Post-surgery care for my cat's claws?

My poor 10 month old female Havana Brown did something (I can't figure it out yet) to one of her back nails that caused it to completely shred and expose the quick. It was very painful for her. After a in-office procedure to clean it and strip away the remaining nail (which WILL grow back in time), the vet said that she would need to use newspaper instead of litter after her cast is removed for about two weeks. I'm worried that she (and my other cat) will not use the paper. I already tried replacing the litter with those pine pellets, but they hated it and did not eliminate for almost 12 hours. I guess the vet doesn't want the particles from the litter getting into the quick while it's still healing. Any suggestions? This is a terrible ordeal for them.