later in life, the pain of the actual decalw surgery, nippiness, etc.). I used them on Lily, my kitten for a few months, & I now no longer use them. I check her claws once a week & if they need to be cliped, I clip them. Plus, she looked so cute in them!

I had no trouble putting them on the first time & no trouble putting on new ones as they fell off. I did it myself everytime. I ordered straight from the website & I figured out how much it cost. I paid $60 for 120 nail caps, estimating those nail caps would last Lily 6 months. By then, I guessed that I wouldn't need them anymore. It costs more than $60 to have a cat declawed(unless you do it at the time of spay/neuter), so the nail caps were cheaper. I tell people that all of the time. Really, I only used one package on Lily, the other two were on fosters & Ophelia.

I now use Soft Claws on Ophelia, my semi-feral housecat. While it wasn't fun to put them on her, I had no trouble replacing the ones that fell off.

 

[valanhb]

Most cats are easily trained to use appropriate scratching places (posts or scratching pads) if they are available and in the correct proportion to the cat. Soft Paws are great as a way to protect your stuff while training them, but most likely you won't need them forever.

This site has a position against declawing. You won't find many, if any, here who advocate it for any reason except medical necessity.

Here's an article about declawing: http://straypetadvocacy.org/html/dec...ernatives.html It talks about what declawing entails, possible side effects, and alternatives.

I also know that many vets, including mine, refuse to perform a voluntary (i.e. not medically necessary) declaw on a cat over 1 year because of the intense pain, longer healing time, and higher possibility of medical side effects in an older cat.

 

[jen]

never declawing....anything but declawing....soft claws is a great thing to try and I strongly suggest that

 

[jennyr]

I don't use softclaws because my cats go out and like to climb trees, fences, etc. But in the house I have lots of rattan and woven straw mats around in each room, thick door mat kind of things. The cats all love them for scratching and only Ellie occasionally decides to have a go at a chair!

 

[goldenkitty45]

Please do not declaw - it is inhumane.

We just trim nails when needed (check once a week). Our furniture doesn't look like a cat is in the house

Even when I was breeding, the kittens were taught not to scratch furniture and to use their scratching post. Plus they got their nails trimmed once a week.

If you have a good sturdy tree house, your cats will leave the furniture alone. And there are many ways to keep them from scratching the furniture in the first place.

I think the Soft Paws are more hassle, but then again, I've trimmed nails for years

Its better to use Soft Paws or trimming their nails then to amputate their toes (that is what declawing involves - amputating the first joint where the nail connects into the bone).

 

[abigail]

i agree completely with goldenkitty45. Teach your cat to use scratching surfaces ( I have baskets and sisals mats in every room plus the standard cat tree and posts in her favorite rooom) and your furniture will be fine.

And never play with your kitty with your hands directly and she wont see them as toys.