Howdy
Welcome to Lexi and Dezi's World!
Dezi: Well we had intended to write a very different story this month but after our recent experience with the Soft Paws nail caps we decided that we really needed to inform the public.
Lexi: That and mommy was scared to death she was going to scar you for life Dezi.
Dezi: It almost did sissy. See I'm sure most of you are familiar with the nail caps called Soft Paws. Or you've at least heard of them. They are a durable plastic cap that fits over the pet’s claws to keep them from scratching up the furniture, people and other cats or dogs. They come in various sizes and colours. There are enough in a package to do an animal’s claws twice, or 2 animals once. They also come with their own glue. You squeeze a bit of glue into the cap and then place it on the claw and wait 10 seconds for the glue to dry and voila, claws have been dulled and your furniture is safe again. Well mommy has used these a lot, on different cats, so when we won a set last Christmas she was really excited. My breed is considered soft pawed. That means we don't use our claws very often. But being a service cat and living with an older fur sib, mommy thought it would be great for me to wear them. (I had accidentally scratched Lexi a few times)
Mommy took me and the Soft Paws to the vet to have them put on. I quickly became a tigress, and Dr. C decided he needed to put me to sleep in order to attach these things. Mommy said no way and decided to put them on me herself. I wasn't the best of nail clients, but mommy knows how to work around that. So a little while later and I had the prettiest blue claws around. Now the theory is that as the claws grow and shed, the nail caps will fall off naturally with the shed nail. They will last a maximum of about 2 months.
Well 2 months passed and my caps started coming off as they were supposed to. But they didn't all come off. 3 months passed and I lost a few more. At 4 months mommy was beginning to worry about my paw pads. The pressure being applied by my ever growing nails and the caps that were still attached. Well according to the Soft Paws website, the tips of the caps may be cut so the cap will lose adhesion and come on off. Of course mommy promptly cut the ends of the caps. 2 weeks later, nail caps still attached, mommy sent an email. They responded and told her to carefully clip the top of the cap so the caps could be pried apart (by my teeth) and they would fall off. 2 weeks later and now a total of 5 months, I still have 3 nail caps attached to claws and mommy can tell they are starting to hurt my paw pads.
Frustrated mommy does what any good mommy would do and PANICS. And then she comes to her senses and being a woman who has worn fake nails herself a time or two gets the bottle of acetone. Well of course it stank and I was none too happy about it when mommy dipped my claw into the acetone. But, the cap started melting and mommy was able to clip it away from my claw. She then washed my whole struggling paw so that I wouldn't ingest the acetone. (IT IS POISONOUS) Finally free of the Soft Paws Nail Caps, mommy promised I would never be wearing those again. I was born with claws and mommy said we will find another way. And NO, declawing IS NOT an option.
My pawsies are feeling much better now but we're sure this could have led to some very serious problems. And we're also sure that the company that makes them is aware of this as they have instructions on how to further remove them if they don't fall off naturally. They just don't publish it, you have to email and continue to email after you try each step with no results. So just how safe are these "safe" alternatives to declawing?
As I said mommy had used these on other cats through the years with no problems. And there are a lot of cats and dogs wearing them. And of course you always hear the success stories and wonderful testimonials, but what about those that have an experience like mine? Are there cats or dogs out there that are lame now because of the nail caps?
Lexi: We don't know Dezi, so we can't say. But we can say that if you choose to use these nail caps to watch them very carefully and if they don't fall off on their own in 2 months, then make sure you are doing all you need to in order to remove them. Remember, the cat you adopted was born with claws. Provide them with appropriate scratching surfaces and your furniture will be safe. As for the occasional scratch, keep the claws trimmed. Most veterinarians offer this service or will be happy to teach you how to do it at home. We sure hope we've helped someone else out there with this story, and remember this is just our experience. We've not been compensated by anyone and although we've had successes in the past, we won't be taking a chance with Deztinee's claws again. And please remember to keep poisons away from your cats mouth.
©2014 Copyright {Audra High} All Rights Reserved
Dezi: Til the next time, Be Blest!
Love and Hugs and Kitty kisses
Lexi and Dezi
http://www.facebook.com/Alexandra.Furiends
theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/clickToGive/bcs/story/from-death-to-beloved-service-cat979
https://twitter.com/DezizWorld
In the Middle of a World...
"In the middle of a world that has always been a bit mad, the cat walks with confidence."
Roseanne Anderson
Hosted by X-Shops - Hassle free e-commerce