Soft Paws
Many cat owners have turned to these great products as an alternative to declawing. Like fake nails for humans these plastic tips are glued over a cats nails. This will allow Fluffy to continue her usual scratching behavior with the added benefit of protecting your furniture. A win win for human and pet. The downside is acclimating Fluffy to the soft paws can be a challenge. Here are some tips to help get your feline looking fancy in their new nails.
Tip 1: GO SLOW. Forcing the soft paws onto Fluffy will never end well for anyone. For the first week or two don’t even use the soft paws. Try placing Fluffy on your lap with her back to your front in a sitting position. Get her into position, give some treats, put her back down. You want to get your kitty comfortable and relaxed in your lap before moving on. Some cats can take a long time but don’t give up. Some felines like to be brushed and the brushing can be substituted for treats if Fluffy prefers.
Tip 2: Once Fluffy is comfortable sitting on your lap practice doing this but adding in touching of the feet. Just a soft simple pet down one paw is a great start. Hold, pet paw, treat, put down. This is acclimating kitty to you touching their paws in a comfortable non-threatening way. Again, this can also take weeks to perfect but don’t give up. Once Fluffy is comfortable with touch, you can move on to gently holding the paw for 2-3 seconds. From there add on gently pushing on the paw to get Fluffy’s nails to extend out, release the paw, treat, done. Using these small increments may seem like a long and aggravating process but in the long run you will have better longer lasting results than struggling and wrestling with Fluffy to put her soft paws on.
Tip 3: Once you can get the claws extended without stressing Fluffy out you can repeat the process and finally add the soft paw to kitty’s feet. Be aware they may walk strange or act out in the beginning. They will need some time to understand how the new caps work and what to do with them.
Remember: Fluffy’s nails are still growing underneath the soft paws. They will need to be changed regularly and the nails trimmed to prevent injury.
Speaking of nail trims let’s get some quick clips on kitty pedicure time. Next to scratchers, nail trims are the next best thing to keep you and your furniture safe from kitty’s weapons. You can begin this process the same as for the soft paws. Get Fluffy to sit on your lap, treat, put back down. Once you can successfully have your cat on your lap and extend their claws we add a few extra steps to the process. With claws out, gently just tap the nail with your trimmers, treat, and release. This is showing Fluffy things touching their nails are ok and not going to hurt them. Once acclimated the next step is to replace the tapping with actually cutting. Cat nails are much easier than dog nails because they are transparent and the quick (the part that bleeds) is more evident. The basic tenant of nail trims is do NOT cut the pink part. Aim for the clear or white tips.
I have used this process on my own cats and while they still don’t like their nails being done, they will sit in my lap and allow me to give them a pedicure. Even my blind cat gets her nails done with no fuss.
If you do accidentally quick Fluffy don’t panic. A little cornstarch or some water and flour paste applied to the bleeding will stop it quickly. If you are still unsure give your Vet. We would be happy to have you come in and show you where and how to do nails comfortably at home.
Phew, that was a lot of information!!!! This can feel overwhelming but anyone can do it we promise. The staff of Animal Health Clinic are always ready and willing to answer your questions or concerns regarding feline health and wellness so don’t be afraid to ask. We also offer Behavioral Consulting appointments if you are struggling with your feline’s behavior. Our goal is to keep owners and kitties happy, healthy, and bonded together in a happy coexistence.