Pleeeease help: my cat is peeing post-declawing

Hi My 2 and a half year old female cat was de-clawed three days ago. She stayed at the vets for 2 nights and I brought her home yesterday. I was instructed by the vet to get Yesterday's News for litter as opposed to the clumping that I was using and I did that. Anyway, Since yesterday afternoon she basically slept in various spots which I thought was normal. However she had not used the litter box (I kept checking). She also didn't really eat. But I figured that's not too out of the ordinary since she's sick and on a Fentanyl (pain killer/opioid patch). Anyway, so early this morning she got in my bed which i thought was kind of sweet since she was getting closer, she slept there for about 2 hours then while i was sort of awake I noticed she's squattting, sat up immediately and noticed she's about to pee! I picked her up and said "NO" sophie and brought her to the litter box and put her in there but she got right out. When i examined the bed she had peed A LOT in a couple of different spots I guess due to the fact that I had picked her up mid-peeing. I have read a little bit on these sites and noticed that I'm supposed to use an enzyme cleaner. what is this and where do i get it from? and how do i get her to actually use the litter box and the new litter?? we never had a problem with this before.
thanks for the help.
sorry about the long write-up.
i'm really freaking out.
called the vet and he was with a patient and is supposed to call me back.
but i guess i'm counting on you guys more.
thanks.

My vet had us use shredded newspaper after Zoey was spayed - no concerns about litter powder or pieces getting in the suture site. I used our regular paper shredder to get smaller pieces, quicker. The hardest thing was to keep her out of the large trashbag I used to store more of the clean shredded paper!
Nature's Miracle should be available at one of the larger pet stores.

She is peeing outside of the box because her feet are hurting her, and she's associating it with the litter box. So she's pees on something soft, like your bed. I would confine her to a room by herself, and once her feet are healed, buy Cat Attract litter. Cats love it and hopefully she will start using it.

Agree with Taz here;
She is in pain, despite the pain-killers, and using the litterbox is something that requires heavy use of her paws. Give her some time to heal her paws, and expect that you may have to clean up her accidents. Please stop disciplining her (I know you didn't very harshly) but she can't help it, she has no ability to understand what you've done to her. All she knows is that she is in pain and it's worse when she tries to use the litterbox.

Perhaps you could lay down puppy-training pee pads for her to use until she heals? Not as an alternative to the box, but once you clean up with an enzymatic cleaner put them over the spot in case, then you can just throw it away.

She may also, on top of it all, simply not like the sudden change in litter and be rejecting it. You can't go back yet, as she still has holes where her fingers were, but once they've healed you may find that she'll go back to the litterbox. I hope for her sake that she does.

Originally Posted by Taz Monkey

She is peeing outside of the box because her feet are hurting her, and she's associating it with the litter box. So she's pees on something soft, like your bed. I would confine her to a room by herself, and once her feet are healed, buy Cat Attract litter. Cats love it and hopefully she will start using it.

Click to expand...

I am now and have been against declawing in the past. Sophie is a wonderful, feisty, sometimes a little schizo cat. She is my only cat and since I do not have children yet, she is absolutely like my baby. I love her to the point that others think i'm crazy. The decision to have her declawed tore me apart. I am seriously suffering from anxiety and depression over it. I did research it and had no choice as I was moving into a new apt with my boyfriend who happens to have two male (brother) cats who are around the same age and both of them are declawed. His cats are docile and gentle and basically never feisty. My cat is one and a half their size and often hisses and even tries to bite me randomly at times. I did not mind her behaviour while I lived alone and had no plans on getting her declawed.However moving into a household with two other cats posed a problem. Both vets I spoke to suggested the declawing in order to avoid bigger problems. Believe me i considered not making the move to live with my bf. But that is at this point my future and after A LOT of deliberation and tears (and i mean a lot, even right now while i type this), i decided to do it.

Please do not tell me how awful the act of declawing a cat is. I fully know it and would not advocate random declawing of cats. If my bf's cats were not declawed I would have NEVER even contemplated doing this. But they were .
In any case, I am now just trying to take care of her and that's why i posted this.

