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Soft Claws Review & Giveaway

If you love cats, sharing makes us purrrr :-)

The winner of our NVR Miss Cat Litter Giveaway is CMSouthern. Congratulations! Look for an email from Layla and Cat Wisdom 101.

We pride ourselves at Cat Wisdom 101 on giving honest reviews. Every product we review or give away is thoroughly checked out and tested by me and/or our official feline testers. When I received a package for Soft Claws, I had some reservations. Who in our kitty crew would be willing to test them? None of our cats have scratching issues. Gris Gris, shown here with the package said no. He hates having his claws trimmed. Odin is always game, but he was wrestling with Domino, so that left Merlin.

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Soft Claws are vinyl tips designed to prevent cats from harming furniture or humans when they scratch. In an ideal world, cats that have scratching issues can be trained to use a scratching post and not draw blood like a cat from hell. But not everyone has access to a behaviorist or the inclination to train their cat. Soft Claws are a safe alternative to de-clawing which in any humane world would not exist. De-clawing cats is illegal in these countries

Soft Claws come in a rainbow of color choices and I thought, let’s go for something very James Bond like Goldfinger and chose the gold sparkle caps. The first step is to have your cat’s claws trimmed. Merlin was due to have his claws trimmed anyway and volunteered. There are good instructions plus a video for trimming claws safely.

The Soft Claws caps easily snapped on Merlin’s claws. Since were just testing, we didn’t use the adhesive which is non-toxic but strong enough to keep the caps on for 4-6 weeks. They fit well and Merlin didn’t mind my fussing except for one claw that needed an extra trim. They look fun in gold but if were actually using them, I would opt of the clear caps so I could see the claw better and suggest checking them regularly to see if they are attached properly, not dangling, or if one claw growing faster than another.

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I strongly suggest anyone thinking of using Soft Claws to determine the underlining cause or reason for “problem” scratching. It’s normal behavior for cats to scratch. It’s how they mark territory, exercise and have fun. Most cats can be trained to use a scratching post or other appropriate scratching surface.

Indoor/outdoor should not use Soft Claws. Never use force to attach the caps. Make it as relaxed a time as possible and reward them with a treat after the caps are on. If your cat does not like or adjust to wearing them after a few days, remove them according to the instruction on the website.

If the reason for using Soft Claws is aggressive behavior or a fear that your cat will scratch a child or adult, please rule out a medical cause first. Cats, humans and babies have peacefully co-existed for thousands of years. However, if you feel you’re at your wits end, please use Soft Claws and never de-claw.

If you’d like to win a package of Soft Claws in a color of your choice, simply, leave a comment at this post anytime before 11:59 PM September 27, 2012. Good luck!

24 Comments

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  • Texas, a cat in New York

    Thanks for the review. My human has often wondered why exactly these were made for (yes, she could have read the labels, I agree, but she thought it was a little too bling anyway 😉
    Please don’t enter us in the giveaway as neither of us three kitties have scratching problems. Even Kitshka liked our scratching posts from the first few weeks!
    But it was interesting to know more about it.
    Purrs

  • Skeeter and Izzy

    Oh my stars I could never get those on one of mine even if we needed them! My guys are indoor/outdoor with supervision for one of them. I just wonder if they ever cause any irritation when the cat extends and retracts their claws.
    Luv Skeeter and Izzy…au naturale claws >^..^<
    M M

  • Abby

    I was trying to trim a nail or two of Abby’s the other day and she got so mad she even hissed at me. A first. So I knew that was the end of that. She hates me to trim her nails. I don’t know why because I’ve never hurt her.

    purrs
    >^,,^<
    ✿•*¨`*•. ♥Abby♥Boo♥Ping♥Jinx♥Grace♥✿•*¨`*•.

  • Nicole

    I would absolutely LOVE to try these out.. My kitten scratches absolutely everything in my house.. These are SO neat!! I didn’t know how inhumane it was to get a cat declawed, and had gotten my last cat declawed (that was over 15 years ago) but now that i’ve looked into it more, i will NEVER declaw a cat of mine again! These soft paws look amazing.

