Grrr...Softpaws better work...(vent)

[robbie3982]

We tried getting our new cat, Zashi, a scratching post. At first Zashi didn''t understand what to do with it and our other cat, Katana, who''s declawed (she was already declawed when we got her) was the one using it. Zashi loves doing what her big sister does and she''s since learned to scratch the scratching post...unfortunately she''s still scratching everything else! If it was just stuff I wouldn''t care as much, but she keeps scratching me!

A couple of days ago she got my arm really good and this morning she got my hand while I was sleeping. I woke up with really bad swollen glands. Everytime I try to swallow I feel like someone is choking me

.

First thing I did when I got to work was order some softpaws. Second thing I did was look up my swollen glands on webmd to see if it''s something that would go away on its own or if I needed to call the doctor. Guess what the first thing that came up was. Cat Scratch Disease

. Basically it''s just swollen glands from a cat scratch, lick or bite, but it can last for several weeks. It did say that antibiotics can help make it go away faster so I have a doctor''s appointment this afternoon. Ugh...I''m ALWAYS sick for Thanksgiving!

Please cross your fingers that the softpaws work.

[vent over]

 

[Lorelei]

Robs, FireGoddess has used Softpaws with success I believe, she also might be able to offer you some good advice if she checks in and sees this.

Amber G posted this link before which is helpful with scratching kitties, so this might be useful to you.

http://www.sfspca.org/behavior/cat_library/play-agression.pdf

Also how old is she and do you have any of her history, know how and when she was weaned etc? Sometimes if they were separated from their Mother's too soon, this can lead to them not knowing their boundaries where biting and scratching is concerned. Also if she is still very young or immature, this behaviour should stop or improve in time, but you may need to do some research and show her what is acceptable and what is not!

 

[happyfeet1988]

It''s a good thing you''re going to the doctor. My boyfriend got scratched by a cat, and actually ended up having flu-like symptoms, and his glands were so swollen he couldn''t swallow or put his arms down (gland in your armpit).

 

[laine]

Personally, I didn''t have much luck with soft paws. I had trouble getting them on (glued a few to the cats fur), and then when they started growing out, the cat got his claw stuck in a loop of the carpet and couldn''t get it out because of the soft paw (not to scare you). However, I think I''m in the minority, as most people seem to love them, and I hope they work for you!

I''ve done much better with just trimming the cats claws. I use regular nail clippers, one cat I can do alone, the other I need my BF to hold because he squirms. Its pretty simple, just squeeze the toe so the nail pops out, hold the clipper sideways and snip off the tip. Make sure you don''t get into the pink part that is the quick, as it''ll hurt and bleed. I get nervous about cutting too short, so I trim less than I could, but really, as long as you get the hooked, needle-like tip, its a million times better!

Sorry to hear about your cat scratch fever! Hope it gets better quick. Good luck with the kitty!

 

[robbie3982]

Thanks for the link lorelei. Some of it seems to describe Zashi, but she''s definitely VERY affectionate. She loves to cuddle and rub against us. She''ll just start chewing on you while she''s cuddling

.

Zashi''s about 7 months old now. We got her at 6 months in October. I know she''d been at the rescue since at least July (she had some shots then). So they must''ve gotten her around 3 months. She and a brother were found living in an abandoned apartment. I can''t remember if they were found with the mother or not, but I know the mother definitely wasn''t at the rescue when we got her.

She definitely doesn''t understand that she can''t bite and scratch DH and I the way she does Katana. She tries to play with us like she does with her.

Happyfeet, yikes! I''m glad I''m going too. I just hope I start feeling better.

Laine, I''m worried that we''ll have a hard time with the softpaws too. Zashi HATES getting her nails clipped. As soon as I push on her paw to get her claws to come out she starts freaking out.

 

[rockzilla]

Can you take your cat to a "grooming" place and have them clip her nails/ put on the softpaws? It may be worth it, depending on how difficult it is and how long they last...they are professionals and could probably do it easily!

 

[poshpepper]

I used those soft claws on one of my cats before. She was really tolerant (for a cat) while I put them on, so getting them on her wasn''t really that hard (but that all depends on the cat). My mom also put them on 2 of her cats at the same time. For some reason the soft claws started falling off of my moms two cats, but they stayed on my kitty really well. Too well I think... her claws started growing out, and since she had the soft claws, her nails couldn''t sheath the way they usually do, so they kept growing until they were almost growing into her pads. I had to finally cut them off (which she was less tolerant of...).

