Nail Caps -(Doesn’t sound controversial, right?) Think again.

Here’s “Taco” showing off a full set of nail caps!

We are no strangers to controversy- our reels on Instagram regularly generate dozens of negative comments, albeit mostly from youngsters, but the point is nothing really shocks us anymore. We usually know exactly what is going to get people riled up when we decide to do a video or post. Recently, however; we were taken completely off guard when an innocent little video of Whitney applying nail cap covers (sometimes known as Soft Paws), elicited pure hatred from some of the viewers! I mean death threats people! They inspired this week’s blog- so THANK YOU!!

Nail caps, when regularly applied, can prevent all sorts of kitty drama. Plastic, hollow, and available in a rainbow of colors- they come with a tube of adhesive and a set of “recommended instructions” for applying. You simply trim the cat’s nail (not too short though- they have to have something to stick to after all), extend the trimmed nail, fill the cap with adhesive, and pull the cap over the nail. Hold in place for a few seconds before continuing to the next toe. I’m always absolutely AMAZED when owners are able to apply the nails themselves. It isn’t exactly rocket science, but cats aren’t too keen on having their feet messed with to begin with, add the smell of the glue, and you could have a fight on your hands! As a result, the task of applying nail caps commonly falls on veterinarians and groomers. It’s a job we don’t mind at all- especially since we remember the days of assisting with declaws.

When I first became a veterinary technician at a cat clinic, declaws were still commonplace and I like to think that our vets were the absolute best in town at the procedure. We used nerve blocks, fentanyl patches, and kept every cat on cage rest in the hospital for at least 3 days post-op. The vast majority did fine, but we had our share of catastrophes, just like everyone else. It was heart wrenching to watch a 4 month old kitten sitting up like a squirrel in his cage because putting his paws down was too painful… even when you knew the alternative was the husband booting the cat outside in 6 months because he was destroying the carpet (I hate to throw the husbands out there under the bus, but it was usually y’all that were the hard-asses with the cats, lol).

Fast-forward twenty years and you’d be hard-pressed to find a vet that declaws anymore, and virtually everyone has heard of nail caps. No more elderly people worried about getting scratched because they are on blood-thinners. No more relegating the cat to the garage due to his inappropriate scratching. Who could possibly have a problem with this kind of progress? I’m not really sure to be honest with you. Do they think people are doing it for looks? Would they prefer a return to the more barbaric days of routine declaws? Surely not. I have to assume these individuals don’t remember those days, and never had to watch a cat taken to the shelter because it was ruining the owner’s new furniture. If they did, they wouldn’t be so damn passionate about a piece of plastic being glued onto a nail. Geez y’all, millions of women do it to themselves every single day. It isn’t painful, and it isn’t a big deal. Get over it.

That’s my soap-box for the week- hope you enjoyed! Drop a comment if you’ve ever tried nail caps, or if you just want me to choke on one!

Shannon & Whitney

>^..^<

Applying nail caps shouldn’t cause controversy…