I can tell that you are distraught about this and while I don't agree w/the reasoning for declawing, what's done is done...there's no sense in scolding you about it.

One thing I would advise is to take a deep breath when you see her peeing inappropriately. The others are right, she doesn't want to misbehave but the pain and/or the unusual litter is keeping her from using the box. Anyway, I have found that they don't learn anything from a scolding in that situation, even if you catch them in the act. She's confused and if she gets in trouble, she'll only be driven to do it (pee) in a more private hidden place...under and behind things where it's hard to find and hard to clean.

Good luck.

Please try the Cat Attract litter, I used it for one of my boys who had a UTI and peed on the floor, and all six of my cats ended up rolling in and sleeping in the litter boxes, they liked it that much. They also make a Cat Attract litter additive, but if you use that, make sure your cat litter is unscented or it won't work as well. Also, maybe try shredding up some tissues or toilet paper, and don't even use the yesterdays news, it seems kind of hard to me. And make sure to get an enzymatic cleaner like Simple Solution to clean up the spots, because if your kitty can still smell the pee, she will go there again. Good luck.

I agree what is done is done - too late now. BUT this is an example of what can happen when you declaw.

However, I'd use something really soft - paper towels may work for a few days. You can get the Nature's Miracle cleaner for the spots. Also 7-Up soda will help neutralize the urine (this from a siamese breeder).

She is still in pain, confused, her feet hurt, etc. I remember bringing Mitten home (he was declawed because my parents told me that was the only way I could keep him) and cried when he tried to use the pan. This was well before they had any kind of "soft" litter. After what he went thru, I would NEVER declaw another cat no matter what. Mitten was an exception - he survived it, was allowed supervised outside and never had a problem peeing in other places.

The other thing you cat may do (since she's a biter now) is she may wind up biting MORE in fear because she has no defense. I'm sorry you made the decision, but in a way am glad you are taking the responsibility of keeping her no matter what happens now.

Just so everyone knows ... this thread is being watched and heavily moderated by the staff. If you must comment, please keep those comments to helpful advice - criticism or other inflammatory remarks will earn you a Moderator's Message PM with a slap on the wrist. You have my word on that.

I agree with the shredded newspaper. That seems to be material that is the least painful for them to tread in. If you have a shedder, that is the best way to shred the newspaper. I would also find a nice quiet room she could stay in to give her space and comfort. Try to provide a nice soft spot, maybe nice thick blankets or a pet bed, once you see where she is wanting to sleep. Good Luck and I hope she feels better soon!

I have no expierence with a declawed cat and the healing involved but would think the puppy pee pads would work great. No digging needed. She can just squat and tinkle. I had to use them for a cat who would go outside of the box. He just preferred the soft feel of the pads.

Good luck finding something for her to use.

Chrissy

I would line the bottom of the litter pan with the "cat attract litter" then put a puppy pee pee pad & shredded newspaper on top of that. This way the cat attract litter is on the bottom and will hopefully attract her back to the pan with its scent- but since it does have fine particles- put it underneath the pee pee pad and newspaper so she doesn't get any particles in her incision site. Be sure to watch her incision site daily for any signs of infection/irritation. It may take a while for your kitty to start using the litter pan again since she's recently been declawed (as others have mentioned- digging around in the litter pan takes a bit of strength in the legs and right now her legs are in pain- so since she's associating that pain with the litter pan she's going on your bed.) I recently had an issue with my kitty Jasmine going potty on our guest bed after a UTI problem she had. I got a plastic/waterproof bed protector from walmart (about $5) and that made it much easier to clean up the accidents. Perhaps you could put one of those on your bed on top of your covers when you're not using it so that if she does have an accident- it won't mess up your blankets. Natures Miracle is a good enzymatic cleaner- i'd suggest using that- you can purchase it at most pet stores.

If her current pain killer is not helping her enough- talk to your vet about Metacam. I've had a lot of success with that in the past on various foster animals/ shelter animals.

