As for offset jaws, I wouldn't own a trap with them. Nothing like setting yourself up to lose every toe catch that you get. Laminated jaws are going to work just as well in preserving leg integrity and you'll still have a 100% effective trap. I run as close to zero pan tension as I can get and go with a hair trigger. As soon as they begin to commit, it's too late for them to back out. I'd just lock the cat up for a week or two and do your trapping, no worries then and you can use the most effective sets.
With no pan tension, you will have problems with toe catchs. I keep 1.5-2#'s on most of my traps and have no toe catches and no pull outs. Offset jaws and pit pans.
With zero you won't just get toe catches but also complete misses because they have not committed to the step by shifting body weight onto that paw and can still retract it quickly. That problem is completely resolved with a couple pounds of pan tension as the trap does not fire until after the shift in weight onto that paw.
