Are Nail Caps Safe for Cats?
Cats LOVE to scratch. That’s certainly not news for cat owners everywhere. We fill our house with scratch posts and do our best to save our furniture. But what about nail caps? Are nail caps safe for cats? Let’s take a closer look…
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There are many steps that we can take as cat owners to save our furniture from destruction at the hands (er, paws and nails) of our cats.
Earlier this year, I shared my tips and tricks to stop your cat from scratching your furniture.
As part of that list, I brought up the fact that we use Soft Paws nail caps in our house.
Since that post, I have received a number of messages asking about the use of nail caps for cats and whether or note they are a safe option.
I would like to start by pointing out that no two cats are the same. This goes for any product that’s on the market, not just nail caps.
That being said, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of using nail caps, as well as a couple of the more common myths.
Related: ‘Get Rid of ‘Cat Smell’ For Good with These Tips‘
What Are Cat Nail Caps?
Also known as cat claw covers or ‘kitty caps’, cat nail caps are a safe, non-toxic vinyl cover that is glued over each individual nail.
When applied, it looks as though your cat is wearing nail polish with the fun pop of colour.
For this reason, there are a variety of colours for each season and style, ranging from stark black to a glittery gold and every colour in between.
No interested in ‘decking out’ your cat in the colour of the season? Clear caps are also available.
The ‘glue’ used is a fast-drying, veterinary-grade adhesive designed to hold the vinyl cap on your cat’s nail until such time that they shed their nails naturally.
While there are a variety of different brands currently on the market, we only trust the Soft Paws brand in our home.
Why? The Soft Paws product was invented by veterinarian Dr. Toby Wexler as a humane alternative to declawing.
The parent company Aquanta LLC is owned and operated by veterinarian Dr. Christianne Schelling, a professional who has been selling the Soft Paws product for over 16 years!
Unlike other knock-off brands interested in making a quick buck, Soft Paws were designed with pets like ours in mind.
Is It True That Cat’s Can’t Retract Their Nails When Wearing Nail Caps?
This is arguably the biggest myth that exists in relation to cats and nail caps.
In order to properly explain why this is wildly inaccurate, we first have to take a step back and discuss how a cat’s nails work.
Contrary to popular belief, cats do not actually retract their nails up into the paw.
Instead, when a cat is relaxed, they simply life up off of the ground and come to rest in the fur around the toes.
Take some time to peek at your cat’s nails when they are resting, and you will likely catch a glimpse their nails among the fur (especially if they are a shorter-haired cat or a hairless breed like the Sphynx).
This means that the nail caps will simply retract with the nail, resting in the cat’s fur.
They are, however, seen a little easier than your cat’s natural nail when in the resting position due to the fact that they are thicker and often a bold colour.
NOTE: There are a variety of different sizes of nail caps available (Kitten, Small, Medium, Large).
The website discusses the recommended sizing based on your cat’s weight; however, you may need to size up or size down depending on your cat’s individual experience.
For more information about sizing, check out the company’s size guidelines.
Nail Cap Pros
As I previous mentioned, the nail caps are a more humane alternative to declawing your cat if their scratching has become problematic.
This may include not only the destruction of furniture, but also scratching family members (including children or those with bleeding/clotting problems).
They can also be used to protect those that struggle with chronic itching or other skin-related issues.
Made from a non-toxic material, Soft Paws are not only safe when applied properly on your cat, but also if they were to accidentally ingest a nail cap.
As they state on the company website, “They just pass on through the digestive system.”
Most cats will adjust to their new nail caps quickly. Before long, they won’t even notice that they are wearing them.
They do not interfere with the action of scratching or the benefits that come from this action (including stretching).
The only difference you will notice is that no damage will occur from the claws when they make the scratching motion on any surface.
Nail Cap Cons
As I sated above, most cats will adjust to their new nail caps quickly. Most being the key word.
There are some cats that will never fully adjust to this product, chewing and biting at them and effectively removing them each time that you put them on.
The only way to know if they will work for your cat is through trial and error.
They do require regular maintenance as your cat will shed the nail caps every 4-6 weeks.
Not only do you need to find time in your schedule to replace the caps regularly, but your cat will also have to tolerate the application process each time.
Finally, nail caps should not be used on any cat that does go outdoors as they can interfere with your cat’s ability to defend themselves against predators.
Related: ‘Easy Homemade Cat Treats with Pumpkin‘
Conclusion – Are Nail Caps Safe for Cats?
YES! In most cases, nail caps provide a safe, effective solution to problem scratching.
However, as with many other products, you need to ensure that you are purchasing from a trustworthy and reputable brand like Soft Paws.
For more information about the Soft Paws brand, or to purchase this festive green and gold glitter combo, visit their website.
Have you ever tried using Soft Paws or another nail cap product on your cats? If so, I would love to hear about your experience in the comments!
Interesting to know about the nail caps for cats. It looks fancy as you mention like nail polish. It appears like a wonderful innovative product that can help them preventing scratching family members or furniture.