I am not sure if this was an exception for my cat, but I would not use them again. I cut my cats claws on a regular basis (every week or two) and that seems to work for me.

G/L with the soft claws and I hope you feel better

 

[togal]

We''ve used soft-paws on and off over the years. The last time we put them on our cats, was when we got a new wool berber carpet that they kept scratching. I found that they ended up scratching the carpet more WITH the softpaws on, because they were trying so hard to remove them. I was actually able to train them not to scratch, but only after the softpaws came off.

We also had a major situation with one my cats getting her claw stuck in a bathroom mat. She couldn''t get her paw out, and I had to carry her (very carefully), along with the mat (because she was crying so hard) out to my husband, where he proceeded to cut her free with scissors).

They do work in theory, but the reality is a bit different. We gave up after a few applications. The main reason being that I found I was very allergic to the formaldahyde in the glue.

 

[FireGoddess]

Soft Paws have definitely worked for me. Eventually they all fall off after a few weeks, though once in awhile one will still be on there, but I just use the cat nail clippers to clip that right off. Not a big deal. I have to say that I haven't had to use them in awhile, because Holly took right to her scratching post(s) and won't scratch anything else, and since I got Chloe her cat condo she has stopped scratching my bed and only scratches her condo (this is after TEN YEARS of scratching my bed, so wonders really never DO cease!!!)

Have you rubbed their posts down with catnip, or used a catnip spray on them? I find that gets them to scratch their post if the're not taking to it strictly. You want to mark it as 'theirs' while avoiding them scratching anything else. I'd use the water bottle spray on 'em when they scratch other things, or use double sticky tape (available at pet stores) specifically made in large sheets to teach cats that something is 'off limits'.

Holly only scratches me accidentally. If it happens I know it's time to clip her claws down. She is always retracted when she play swats at me. Keeping the claws trimmed is something I definitely recommend if you're not using softpaws and there's scratching issues. Chloe will let me clip all paws, Holly will only let me clip the front. There's a place nearby that will clip their claws for $8, which is super cheap. Perhaps you can find a store that will do that for you too? (The vet charges 3 times that amount, so I recommend pet grooming or pet boutique stores!!)

 

[laine]

Date: 11/19/2007 12:47:39 PM
Author: robbie3982
Laine, I''m worried that we''ll have a hard time with the softpaws too. Zashi HATES getting her nails clipped. As soon as I push on her paw to get her claws to come out she starts freaking out.

It definitely takes both of us to do it. I''d try wrapping her in a towel, with just one paw out, with one person holding her and the other doing the softpaw glueing or nail clipping. Trail and error to see who is better at which job and who should pop out the claw. We often only get one paw done at a time, so we just try to do what we can and get the sharpest ones first. Also, I read that if you regularly squeeze their claws out while playing with them, they get a little more used to it and are less freaked out. As I said, good luck!

 

[ljmorgan]

I just wanted to share that I''ve had a great experience with softpaws over the last year. I think that it''s different for everyone. Just be patient putting them on, even if you can only do a few at a time. I wrapped our kitties tight in a towel to help.

 

[zoebartlett]

We didn''t have any luck with Soft Paws when we tried them on Zoe. They''re like Lee Press On Nails for cats. The claw covers are obviously small and you squirt the gel (glue) into the cover with a tiny dropper. That alone was a tad tricky because each nail is small. Then while you have the soft paws in one hand you have to get a firm hold of the cat''s paw with the other to apply. It really took my FI and I a while to get the hang of it. We managed to get a few nails on Zoe, and a few even lasted for a day, but we were never successful at putting them on all her claws. Plus, even once you attach them to the claws, they still could pop off at any moment. It was a good idea but one that we didn''t have the patience for on a daily or weekly basis.

Best of luck if you try them. Let us know how it goes. I''m hoping someone has success!

 

[firebirdgold]

Hmmm, You might try something. It works with dogs, so it might work with your kitty. WWhen she scratches or bites you try whimpering and crying out like it really hurts. Otherwise they have a hard time understanding the whole fur-skin thing.

