Why does my cat sit like this?

slipstream

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I have an 8 month old kitten named Pixel. She always has a habit of sitting up, here is a pic of it.



she started to do this about 5 weeks ago after she got declawed because she was in pain I bet. She is not in pain anymore as she jumps all over the place and plays like regular, she just likes to sit like this. I think it is wierd. Any idea?
 

lotsocats

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It is possible that she is still in pain. When cats are declawed it is not just the claw that is removed. Instead, each toe is amputated at the second knuckle. Having every toe amputated on the feet that are constantly walked on can be very painful and can take a very long time to heal. Also, because nerves are severed in the amputation, some cats have to deal with phantom pain for the remainder of her life. I hate to think that your poor kitty is still in pain and that the pain is leading her to sit like this, but it may be so. Have you inspected the amputation sites to see whether there is any infection or hard scar tissue? It may not be a bad idea to take her back to the vet to be checked.
 

princess purr

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awww what a cute kitty. I agree, take her to the vet, poor thing. my cats do that when they are looking at something, but they don't sit like that all the time.
 

hissy

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I have to agree with Renae. If the vet is not good at what he did, he could of put her into pain and cats are very good at not showing pain, for they learn from instinct if they do, their days are numbered. It may be when she moves, she can handle the pain, and when she is at rest, she cannot. I would double check with the vet by taking her in for a re-check. She is a beautiful kitty- I love her colors.
 
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slipstream

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Ok, I will take her back and get her looked at.

Like I said before, she seems to be playing like her old self, but you may be right. Could it be that she just got used to it when she was declawed and still sits like that?
 

hissy

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It could be, but declawing causes cats tremendous pain.
And it also could be that she is hurt, and this just feels better to her. If you use clumping litter, and she allows you to touch her paws, you might check to see if some clumps have gotten in-between and are hurting her. If she is only front declawed, sitting like this makes perfect sense to me, because as she walks, she had to relearn to balance herself. Cats need their toes and claws to walk, and she doesn't have that now.
 

gurlpower

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my heart crunched into a tiny tiny ball when i read that she was declawed... oh... i can imagine myself without nails, you know?

My Daisy "sits up" like that only when i return home from somewhere, and she is in that position, waiting at the door, gesturing and getting ready to jump up to me... sweet...
 

angelzoo

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Poh: No, imagen yourself with out fingers, period. The equivilant is like chopping off to the last knuckle on our fingers.

Poor cat. I agree with the rest, it could be a strong possiblity of why she sits like that.

I don't know how long ago you got her declawed, but if it was recently you should be using something like shredded newspaper in her box until she is total healed, something that is is very soft and can not get trapped between her toes, or even if she might be growing an infection after the declaw.

Generally when people declaw their cats, it's at a much younger age, so that the adujustment period can be easier then that of an adult cat who is USED to having them.

Please check out our threads on the declawing issue. We are for the most part an anti-declaw community.
 

gurlpower

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i am right now chocking, to fight my tears back.. sorry...

Give Pixie a HUGE HUGE hug and kiss for me, please...

oops.. too late, a tear just dropped....
 

angelzoo

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Poh: Sorry didn't mean to be so hasty. :/ But I just can't sit back and tip toe through the flowers on matters like this when so many cats are still being declawed. I just have to be matter of fact.
 

deb25

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Ok folks. Yes, we are an anti-declaw community, but what's done is done. At this point Slipstream needs some helpful advice in dealing with this situation.

Slip, Pixel sure is a beauty, and I hope you have the vet check her out to rule out a medical reason for her behavior.
 
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slipstream

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I know people don't like declawing, it was a common thing with cats when I was growing up so I guess it is a force of habit. I couldn't stand to see my $3000 couch be trashed by claws. It's either declaw her, or not get her in the first place, and I love cats.

Anyway I spoke to the Vet and they said that this can happen for the first few months as they are in discomfort, they said it happens to all cats and the full recovering time differs between cats.

I was told to take her in in 1 month if she doesn't stop standing up.

Thanks for all you help, here is another pics of her.

 

gurlpower

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i can only speak for myself, as always..

i have some expensive furniture here and there.. so, i buy a tree, toys, scratch pads, etc, for my kitties to play and scratch.... for me, their well being is priceless.. but i am speaking for myself. They even play on my silk carpet all the time.

i think you can "train" to re-route your kitty to "scratch" other stuff instead of your couch, via scratch pads/stands/sisal ropes pads, etc.

i really pray for speedy recovery for Pixel, as she looks so sweet.

Take care of her please...
 

hissy

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Gosh! She is a pretty girl, I love her patterns and the fact of how the coloring stops on her head and neck.
 

williewz

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Pixel is one of the most gorgeous kitties I've seen in some time! I hope that her sitting has merely become habit.

OK, so you don't feel yelled at, what's done is done, and we still welcome you. But if you decide you may want another kitty (as one of our unofficial mottoes here is "one cat leads to another"), please research what declawing really is and its affects (some of the behavioural affects are worse than the original problem of scratching), and the alternatives. Members here have all sorts of methods for keeping their kitties scratching in appropriate places, and not on the furniture, and report a VERY high success rate. If you are really that attached to your couch, perhaps you should consider fish next time. I hear they almost never destroy furniture!
(bada-bing! Hey, these are the jokes, people. You're supposed to laugh!)
 

gurlpower

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:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: Haha.. Lola... i did laugh! Good one!:laughing: :laughing::laughing: :laughing:
 

sockiesmom

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Hi Slipstream,

When we first got Socks, we got her declawed too. Don't worry...I'm not going to flame you, and I hope no one flames me. I honestly didn't know what it puts the kitties through but now I know better. Anyway, understandably, Socks had some discomfort and developed quirky little habits like your Pixel (who is beautiful, btw!).

As I remember it (I was only nine years old...), Socks did something quite similar but she eventually stopped doing it. We had to use newspaper in the box, and we brought in some grass to mix with it to make it a little more natural for her (she was a barncat at first). We did this for the first year that she was declawed, as we were unsure how long we should do it. Our vet told us to use regular litter and let her "get used to it", but we just couldn't do that.

We don't know if Socks has any permanent damage, though I'm sure she probably does. She doesn't appear to be in pain somedays, but she seems to have "phantom pain" or something, where she will just sit kind of like your Pixel does and stare down, looking like she's staring at her feet. And it's been nearly nine years.

If someone cut my fingers off, I would probably refrain from using my hands for a while. That's probably what Pixel is doing.

Please, if you get another kitty, please consider not declawing. There is a world of other alternatives out there...Softpaws, scratching posts, etc. Please just consider it... what's done to Pixel is done, and I don't blame you for that, having done the same thing myself. However, please look into the matter further if and when you ever get another cat. Thank you.
 

hissy

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Very nicely put sockie's mom. Thank you for sharing this perspective.
 

angelzoo

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I'm not trying to flame anyone here, I was just talking to Poh. We have been giving helpful advice and I wanted to make sure that she knew the lot of us here didn't encourage declawing and to read up on it in all our previous threads.

I'd rather sell a couch for $3000 worth of cat food, then declaw my babies. The fish joke was funny!


Vikki: Good recomendation, if you want a declawed cat then adopt one that's already declawed.


And welcome to the site, I hope your cat turns out to be fine!
 
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