It’s kind of fun to pick out cute colours to match their collar or the season, but underneath that fun and flashy appearance, they are also highly functional. I love that they allow them to continue acting like normal cats while saving our furniture and our skin lol
My wife and I just adopted a 6-month-old rescue kitty and we were looking for something more humane than de-clawing. We may give these a try.
We have been really impressed with the results. Jinx has a tendency to get a little aggressive in playing, and my arms were paying the price constantly. Now I can play with her without worrying about bleeding all over the house lol
I don’t own a cat but those clips always got me interested. Cat scratches are painful and always wanted to avoid it as much as possible
Cat scratches can be really painful, and they can bring serious infections too… I know that Jinx can be a little aggressive playing and I love knowing that I can play with her without worrying about her destroying my hands and my arms in the process lol
I didn’t even know Cat Nail Caps existed! I used to have a cat once a long time ago. It live for 8yrs! I remembered see was terrified of me cutting her nails. Poor thing.
It definitely takes time to help them adjust to having their nails cut. However, it can be done with patience! Ours still aren’t fans, but they don’t scream and hide any longer. They just glare at us until it’s done lol
I’ve never seen these before until now. I’ve owned roughly 8 cats in my time and never had a problem with claws. They have their own cat tree that they scratch and we have their claws cut each year by the vet during their annual health checks. Don’t think I’d use these as it stops them from showing natural behaviours. People tend to fit them wrong too which can really harm pets. With proper care these aren’t required.
It depends on the cat. There are some that are more inclined to scratch than others, which means that the scratch post may not be enough. Especially if there are other concerns to consider such as young children or people who have health conditions that make it difficult to heal. They don’t actually stop them from showing natural behaviours. Cats wearing Soft Paws will continue to go through the process of scratch, just as they would without them, however, it’s the cap that runs along the surface instead of their nails. But for them, it still feels very similar. That’s why they are such a great solution!
I’ve never seen nail caps for cats before but they’d be great for cats that are scratching the furniture and causing damage. I like that they come in different colours too.
It’s a little fun playing with the colours while also choosing something that works on a functional level! Especially when you have to replace them when they are naturally shed. If you have to do the work anyway, why not have a little fun with it?
This is so helpful! I’ve been teaching my cat a few tricks and often I end up getting scratched, so this would be a great option to try out. And a major concern was fear that they would eat it and it would be harmful, so reading this was super helpful!
We have had a great experience with them. Jinx is a little bit of a troublemaker, so they have definitely made a difference here.
I never even knew this was a thing but I guess it must be needed for scratchy cats!
Rosie
It’s a great option for cats that aren’t as quick to adjust to just using their designated scratching posts.
I have never heard of nail caps for cats! How very interesting. I think they would be better than declawing after reading your article.
It’s a much nicer alternative for the cat. Declawing is such a brutal option that can cause many complications.
I haven’t really seen much about these, but if needed I think they are a good idea. I personally probably wouldn’t use them. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and the facts around using these.
Lauren http://www.bournemouthgirl.com
It’s one of those products that will be helpful for some pets and unnecessary for others. Our girl Pippen doesn’t generally do much but Jinx is such an aggressive player that I am thankful for them lol
I didn’t even know these were a thing, so this was certainly an interesting read for me! My little orange turd is getting too old to really scratch anything these days. But with a kitten or younger cat, I can definitely see the appeal. I’m glad you addressed digesting these, because that was my big concern. I could easily see a cat biting their nails and ripping the caps off to be swallowed.
We haven’t had any of the cats eat one yet, but we have had them remove their nail caps at times. I’ll randomly notice one missing and the first response is to go searching for them around the house lol Especially when we’re getting down to the end of the time that they are supposed to last and they are naturally shedding their nails.
Wow this is really interesting! I didn’t even know these nail caps existed. I like that there is now an alternative to declawing as that always seemed so cruel to me. All the cats I ever had growing up were indoor/outdoor cats and fortunately they didn’t ruin the furniture. Maybe they did their scratching outdoors. ?♀️ But I could definitely see how this would be a good option for indoor only cats. Thanks for educating me!
Declawing is definitely cruel – you are literally removing their ‘finger’ from the last knuckle. I am glad to see that there are so many different options that avoid going down that road.
It’s so cute that they come in different colors. I like to paint my own nails – if I had a cat I’d probably have fun picking cute colors or color combos. What an adorable alternative to getting your cat declawed, or having him/her scratch up all your furniture!
We enjoy picking fun colour options for ours while knowing that they are also serving a functional purpose.
Wow, I’ve owned a lot of cats – and pretty much everyone I know owns one too – and I never knew anything like this existed. Mostly everyone I know just has a dedicated scratching post for their cat. I like that you can get them in different colours, but I honestly don’t know if anything like this is available over here.
