declawed cats cowardly no confidence?

Hello

A friend of mine has 3 declawed cats and I noticed they act a lot different then most cats I know they seem to have no confidence at all, when confronted with their dog they lower their body put and kinda try to shrink away most cats including my own would stand really tall and all puffed up when around my dog but hers seem to just flatten there ears and go so low to the ground its strange

That is a typical reaction. They know they have limited defense and many declawed cats show that kind of fear. Or they bite when confronted. Of course there are cats that are declawed and opposite - still outgoing and confident.

Flattening their ears and getting low to the ground isn't due to a lack of confidence. It's the correct response to a perceived dangerous situation - protect the ears and belly, be ready to attack or run.

Zoey is boss at my house. My dog's don't mess with her. Ben (99 lbs), Bailey (78 lbs) and Riley (85 lbs) have a very healthy respect for her, even though she doesn't have her front claws. She drinks first from their water bowl, has claimed their huge cushions and crates. She goes into rooms first. And she is training my son's Blue Heeler to respect cats.

I would not expect her to accept strange dogs or cats though, unless properly introduced.

Yes and no; its a fear/defense reaction because they have no defense anymore.

All 8 of my kitties are declawed and they tend to puff up and turn sideways whenever they get mad. We no longer have our dog due to behavioral problems that could not be solved, but even when he was around they never acted like that. I would say that it is their way of dealing with the stress and fright of the dog, is this a new dog to the family? Just curious.