My cat, Bingley is a darling.  He's mellow, social, and loves all animals - and humans - equally.  He's so easy going, in fact, that he is one of few cats approved to be part of the P.A.L.S. program - he does three visits per month to senior care facilities in Calgary, and he's great at what he does.  He has never scratched, bitten, or hurt the residents in any way.

I can't say the same for myself.  Or my furniture.

You see, Bingley loves to scratch.  And while I might sometimes deserve it when I cuddle him too much for his liking, my furniture has done nothing!  It just sits there, trying to look pretty and provide comfortable seating.  But does Bingley care?  NO!  My poor couches are abused beyond belief, and no amount of disciplining keeps him away.  I've tried it all.  Citrus spray?  No problem - unlike every other cat on the planet, he likes the smell.  Foil?  He shreds it.  Water spritzed at his face?  He thinks it's a game.  I have had some success with the two sided sticky tape in all his favourite scratching places.  Unfortunately, he just finds new favourite places to destroy.  And I refuse to cover my entire couch in sticky tape.  I mean, really.  I have my limits.

So where does that leave me?  Until a few months ago, I believe I was doomed to live forever with Mr. Destructo's special brand of interior decorating efforts.  My dream of having leather couches would never amount to anything - who in their right mind would invest in leather under such circumstances?

But that all changed when I saw Soft Paws at the local pet store.  I asked my vet about them, and voila!  Problem solved!

Soft Paws are rubber caps you glue on the cat's nails to prevent scratching.  They're non-toxic, they don't cause any damage or pain to the cat, and they don't interfere with the natural scratching motion - which is part of the cat's nature.  They do, however, keep the nails from causing damage.

I took Bingley to the vet for the first application, so I could watch them do it and make sure he'd behave himself.  Originally they did all four feet, because I wanted to avoid some of the scratching and destruction that occurs when he jumps off a surface (usually my legs).  I've since given up on the back feet - he chewed them off within a few days and was so angry every time I tried to reapply, my hands looked like they'd been through a wood chipper.  Okay, I exaggerate.  But I still had many scratches and bite marks on my hands.  It wasn't pleasant!

The front paws, however, have been great.  He still scratches, but he can no longer cause any damage.  I think this irks him immensely!  But he's good about having them reapplied when his nails grow out, and though he's a consummate nail biter (he was even before the Soft Paws), they stay on pretty well.

Here are some photos I took during Bingley's first application.  You might find it funny that my cat now has blue toes, but it was important to choose a colour I could actually see - how else would I know when one needed to be replaced?  The blue looks rather good on him, I think!