We have scratch posts and mats around the house, but still use the soft paws on our cats for 2 reasons. First, we have leather furniture and they try to grab onto it when jumping up, damaging the leather. With the soft paws, they can still get up and cuddle with us but they don’t put holes in our furniture. Second, Jinx tends to be a bit of an aggressive player meaning that she will get so into playtime that she tears apart our hands and arms lol She doesn’t mean to, she just gets a little out of control. The nail caps safe my skin lol
Do you happen to know if they do these for dogs? I need a solution for my old boy who’s slipping on our wood floors. Keeping the nails trimmed helps but he’s getting more unstable in his years!
Yes, they do! If you click through to the Soft Paws website, they have both a cat and a dog section.
Another option would be to consider dog booties or socks. That’s the approach we take for our girl (she has a harder time with traction on our hardwood floors). I talked about it a bit in this post, check out #6 – https://shedhappens.net/10-must-have-products-for-senior-dogs/
My cat uses these and we/he loves them. They stay on for a good long time. It is such a great alternative to declawing which can be painful for cats. We just trim his nails and stick these on. He really doesn’t fight about it.
His claws retract just fine and they fit great. Needless to say he doesn’t claw up furniture anymore and also they just pop off when his claw grows and the glue wear off.
Isn’t it incredible how well they work? We have been SO impressed!
I’ve seen nail caps around for a while now however never purchased for my fur babies at the time because I knew their temperment. They loved to scratch my furniture and over time I just let them and buy a new piece. BUT I did learn an alternative that seemed to work for me was getting a kitty condo with scratching pad and also separate scratching pad. Also there is double sided sticky tape you can apply to furniture too that works fairly well as a deterrant. Most important is avoiding declawing. I love that the caps have multiple colors. It looks like the kitty’s have a colorful manicure. Great post!
There are so many great options! Our girl Pippen is happy with her scratch post. However, Jinx isn’t as easy to win over. She’s an aggressive player and it’s harder to get over the scratches in our arms and legs than it is our furniture lol The Soft Paws do a great job without causing her unnecessary pain!
Well I am glad to hear that Nail Caps are relatively safe for cats especially with the alternative is declawing which sounds awful! Do you have to pay for the maintenance though? Every month to get them redone sounds like it would be a pretty added cost. But like I said, compared to the alternative it has to be better for the cats plus it saves your stuff.
You do have to pay to keep them up. That being said, it’s approximately $20 USD for 40 nail caps. These can be replaced at home, so you don’t have to pay anyone to do it. All things considered, the cost of maintenance is pretty minimal.
Looks very cute and appears to be minimally intrusive. It reminds me a bit of ToeGrips I used for my dog’s recovery. Except those just hug the nails for traction, don’t cover them. Some people were curious why we painted our dog’s nails. LOL
Very similar, these just have the tip covered as well (the main part for Soft Paws). It’s amazing how something so small can make such a significant difference, isn’t it?
What a clever idea and I never knew they existed. I do not have cats but when I did I wish they had existed as my furniture was ruined by them MOL.
I am SO impressed with how well they work for our girl Jinx. She doesn’t even seem to notice that they are there, but my furniture and my skin notice! lol
It’s a lot better than the morons who declaw their cats. Idiotic monsters who value their furniture over the welfare and wellbeing of their cats.
Thanks for a great post and the sensible balance of the pros and cons. The Soft paws as SO WORTH A TRY!!!
Right? Our girl Jinx is a handful simply because she’s SUPER aggressive in her playing. She is 8 years old and will still get her claws involved in play. We rescued her at 3 weeks and she’s never grown out of it. That being said, I would never consider declawing her. If there were no other options, I’d accept the claw marks along my skin all the time. That being said, Soft Paws are a GREAT alternative that saves me from the scratches and discomfort lol
These look like a great choice. My sister always trims her cat’s nails, so they aren’t too sharp and minimizes the damage. How long do the soft paws stay on? My only concern would be how long the nails might grow with the cover on them. It is hard to trim them back to a short length if they grow long.
I’m a huge fan of the colored caps! Although I never paint my nails or my dogs’ nails, I would choose a bright color if I had a cat.
The nail caps will last for approximately 4-6 weeks. As the cat’s nails grow out, they will naturally shed. With that, they will also shed the nail cap.
Thank you for this information. I don’t know if I’d ever use them with my cats but they are a lot better than declawing.
I wasn’t sure at first, but they have been a great option for our little troublemaker Jinx lol
I’ve never heard of nail caps for cats before. Those are different. I’ve had cats for many years and we didn’t really need anything like that thankfully.
We haven’t used anything for most of the cats we’ve had throughout my life. However, I can also understand why some people are searching for a solution. For example, having young children in the house with a cat that’s a little more aggressive when playing, or an elderly individual. These are an option that will allow everyone to live together in harmony 🙂
Wben we lived in a flat we accepted that our cats would still wreck the sofa even though they had a couple of scratching posts, so we just bought a couple of throws as well. Now all our cats are outdoor cats so it’s not a problem. I can see how nail caps could be helpful with an aggressive indoor cat though. And it’s certainly a far more humane option than declawing which is just mutilation for vanity purposes as far as I’m concerned!
I’m glad to see that they are getting more attention because I think that they are a valuable tool in the fight to eliminate the option of declawing entirely.