Hi, this evening I tried to put the soft claws on Sky and Nova but they refused me to handle their paws. I have started to massage the paws for the last few days which they don't seem to mind. But it was like they knew I wanted to do something different. Now I feel a little bit guilty that I made them annoyed with me
Would it be better to try during the day when both are sleeping? I'm a little hesitant to try again because I do not want to upset them.
It might be easier to try when they are asleep - but just a question....do they really need them? Can you just clip the tips of their nails off - are they scratching inappropriately already? I've never used them but heard of others who have who tried and reported after a time it just wasn't worth the hassle.
I don't have any experience with soft claws either... their claws are easy to clip when they are asleep, when we tickle Lancelot's heels he even stretches his toes out so I can reach them
Merlin is a real sook and buries his head in his arm when he gets his claws clipped haha.
I'm not sure I understand why the soft paws so soon are you haveing a problem with them scratching .
If you have a post and keep nails trimmed you may not need the paws at all.
I agree..... if you have a scratching post and trim their nails, it shouldn't be a problem. Just my .02
I'm going to have to throw my vote in with the others. Ordinarily, I suggest Soft Paws to people who have adult cats who haven't been handled a lot and I know they aren't going to be diligent about keeping the nails trimmed, but Raggie people are pretty consistent about keeping up with the trimming because Raggies are handled and loved so much that people just do it to keep from getting fabric and skin accidentally snagged. There are lots of good ways to discourage inappropriate nail sharpening and scratching play so you won't need to take other actions.
Thank you all for your replies. I am new in being a ragdoll / cat mommy so I when I saw the soft paws I thought: better be safe than sorry. Everyone around me warned me in advance when they heard I was getting 2 cats that they would definitely ruin my interior but now I figured out that Ragdolls are totally different from any other cat, right? They are SOOOOO SWEET!!!! And if people have never met a ragdoll they judge them as they would any other cat. So being a little bit afraid after hearing all the advice I figured that if I did want to use them later on I'd better start early in their life to get them used to it. Nova is doing very good in using the scratching part of the star chaser, but Sky likes my carpet and one piece of wallpaper in my bedroom. Also I have a new couch but up till now they seem to leave it alone. The scratching post in the living room is being totally ignored! I have put some catnip on it but still no reaction at all!
This afternoon I did clip their nails and it was so easy
I did it while they were sleeping so it was a breeze! Am so glad I found this forum. Thank you, thank you!!!
So glad that you were successful in clipping their nails! The thing I don't like about soft claws is that they don't allow the claws to retract. That does not seem natural, since cats normally walk with their claws retracted.
I fostered a cat who ignored her scratch post and clawed everything else. Even with trimming her nails, she was still doing damage since she was so persistent
So I turned to soft paws - worked AMAZING and I highly recommend them. They just take practice putting them on, at first you are clumsy but after a while you can get it done in just about 2 minutes. I only used them on the front paws too.
Just put glue in 10 nail caps first, then line them out so you can grab them quickly. Take a hold of one paw, spread the hair back and expose the nail. Quickly put a nail cap on and hold for about 5 seconds, then move on to the next one.
Kitties take a while to get used to them, my foster walked around flicking her paws and licked them alot but soon gave up and everything was fine after. The only problem is that after about a week 1 or 2 nail caps fall off so you have to continue replacing them. Some nail caps will stay on for several months, some last a few days. Depends on how good the glue made contact with the nail
I have never used soft paws, so I have no advice on how to put them on!
Right before I got my ragdoll kitten I was moving into a new apartment and had to inform my landlords that I was getting a kitten that I would most definitely NOT be getting declawed. They were not pleased, and ended up making me pay a $750 pet deposit. The landlord was adament that "any cat who is not declawed WILL tear up the carpets/walls/doors" etc. Dexter has never once scratched my carpets in my apartment in the 11 months we've lived there. The only damage to my apartment is from one time when he tried to catch a bug through the door and made two teeny holes in my screen door (which are so teeny that I bet my landlords won't even notice when I move out). Most ragdoll kittens are trained on their scratchposts right away when they are at the breeders. Even when Dex is playing he doesn't extend his nails out anymore. Just keep putting them on the post and they will learn to use it! Good luck!