Press-on claws
07.23.04 / 01:37AM / Joe
We took a shot and bought those crazy plastic cat nail cover things. Zoe is just too nuts right now, and I figure if we can get through these early months, we'll hit the period where she settles down into the feline routine of sleeping 23 hours a day. Right now, she's scraping up Annie's back pretty badly during the fighting - which is a bigger problem than anything she could do to furniture - so we had to come up with something to cool it down.
I was all for the press-on-claws concept in theory, but when we received them (mail order) I quickly grew skeptical. It's easy to look at this and say "That is never going to work." Because you are literally super-gluing little plastic sheathes to your cat's claws. That made me nervous during the application process, because one overgooped cap could bond her little phalanges together. So you have to be careful.
Turns out, they work surprisingly well. We only did her front paws, and we skipped that separate thumb-claw. Zoe can retract her claws as normal, leaving an incongruous swatch of cherry red visible. So far, she hasn't paid them much attention at all, although the packaging warns that cats may try to chew them off until they get used to them.
Look at that! Pretty cool looking. Very classy. Although I might suggest a first-timer go with the clear ones, because you're supposed to fill the damn things 1/3 of the way with the glue... and it's deucedly hard to gauge 1/3 of an opaque miniature claw cover. They last about 4-6 weeks, if I remember correctly.
Zoe's new claws have passed several tests. They have lasted overnight. They have endured the regular scratching post activity. The best part is when she takes a swipe at you... now you just feel these blunt plastic knobs hitting you.
If only they made something for her fangs. | 
