Cat Scratch Fever

I wish that I was a better photographer so that you could get a really clear idea of what has happened in these photos.

Our cat, Twinkle, is a carpet scratcher. Hubby would have her declawed, but I subscribe to the theory that it is not good for the cat to have that procedure done. So, we have been arguing for 4 years now about cat discipline techniques and about poor training in her formative years and lots of other nonsense. However, now that we are renting a house, we had to stop the clawing. I would not agree to declawing or whopping with magazines, so we decided that I needed to find an alternative. I researched online and found "Soft Paws".

These are little rubber sleeves for her claws. Essentially you Super Glue little sheaths over her claws. She is still able to extend and retract her claws, but they are now covered and she is not able to hurt anything with them.

Of course the real treat is in applying these little tiny sheaths to your cat. The directions suggest that you clip each claw and clean it with alcohol before applying the sheaths. Apparently these people are working on sedated cats. We changed into work clothes and I held Twinkle while Hubby clipped the claws. After that ordeal, we decided that they were clean enough and it was time to proceed. At this point I already had one big scratch on my chest and one on my belly (Don't forget that I am 7 months pregnant!). You have to then take each sheath and fill it 1/3 full of Soft Paw Glue and slip it onto the claw. After you have done this to all 10 front claws, you have to hold the cat for 5 minutes. It is never easy to hold Twinkle for 5 minutes, much less when she is cussing and growling with every breath.

When we were done, we gave her some tuna as a reward and let her go. She spent the next 2 hours licking her new "nails" and then trying to pull them off. Finally she has given up and gone to sulk on the bed.

So, mark it as another sign that we've gone crazy - Twinkle has fake nails!