I am new here so bear with me if I mess up

I recently adopted a cat that is SUPER friendly, but has two major problems. She will turn around and bite if you put any pressure on her lower shoulder area (by the front legs) and sometimes by her hips too. Occassionally if she feels trapped and touched in these areas she will shriek, yowl and bite very hard. Also when she goes to a vet, she turns into a devil cat. She won't let the techs or the vets near her. She screams and thrashes violently. She has no claws because the former owner took all of them out. She is 3 years old and had grown up with a mentally ill cat. This is all new to me becuase I have a 10 year-old cat that has had pain and trauma in her life too, and is also four-paw declaw and she is VERY compliant. You can do anything to her and she has NEVER, not once, bitten a human being. Any other cats I have had have only hissed and growled at the vet, NONE have ever freaked out to the degree that both of these two new ones have. Now just the one. This mentally ill cat HATED humans and acted feral. I had that one PTS becuase she was impossible to have vet look at her and she hated us too. She also seemed in physical pain. I really felt it was the best decision for her.

A vet seems to think there is some pain by the shoulders and hips for her to go from being super sweet to a monster within seconds if she is touched there. Does anyone have a clue as to why she would do this?

You don't say how old this cat is, but if it is an older cat, this would be my guess. When a cat gets declawed, it loses it toes, therefore, it loses its ability to walk. Some cats learn to adjust, and others don't, because they need their toes for balance, and for walking. As a declawed cat grows up, it is subject to various spinal problems, hip problems etc.

You need to get this cat to a good vet that handles ferals. She needs to be sedated and x-rayed and my bet is she has some severe arthritis going on right now. I handle ferals, it's what I do and have done for a long time. I will be happy to email you with some tips on how to make the vet visits manageable for this poor thing. She is not responding out of aggression or frustration, but she is simply in a lot of pain. That is my guess, without seeing her, how she walks or stands, or if she jumps. But my guess is she is older, because if she were a kitten, the vets and the techs could handle her. I always feel so bad for cats who get de-toed. It is so unnatural for them, and down the road it causes so much trouble for them health-wise.

My email is [email protected]

My post may have been confusing as I have two cats now, but had three a short while ago. I have a 10 year-old four-paw declaw that is an absolute dolly. She never has been agressive or shown aggression when in severe pain.

I recently adopted TWO four-paw declaws and had to euthanize one because SHE did act very feral and wasn't adjusting to us. She was very, very fear aggressive. The OTHER one, Lily, is the one I am having trouble with at the vet's and when I touch her around her shoulders and hips. She is very sweet if you don't touch her there or don't hold her. I mentioned in my original post that Lily was 3 years old. I had thought about arthritis too, but isn't she too young for this? Also she was taken from a family that was abusing her and her littermates when she was a little kitten. In addition, in her former owner's apartment, she was exposed to ant poison and apparently got sick from it. Would that one time exposure cause permenent muscle sensitivity? One more thing. Her chest "squeaks" when she jumps down from something, or when you pick her up with your hand supporting her chest. Occasionally it will squeak when she stretches out after a nap. I am planning on having a vet sedate her to give her x-rays, as I don't think "squeaky" chests and biting when her shoulders are touched is normal. Thanks for the suggestions! I appreciate any insight on this matter.

No it is not normal, not for her age, sadly the declaw accelerates this condition in *some* cats not all. Your other one that was euthanized was probably out of her head in pain and couldn't get back to center. That happens too. I am not yelling at you or lecturing, just informing you. You already said you didn't have these cats declawed but you adopted them afterwards. Good for you. For a look at what they had to deal with here are two links:

Declaw More Than A Manicure


A Personal Look


Good luck, and please let us know what they find.