Maybe put the piddle pads in a litterbox? I haven't had a reason to try that, but it's an idea.

Also..7up for the stains? Maybe club soda? I think the 7up would be sticky.

Lot's of good advice here about paper litter! Any granulated, scented litter would be a problem at this point. It would get into her surgical site and cause more pain and most likely infection. I sympathize with having to watch her like a hawk because she may pee in hidden places!! You should be able to find a good enzyme cleaner at a pet store. I would saturate your bed linens with that (as directed) then give them a very good cleaning!! If it got on your mattress you may want to treat it several times, flip it and consider a mattress cover!!
Don't beat yourself up, her behavior isn't so bad considering her recent surgery, she will recover and do just fine!! I had my cats declawed and freaked at first too! Sunny was so lethargic for a couple of weeks I was in tears a few times, but he is his normal self and I don't have any regrets!
One question....a fentanyl patch?!?! Where did they put it?? They sent her home on pain meds?? They may cause urine retention, constipation and dehydration - just be aware of this and watch her for these things. I must have been fortunate, Sunny only had pain meds post-op and did not seem to be in much distress, he just slept a lot.
~~sending you good vibes of encouragment ~~

I'm sorry this situation has come up, and I wish you good luck and her a speedy recovery!

I also wanted to let you know that my sister's cats are both declawed (front only), and they have no problems with the litterbox. My sister thinks they are about 6 and 7, and they've been declawed since they were young (I'm not exactly sure of the age it was before the boys came into our lives). I've lived with them myself and there were no accidents at all. Neither of them bite in fear. I just wanted to let you know, so you know there is hope!

Tricia

A friend of mine only rescues declawed kitties. I gave her a call. What you are experiencing can be due to several factors- 1. the litter you buy in the store hurts her paws 2. she could be developing an infection and this is your first warning 3. she is stressed from everything that she has experienced and is peeing on your cover (your scent) to calm her down.

Dory advises to get a very large cardboard box cut the ends down so she can get in and out without jumping. Line the bottom of the box with a plastic liner for a shower curtain cut to fit- don't bother with litterbox liners waste of time and money. Take an old blanket you could care less about and place that in the box on top of the plastic liner. Let her pee and do her business on this. It is soft, it has your smell. Rinse out her waste and urine and launder, then return to the box.

Once she has moved past her discomfort. Put the liner on the ground and the blanket on top, put her normal litter pans on the blanket. Instead of using litter right off, use rabbit pellets (rabbit food) Once she gets better gradually switch to litter (not clumping) allow her to have accidents, she has been through a lot.

I tend to agree that this is probably due to declawing, but I have to mention that Pippin HATED the Yesterday's News litter that I got for him after his PU surgery. He was freaking out because to him it was not something you pee on, if that makes sense. I ended up having to let him use the regular litter because he refused to use anything else, even when I mixed the Yesterday's News with his clay litter. He was in a lot of distress and had some incontinence issues anyway because of the surgery, but it was a very stressful time.
I hope that she re-learns to use the box after she heals. I have 5 cats in my home. Only one (a rescue) is declawed and noone messes with him either. I understand the mindset though.
I do wish you had tried to integrate the cats and only declawed if it became absolutely necessary. Hindsight is 20/20 and all that.

Good luck!

You're right - its club soda - was thinking plain and 7-up came to mind. But now that you mentioned it

Originally Posted by Devlyn

I have 5 cats in my home. Only one (a rescue) is declawed and noone messes with him either. I understand the mindset though.
I do wish you had tried to integrate the cats and only declawed if it became absolutely necessary. Hindsight is 20/20 and all that.

Good luck!

Click to expand...

Yeah it really isn't a problem in most cases to have clawed cats and declawed cats living together. When I lived here with my 5 clawed cats and my roomates one declawed, boy did the declawed cat beat up on my cats! She was the bully and never let them mess with her.

But I hope your cats heals and doesn't have any of the long terms problems associated with declawing. You have been given many good suggestions!