# Nail caps not falling off...?



## stormydown (Jul 1, 2015)

I had nail caps put on my cat's nails on December 23, right before I took her to my parents' for the holiday. I read somewhere online that they should last about 4-6 weeks or so.

Weeeellll... a few have fallen off within the past few weeks, but most of them are still on! I'm definitely impressed with the longevity, but I really want to get her nails clipped, since the nails that don't have caps anymore are getting pretty pointy. However, I take her to the groomer for all things nails and fur since she takes it as a personal affront when I try to groom her, and I really don't want to pack her off to the groomer just to get a couple of nails clipped. (Apparently she was a holy nightmare when she was getting the caps on, when she's usually an angel during her appointments, so I REALLY don't want to make the groomer deal with the caps again.)

Has this happened to anybody else? She doesn't seemed bothered by the caps at all -- she chewed at them for the first few hours after getting them on and then forgot all about them. I just don't know if there's any risk of her nails being permanently damaged or what. I keep hoping I'll wake up one day and find them all over the floor and that will be that!


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## LakotaWolf (Aug 10, 2012)

I don't know if you're using Soft Paws or another brand, but I found this Q&A on the Soft Paws site:

"*What should I do if the Soft Paws stay on longer than six weeks?*
Normally the nail caps will fall off with the natural growth of the cat's nails. But, some cats (actually very few) don't shed their nails as rapidly as other cats and the nail caps don't fall off on their own. If this occurs, all that needs to be done is to trim the very tip of the nail cap. This will help break the adhesive seal and the nail caps should fall off. If they don’t fall off, contact us for more info on how to remove them.

Please Note: It is important to periodically check your cat's nails, i.e., once weekly, to ensure none of the nails have grown too long. Since cats' nails grow in a curved manner, if they grow too long, they will start to curl under the paw pad. If you notice the nail is too long, just trim the tip of the nail cap to remove. If you have any questions, always feel free to contact us."


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## stormydown (Jul 1, 2015)

Interesting, thank you so much! I'm not using Soft Paws but I should have thought to check their site. I never would have thought to get the tips of the caps trimmed. Catabal's nails have always seemed to grow at a pretty normal rate that requires regular nail trimming, so I have no clue why these suckers are still on.


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## DebS (Jun 14, 2015)

Yes, I've trimmed the tip of the nail cap and it fell right off. Amelia's don't last that long, though.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

I did not have much luck with nail caps. I still have two packages that I've not used. The groomer put them on for me first to show me how and I think used too much glue which adhered to the fur and skin and caused the cap to not fall off for way too long. Coco would constantly chew on the caps and pull them off so it was a waste of $$$.


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## stormydown (Jul 1, 2015)

An update on this! I took Catabal to the groomer two weekends ago, explained the problem and how to fix it, and let them do their work. When they brought her back out, they said they were too nervous to touch the nails that still had caps, so they let them be. Sigh.

I gave it another week, with no more caps falling off in the meantime, and then took her to the vet earlier this evening. The vet assistant who clipped her nails couldn't believe that they were stuck on for this long. She said she'd put on a lot of nail caps in the past and they never lasted like this. Her only guess was that the groomer used way too much glue putting them on, and that was making them hang around long past their expiration date. She snipped all the tips off (and the tips of the nails underneath too), and I'm hoping they'll start falling off left and right (Maybe they've already started falling off? I haven't checked yet.)

I appreciate all your advice about this!


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## amy22 (Jul 5, 2013)

I used the nail caps with Freyja, I actually had the same problem. I put them on the 22nd of December and most of them stayed on until last week. The amount of stress in nail trimming at my house means I'm not going to just trim 3 claws at a time. I trimmed off the tips and most of the rest fell off. The last one is still on but I have faith it will eventually come off. Once it does I'll probably re-apply the soft paws; it was tedious but nice to protect my furniture and enjoy lap cuddles without painful kneading.


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## DebS (Jun 14, 2015)

I agree, Amy. The benefits of having them on are worth the aggravation. My furniture thanks me for using them. Amelia is going to don her green soft paws for St. Patrick's Day. We will do that this weekend.


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## stormydown (Jul 1, 2015)

Watching and waiting as the nail cap saga continues...

I agree with both of you -- they worked excellently, and it was so nice to let her roam my parents' house without having to watch her all the time and keep her from scratching their nice furniture. (She only scratches a few specific places on my bed and couch, and those are covered with heavy quilts and comforters, so it's not a huge behavioral thing with her, but still, my parents have much nicer furniture than me!)

I'd definitely like to get the caps done again for my long visit at my parents' during the holidays at the end of the year. I'd be happy to do the caps myself if she ever relents and lets me trim her nails or groom her at ALL, but she haaaates it when I try to groom her. Nails, brushing, ears, forget about it -- even if I try when she's sleepy or sleeping, she just immediately wakes up and bolts. She's usually an angel for the groomer and the vet (I think she's just too scared to do anything but sit there quietly and take it!), but the groomer told me she was an absolute hellcat when they put the caps on her. So I'm not quite sure what to do -- I know they're professionals who have handled all kinds of animals, but I don't want to subject them to that kind of ordeal again when they know from experience what's going to happen! I wish the vet would do it, but apparently they used to do caps but got tired of dealing with them, so they don't put them on anymore.


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