Good luck

 

[robbie3982]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I can''t wait to get these softpaws and try them out. If nothing else, at least she''ll look cute and they''ll coordinate with her new red collar

.

The doctor said he doesn''t think it''s cat scratch disease. He said with that the scratches on my arm would look infected too. So, it''s just a regular old being sick with swollen glands. Blegh.

 

[laine]

Hey Robbie, did you try the soft paws yet? How''d they work for you?

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Follow this discussion, FI flipped out on our cats because they have been scratching the couch in our rec room. We have 2 scratching posts as well as berber carpet down there, so it''s not like the don''t have other scratching outlets. Softpaws aren''t an option for us so we tried the plastic tape stuff. It doesn''t work! It wouldn''t even stick to our couch. I was so ticked off. So we bought some catnip spray and we''ve been spraying the scratching posts with that. LOL the cats are funny. If they''re anywhere near us when we spray it they get high almost immediately and start licking the carpet. It''s pretty comical.

 

[robbie3982]

Date: 11/29/2007 9:22:17 AM
Author: laine
Hey Robbie, did you try the soft paws yet? How''d they work for you?

Hey Laine! I kept meaning to update you guys on the softpaws. They''re working really well. So far only 2 have fallen off, but I think it was my own fault because her nails were kind of shedding and I didn''t do anything about it before putting them on.

She HATES getting them on (cried like we were killing her or something) and tried to take them off right away, but distracting her with a ribbon got her mind off of it and I haven''t seen her trying to take them off since.

 

[Cleopatra]

Date: 11/29/2007 9:51:06 AM
Author: robbie3982

Date: 11/29/2007 9:22:17 AM
Author: laine
Hey Robbie, did you try the soft paws yet? How''d they work for you?

Hey Laine! I kept meaning to update you guys on the softpaws. They''re working really well. So far only 2 have fallen off, but I think it was my own fault because her nails were kind of shedding and I didn''t do anything about it before putting them on.

She HATES getting them on (cried like we were killing her or something) and tried to take them off right away, but distracting her with a ribbon got her mind off of it and I haven''t seen her trying to take them off since.

That made me laugh! hahaa! I love cats

Our kitty took a while to get used to the SoftPaws....evetually she stopped caring and basically held her paws out like she was getting a manicure when it was time to put the SoftPaws on again!

We''ve eventually gotten to the place where she doesn''t need them anymore....I think she got the point.......We haven''t put them on in 2 months and haven''t had a problem with her scratching since!

 

[laine]

Date: 11/29/2007 10:02:26 AM
Author: Cleopatra
....evetually she stopped caring and basically held her paws out like she was getting a manicure when it was time to put the SoftPaws on again!

Wow, thats just funny!

Robbie, I''m so glad they''re working for you! Did you say you got red ones? If so, you should post up a picture!

 

[robbie3982]

It''s pretty hard to get a good picture of her since she doesn''t like to sit still unless she''s sleeping, but here''s what I have:

 

[Lorelei]

OMG she is stinkin'' cute!!!

 

[robbie3982]

And here''s one with her eyes open. You can''t see the softpaws though. She''s chewing on the camera string.

 

[robbie3982]

Date: 11/29/2007 11:07:28 AM
Author: Lorelei
OMG she is stinkin'' cute!!!

Thanks!

 

[Cleopatra]

ADORABLE!!!!

I think the noses on cats are my favorite part....i think think they are cute as a button! hehe

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 11/29/2007 11:12:10 AM
Author: Cleopatra

ADORABLE!!!!

I think the noses on cats are my favorite part....i think think they are cute as a button! hehe

Yep, you have to love her little snout!!!

 

[Steel]

Awh,

Your moggy is so STYLISH with her softpaws!

I hope all goes well. What a cute pussycat!

 

[robbie3982]

Hehe. We think she''s the cutest...well, we think that both of our cats are the cutest

.

We went to the rescue with our minds set that we were getting a boy (since we already had a girl and 2 girls together isn''t supposed to be good), but we just fell in love with her and Katana loves her too.

 

[FireGoddess]

Those red softpaws looks so cute on her!!!!!! I hope they work for you. The first time I put them on Chloe she freaked and ran around the bathroom, but after 5 minutes, she was like, ''whatevssss...don''t even remember they''re on me.''