Our cat is 10 years old and is mostly my husband's cat. I am not really fond of cats because of their penchants for clawing everything (seemingly just because they can!) We never got her declawed because of the supposed pain and possible complications so as a result, we've lived with clawed furniture. Recently, however, we purchased a nice new micro-fiber sofa that was fairly expensive. We thought the cat would ignore it since she has a huge (8 foot) cat condo tower scratching post. I watched her during the day and no problems. Then the next morning...I discovered she had clawed the back of the sofa during the night! I called the vet to schedule the de-clawing! My husband said he wouldn't allow it and told me about the soft claws he had heard about. I had heard that the cats chew them off but I was willing to give it a try.

They arrived in the mail and that day I clipped her claws and waited a couple of days before applying the Soft Paws. She is good about me touching her claws when clipping so I didn't think it would be a problem to apply the nail covers and I was right. I did it myself. I just filled one at a time, casually walking up to her and popping them on. The trick is to get them as straight as you can. It has been over two weeks and only two have come off. I think that might be because I didn't use enough glue on those two and they were a bit crooked, allowing her access to a back edge to bite and pull off.

She hasn't seemed to mind them overall and it's funny to see her walk around with bright pink nails. She is an inside exclusive cat so I don't know if they would stay on an inside/outside cat but I don't think I would put them on a cat that goes outside because that would basically render them defenseless.

The only downside to the nail caps for me is that we have hardwood floors throughout the house and you can hear the pitter patter of her all day and night. Oh well, at least my furniture has been saved!

I used to be a Vet Tech and I used these soft claws at my work. I've seen dozens of cats declawed and it is HORRID. If only people could see how they howl in pain, bleed for hours, and are just miserable over all, people would NEVER think of declawing their cats if they had an ounce of compassion.

For those who have issues with their cats biting off their soft claws, use Bitter Apple spray Grannick Bitter Apple Spray with Dabber Top for Cats 4oz. It tastes awful and will discourage them from biting. I've seen lots of cats chew their soft claws off and this will discourage it. You can also buy Feliway, a pheromone spray, that will calm them down. I used to use it for animals that were very upset about being at the vet hospital I worked at. It really does work, but it is spendy! Spray it on bedding, couches, etc. It doesn't smell like anything at all to people (except for a little bit of are-sol like smell that disappears in a few seconds).

Over all, I've had really good luck with soft claws and I've used them on lots of cats. It's just hard to get them used to them, but don't give up! And if your cat is chewing on him/herself, DON'T JUST LET THEM! Do something!

These things are really hit or miss as to whether or not your cat will a) tolerate you applying them and b) tolerate them once they are on.

I have two cats who love scratching at sofas. When we invested in a new one with leather accents, I decided that we needed extra insurance against damage. They have been wearing the soft paws for about a year now, maybe a bit longer. I have a larger cat (18lbs) and a smaller one (9lbs). Initially, I used mediums on both, but after a few months I realized my large male was unable to shed the smaller size caps and I had to clip them off to save his pads from developing pressure sores. Unfortunately for him, the longer they stayed on, the thicker his nail got as it kept growing new layers.

I quickly remedied the situation and moved him to large, which seems to be much roomier. He will NOT tolerate the application of the nails, but once they are on they remain there for almost 3 months. He is awesome with them. I just catch him in a loopy catnip-induced nap and place 2-3 on at a time. After a week or so he has a full set.

My female is small and timid, so I can hold her down and put on as many as I need. She picks at them on occasion while trying to clean between her nails, but generally does not mess with them. Hers do tend to come off more often, so I am replacing 2-3 every month or so.

Overall it is a great product. The only dangerous situation I have encountered is when they knead into things. My male got stuck in the thread of a blanket that got caught on the ridge of the cap when he tried to pull his nail out. That particular throw has been put away, and we have not had any repeat incidents.