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If nothing else, the internet is a haven for adorable kitty videos. But a new beauty trend starring felines and their fashionable owners could soon overtake everyone’s cyber-cat-watching activities.
In June 2017, 19-year-old Cristi Hanzel from Littlerock, California, got her nails painted in a sparkly purple-glitter shade. Soon after, she went to her local Target to get nail caps for her kitten — and was delighted to find claw caps that were nearly the same shade as her own manicure.
So she put the caps on her kitty, Wednesday, and then took to social media to show off the matching manicures.
Naturally, the sweet post went viral pretty quickly.
Bffs pic.twitter.com/aa7eCQbxVX
— cristi 🍻 (@cristimari_) June 24, 2017
“I’m obsessed with my cat so I was excited to go home and put them on her,” Hanzel told BuzzFeed News, which broke the story.
Since Hanzel’s social media posting, other pet owners have followed suit, many of whom have also used Twitter and Instagram to showcase the trend.
Twitter user @jadejumps and her feline friend also sported sparkly polish:
https://twitter.com/jadejumps/status/879001088019632129
Instagrammer abbyolayer and her kitty opted for hot pink manis:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPyzKWHhh-K/
Jennifer Colbert shared a cute pic of herself and her cat showing off their black nails:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPeSSd4Au04/
However, Hanzel is warning pet owners not paint their pets’ nails with actual nail polish or any kind paint because it’s “actually toxic for your cat’s nails,” she told BuzzFeed News.
For those interested in actually trying out this trend with their cat (or another animal), doing an internet search on “cat nail caps” unearths tons of virtual marketplaces to buy them quickly, from pet retailers like Petco to everyday hubs like Amazon Prime.
We found this set of 40 “sparkle” nail caps on Amazon for $15.85, for example:
Or this red and green Christmas version for $20:
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Meanwhile, Hanzel has apparently stayed busy by ordering more cat nail caps that match her other nail polish shades.
As a reminder to everyone, nail caps are designed to do more than look cool—they’re intended to keep cats from scratching. They’re also considered a humane alternative to de-clawing, according to SoftPaws, a maker of cap claws and other pet products.