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Old February 19th 04, 04:39 AM
frigamia
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Wow, thank you so much for sharing that. I've been arguing with my mom over
declawing or not declawing. She grew in the thinking that declawing was ok.
And I know it is not. So I try to convince her that it's not a thing to do.
You just gave me very good arguments there. Thank you very much

Mia

"-L." wrote in message
m...
(Mark Healey) wrote in message


t...

Soft Paws.
http://www.softpaws.com

Have you used them and do you have any interrest in the company?


Inappropriate cross-posting removed.

If you are having problems with cats ruining your furniture DO NOT
declaw them - unless you want your furniture ruined by inappropriate
elimination. Up to 30% of all declawed cats develop one behavioral
problem or another, the most common being peeing inappropriately (see
below).

I used to apply Soft Paws every day at a feline specialty vet where I
worked. I also do counseling for scratching and behavioral problems
in cats. Below, I will cut and paste a review of Soft Paws which I
wrote for another NG.

As for scratching problems, most can be solved without resorting to
declawing. Cats scratch to relieve tension and to mark territory, so
they WILL scratch, regardless of what you do. If a cat fails to use a
scratching post, it is usually because the cat is not satisfied by the
surfaces of the post, and the post is too small or not stable enough.
I always recommend purchasing a large cat tree, and covering the tree
with multiple surfaces, such as sisal, carpet (pile and backing), raw
wood (bark and/or pulp), burlap, different fabrics and anything else
you can get your hands on that might be attractive to kitty feet. If
you provide a surface more attractive than the furniture, your cats
WILL use it.

Trimmed nails are less likely to do major damage if the cat is
scratching inappropriately, so I recommend trimming nails every two
weeks or so. Also, there is a product called Feliaway which will
encourage paw marking (scratching) which you can spray on your cat
tree to encourage appropriate scratching.

As for declawing, there are a few studies which show an increased
incidence of behavior problems in declawed cats, and long term
complications have been found in roughly 20% of cats declawed.
Inappropriate elimination is a common problem. Having participated in
the surgery and been the primary aftercare provider for cats and
kittens undergoing the surgery, I could never, in good faith,
recommend declawing any cat, of any age. (Prior to my experiences as
a vet tech, I though declawing was a benign surgery. Not any more.)

Good luck, and I hope you can find a solution which works for you.

-L.

paste

SoftPaws

Some people were asking about SoftPaws. I work at a vet, and apply
these things every day, to all kinds of cats. Here is my take:

Description: A set of rubber nail covers which are glued to the nail,
after trimming, with a super-glue-like substance. They are used to
keep the kitty from scratching things that may be damaged by unaltered
nails.

****************

Pros:
They are really, really easy to apply if kitty cooperates, and will
let you trim her nails easily. They take about 5-8 minutes to apply,
once you get the hang of it.

They are relatively inexpensive (about $10-12/set, if applied at the
vet, and they last 1-3 months.) They are even less expensive if you
buy your own kit and apply them at home.

They do not interfere with normal claw usage, but protect things you
do not want scratched, fairly effectively.

Some cats do very, very well with them.

****************

Cons:

Some cats *detest* them, and will fight you tooth and nail (excuse the
pun) when you try to apply them.

Some cats pull them off easily.

The glue is very sticky, and will stick to and damage any surface it
encounters (including human skin).

If the glue touches any skin while wet (human or cat), it burns. It
is fairly caustic.

Some cats are allergic to the glue.

If the nail is trimmed too short, the glue can damage the nail bed,
which results in a crusty/ill formed nail, when the nail grows out.
They work best of the nail is trimmed fairly short, and if the glue is
applied in the inner 2/3 of the cap, before application.

The caps need to be fitted properly. Many technicians tend to use
caps that are too large, and then the cat is constantly fighting with
the caps, as they "feel" awkward. (Or they chew them off!) One cat
may need more than one size of caps to accomodate all nails on the
foot (e.g. mediums on all nails except 'pinky", which needs a small).

The caps need to be applied quickly after the glue is applied...the
glue dries very quickly. This can be tricky for beginners.

****************

Overall impression: I think trimming nails often (every 1-2 weeks) is
a better, more wholistic solution to scratching problems, than
Softpaws. If you are unable to do this, SoftPaws may be a solution
for you. Overall, it is a good product, but may not be good for every
cat.