nail caps

Question
Can you tell me about the nail caps for cats? Do I put them on or does the vet?
How long do they stay on for? And how does the kitty scratch her claws in the meantime?

I have a calico kitty that will not stop scratching the furniture. She is about 5 yrs old and I have tried all kinds of cat scratchers. I even put cat nip on them and it only seems to work for a little while. She keeps going back to my furniture!"

Answer
Joyce,

Nail caps are called "Soft Paws". They are soft plastic caps that slide over the existing nail and are attached by using a glue something like "superglue".  They do not last super, super long and, if your cat does not like her feet messed with, can be a pain to put on (I would use two people). If the cat is going to fight you on thus, you might talk to your veterinarian.

The best scratching posts are pretty good sized so that the cat can stretch the entire length of its body + hind legs + front legs to scratch. I like a vertical post made with a 4 X 4 piece of lumber mounted on a fairly large base so the kitty cannot knock it over. The post should be covered with a closed loop carpet and/or sisal rope so the material pulls back when the cat scratches.

If there are shelves or covey holes, all the better.  

I have found if you buy a cat nip or honeysuckle spray and spray the post, the cat will tend to be more prone to use it. If the post is tall enough, so the cat can look down at you from a shelf, so much the better.

Good scratching posts are not cheap in a pet store, but, if you go to a cat show, you can get a pretty nice one for cheap. You can check out www.cfa.org to find a cat show near you.

Best regards... Norm.