The Countertops are Irresistible

Charley likes to get on the countertops. We tried using a squirt bottle on him whenever we caught him on the counter, but unfortunately, the only thing he learned is not to do it when we were around. It obviously did not teach him the countertop was forbidden territory. We still shoo him off every time we catch him on the countertop, but I turned my squirt bottle into a cleaning bottle. I filled it with water and a drop of dishwashing soap, and we just wipe down the countertop before we use it. Still, I'm wondering if anyone else has had any luck dissuading a cat from getting on the kitchen counters?

Soft claws up close 

Charley's new soft claws 

Charley's new nails 

Soft Claws--The first couple of weeks

So far, none of the soft claws have stayed on for over a week. The product claims they'll stay on for 4-6 weeks. I believe part of the problem is the size. They are too big for Charley. The soft claws should just cover the tip of the claw and not abut the paw when the claw is retracted. I've taken to cutting them down to resolve this problem. And I believe if I had kitten size rather than smalls, the performance would be better.

Another issue that cannot be resolved is that when a cat loses the outer sheath of his claw, the soft claw comes off. However, I've taken to pulling the sheath out of the soft claw and reusing it, so the only loss is in time and effort. But Charley is very patient with the process, so it's no big deal.

A Few Minor Setbacks

The first day, Charley had three of the soft claws come off. I glued them all back on, being sure to use extra glue. The one I was most concerned about was his thumb claw because it looked too small for the product--the soft claws are too big for it. Since then, all of the re-glued claws have stayed on, except for that one thumb. Because I do think the problem is the size, and I know he will grow into the soft claws, I've left the thumb off. He can't do much damage with a lone thumb claw. I probably should have bought the kitten size soft claws instead of the smalls, but he's growing so fast, I was afraid he'd grow out of the kitten size before we'd used the entire package.

The Soft Claw attaching process

Actually, the process wasn't as tough as I thought it might be. We did the procedure standing up by the dining room window where the light was good. My mom held Charley, and would walk around with him--which he enjoys--while I put the glue in the next claw. Then she'd bring him back, and I slipped it on. He really doesn't seem to mind them, although this morning, he managed to remove one of the thumbnails. I wasn't too surprised. The soft claws are slightly on the large side for him, and his thumb claws seem smaller than his finger claws. We glued another one on. I made sure to use plenty of glue.

Now we watch and see.

Soft Claws have arrived

Now, I'm reading the directions and getting my guts together to put them on. We shall see.....