  • CarenOsrinGittleman (@CatChatCaren)

    Please do not enter us either because I don’t have a scratching problem. The only scratching problem I ever had was on our carpet (Mom cured that by getting Pergo floors) I also have many scratching posts and if I do try and scratch the bed room carpet, Mom just gently redirects me. I am sure many cats like these and we hope the winner enjoys them but they are not needed in our house. We did share this though!

  • Connie Marie

    Don’t enter me in the drawing please. My cats use their scratching pole, we have 2, a 6′ & 5′, also have a cardboard round scratcher for the carpet lovers. I trim their nails. I thought about these once but always thought they’d chew them off.
    Great review, if I have problem in the future I will use them. I will recommend them for those who think they have to declaw.In Iowa, there are rental housing & apts who require it to even have a cat.

  • Zee and Zoey - Deb Barnes

    We have some of these in our “kitty drawer,” completely unused. There was a brief moment when our cats seemed hell bent on clawing everything in sight. Thankfully, with an increase in vertical options for them and LOTS of variety in scratching posts, they have stopped damaging the rest of the house and we never had to use these. Me, I would wear them… if they came in leopard! I do, however think it is a good alternative for those that have excercised all other options with their cat. De-clawing is an absolute NO, so I am glad to see how well Merlin took to these.

  • Cheysuli

    We used to use soft paws on Gemini and we should probably go back to that, simply because she has a couple of places that she refuses to stop scratching. She’s actually really good about having them attached. Sometimes, though they don’t all fall off and she doesn’t like it when he try and pull the last ones off. Her toes get a rest for a few days. Yes, she does continue to scratch even with the soft paws but she doesn’t do any damage.

  • Glogirly and Katie

    I’ve often wondered about Soft Paws. Thank you for an excellent description and in particular the reasons that would make them a solution for certain cats. Although you don’t have to enter us in the drawing….Katie is trained to claw (ok, mostly) on approved surfaces, I am very curious if a cat wearing Soft Paws continues to scratch with them on. Is there a need to stretch and work the claws?
    : )

  • Pam Kimmell

    We know cats who wear them but happily, I’ve never been a “furniture clawer” and don’t use them otherwise since I’m basically an inside kinda guy. HOWEVER I do get my claws trimmed regularly since whether we use them or not they DO grow! Hope whoever wins them loves them….

    Kitty Hugs, Sammy

  • Pam Kimmell

    We know cats who wear them but happily, I’ve never been a “furniture clawer” and don’t use them otherwise since I’m basically an inside kinda guy. HOWEVER I do get my claws trimmed regularly since whether we use them or not they DO grow! Hope whoever since them loves them….

    Kitty Hugs, Sammy

  • Michelle

    I just had this conversation with some of my family members last nite. Unfortunately, in the past I did de-claw my cat & she ended up in casts for 2 weeks after. I was devestated to say the least! Knowing all that I know now about it, I would NEVER do it again!!
    I think Soft Claws are a wonderful option. I figure that if women like to make their nails look good, why shouldn’t our cats look just as “hip” but with HUGE benefits?? I would love to give them a try. Things like furniture, rugs, etc. are replaceable but causing pain unnecessarily is unforgiveable. Kudos to the company that came up with such an innovative & cool alternative.

  • Sparkle

    In any other household, Boodie would be a prime candidate for Soft Claws – she LOVES scratching the rug! And we have lots of other, more appropriate scratching surfaces she SHOULD like. But you know what? My human bought a really nice looking, but inexpensive living room rug just so it would be okay if we cats trashed it! And you know what else? She’s done more damage to it with her cardio dance exercise DVDs than we could ever hope to do! Is there such a thing as Soft Feet for humans? MOL!

  • Lisa Fleming

    Very interesting. I have never used these, but for those who even mention de-clawing around me, I will know what to recommend. What was shocking to me, is that the United States, is not on the list of countries that consider de-clawing a cat, to be illegal, and inhumane. I think being added to this list should be a priority. How to get the ball rolling?
    Lisa

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