How To Get Your Cat To Wear Paw Protector Boots

Those pictures of cat paw prints in snow can be really cute, but exposure to cold weather and snowy conditions can damage your cat's paw pads. In summer, those same pads can suffer damage from hot pavement if they're left unprotected. Silicone cat paw protectors keep your cat's paws healthy and safe -- and as a bonus, they prevent the cat from scratching up things -- but how do you convince your cat to wear them?

Getting Them on the Cat's Paws

You're lucky if your cat is mellow and trusts you to handle its paws. If you have a more ornery cat who doesn't like having you touch its paws, then getting the boots on can be an adventure.

One option is to partially "purrito" the cat (wrap the cat in a blanket like half a burrito so it can't move the paws trapped in the roll) so you don't have three feet trying to brush you away from the fourth. Get the boot on that one free paw and then re-purrito that cat so that another paw is exposed.

Another option is to tire them out. Play with the cat until it's ready to nap, and then gently add a boot to one paw.

How Do You Know if They're Too Tight?

The cat can't tell you if the boot is too tight; discomfort from a tight boot and general discomfort from having its paw and claws encased in a strange material can look alike. Make sure the straps or ties on the boot are not digging into the cat's skin but also that the boot can't be pulled off. There should be a little give, just as your shoes are not skin-tight.

Socks or Boots

You can find silicone booties for cats, but there are also socklike coverings that you can try to use if the boots are too uncomfortable. Make sure that the material is easy to wash and that it does not slip around the cat's paws as the cat tries to walk in the socks.

It can take a while for cats to get used to the boots even in the best of circumstances, so give it some time. You may also have to try a few different brands of boots, just as you may have had to try different cat foods to see which ones your cat would eat. Have treats ready for the cat when it wears the boots for more than a couple of minutes. Soon the cat will be used to the material and to walking in the boots.

To learn more, contact a supplier that carries silicone adjustable cat paw protectors.