Your cat has to scratch -- it’s part of her relaxation behaviors and it helps keep her claws to a manageable length. She chooses to scratch walls, your furniture and your hardwood floor, leaving unsightly marks. A humane solution for your feline’s scratching habit is to buy soft claw guards.
Super Glue
The compound for super glue was discovered in 1942 as scientists were working on a formulation for clear plastic gun sights. As they were working on different formulas, the scientists accidentally discovered that cyanoacrylates, one of the compounds they were studying, stuck to everything with which it came into contact. Nine years later, this compound was rediscovered. Super glue -- or a variation -- is the glue used to adhere Soft Paws to your cat’s claws.
Function of Soft Paws
Soft Paws cover your cat's claws, allowing your cat to scratch surfaces in your home without causing damage. They negate a need to de-claw a cat or to re-home one. They create a barrier between the sharp claw and the furnishing surfaces, limiting risk of scratching.
Soft Paws Kits
One kit of Soft Paws includes 40 nail tips, several applicator tips and two tubes of Soft Paws-branded super glue, which should be enough to last about four to six months, depending on your cat’s individual claw growth, according to the Soft Paws website. Because cats of all ages and sizes like and need to scratch, these nail tips are manufactured in several sizes, ranging from kitten up to large.
Application Details
To apply Soft Paws to a kitten’s front claws, skip the instruction to clip her claws -- at her age, her claws won’t be long enough for the adhesive to hold the nail tip on if you trim them first, according to the Soft Paws website. For all older cats, trim the tips of their claws -- only if you have experience; otherwise have your vet do it -- just enough for the nail cap to fit the entire claw surface, up to the base of the claw. After slipping the tip on to ensure it will fit a claw, remove it and fill it about a third full of glue. Gently press your cat’s paw pad to make her claws extend out. Slip the glue-filled nail tip onto the claw you test-fitted the tip on. This part of the procedure may require two people, one to hold the cat and press her paw pad, the second to slip the nail tips on. Apply nail tips to the front claws only.
Safety of Soft Paws
Soft Paws are safe for your cat, no matter how old she is. All components, from the glue to the nail tips, are completely nontoxic. Application is painless. Once the nail tips have been applied, she will be able to extend and retract her claws as she has always done. She’ll still be able to scratch and stretch.
References
Writer Bio
Genevieve Van Wyden began writing in 2007. She has written for “Tu Revista Latina” and owns three blogs. She has worked as a CPS social worker, gaining experience in the mental-health system. Van Wyden earned her Bachelor of Arts in journalism from New Mexico State University in 2006.