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Declawed cat...

post #1 of 70
2/7/10 at 8:45pm
Thread Starter 
I have a cat who was just declawed. He was declawed on Monday Feb 1. Picked up on Feb 2. He has been acting fine. We are using old news paper litter... he has been fine, no limping, and now he is limping with one paw. Is something wrong with him, or is this normal?


EDITED TO ADD:
For the record, this isn't my cat. It wasn't my choice to get it declawed. I have 2, NON declawed cats, he did belong to my SIL who, after she decided to bring the cat the vet and get it neutered/declawed decided she couldn't afford it, and that she wasn't going to pick him up. I decided we would pay for it, and take the cat in. Don't be so quick to judge.
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post #2 of 70
2/7/10 at 9:06pm
Well, you did just amputate his toes, which he is now having to walk on, so he is guaranteed to be pretty sore for a while. If your cat is limping, then you need to see a vet.
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post #3 of 70
2/7/10 at 9:14pm
You are likely to get some pretty unhappy responses here, as TCS is an anti-declawing site. I urge you to contact your vet to be sure everything is fine, as if something goes wrong he will have to walk on his paws for the rest of his life. A foster care of mine, Bea, had to have her paws "re-declawed" as her claws grew back in. She limped shortly afterwards, however her adoptive owners thought nothing of it. She has carried that limp to this day, and it has evolved into moderate arthritis & limits her mobility greatly.

Please read the rules, and re-consider before declawing any other/future kitties.

Quote:
3. This website considers declawing a drastic way to curb cat behavior. A painful ordeal for your kitty we would suggest that declawing never be considered for any behavioral issue. Health issues are entirely different. It is up to you as a responsible pet owner to explore all the different options available instead of declawing. Your cat is dependant on you to make wise choices for her, and not put her into any more stress or discomfort. Please be a responsible pet owner and research this subject thoroughly. Understand that if you are pro-declaw in your posts, you will encounter opposition. Please learn more about alternatives for declawing here in our forums as well as on our website itself. Declaw - More than Just a Manicure. Hopefully those of you with claw-related problems will find solutions by spending time in our Behavior Forum.
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post #4 of 70
2/7/10 at 9:24pm
Oh WHY, WHY, are you coming to us after the fact? Yes, this is amputation. And to put it into perspective, imagine if you had all your toes amputated, and you had to walk on it? It would HURT like CRAZY.
I am so so sorry for saying this bluntly..., but my heart just sank. You were here, in the forum, before the procedure, and you didn't ask us...
Please take your baby to the vet to have his paw checked out, and I pray to God that you do some research on what declawing really is and the many many alternatives available out there before you consider putting another cat through this.
Many vibes for your poor kitty
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post #5 of 70
2/7/10 at 9:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by laceymcde View Post
I have a cat who was just declawed. He was declawed on Monday Feb 1. Picked up on Feb 2. He has been acting fine. We are using old news paper litter... he has been fine, no limping, and now he is limping with one paw. Is something wrong with him, or is this normal?
Well, imagine if someone amputated the first joint of your toes; you'd be limping from the pain, too.

Please, see your Vet ASAP. This is nothing to fool with. Could be infection, is obviously pain.

It's unfortunate that you felt the declawing was a good option for your poor kitty. There's a reason this barbaric surgery is banned in many countries (like the UK, for instance). It's so much more than just clipping the claws. I suppose though, your Vet didn't really explain the full brutality of it Shameful so-called Vets who make this unnecessary procedure sound about as routine and harmless as spay or neuter. They are animal abusers, as far as I'm concerned.
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post #6 of 70
2/7/10 at 9:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by the_food_lady View Post
I suppose though, your Vet didn't really explain the full brutality of it Shameful so-called Vets who make this unnecessary procedure sound about as routine and harmless as spay or neuter. They are animal abusers, as far as I'm concerned.
I will say that South Dakotan vets seem to be worse about that than vets in other areas. I've been lied to outright about de-clawing by some local vets (doesn't hurt at all! they say. Uh huh. Like to see them after they've had all their fingers cut off). Still a real shame.

Yes, call the vet right away. It could be an infection or the claws attempting to grow back. Major orthopedic surgery is not something you want to mess around with. Amputations have a high risk of infection, de-claws especially..... when you consider they put their paws in the litter box it's not surprising.
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post #7 of 70
2/7/10 at 10:02pm
Ok, what's done is done.

To address the original post, I'd definitely call your vet!
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post #8 of 70
2/7/10 at 10:06pm
I also very against declawing and Carolina said everything I would ahve said.
You need to call the vet.
My aunt made the mistake of declawing 2 cats and they both started biting.
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post #9 of 70
2/7/10 at 10:11pm
I think we've made it clear that declawing is an unnecessary, painful surgery, and the paw should be checked out ASAP. Let's not add to the thread unless we have a different opinion to add.

Thanks.
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post #10 of 70
2/8/10 at 5:39am
I know you love your cat. Here's hoping for a good recovery and a loving future for your cat and you.
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post #11 of 70
2/8/10 at 6:36am
When you consider how a cat lives, using a litter box, covering his leavings, etc., it's not hard to imagine one of the 10 deep cuts might get infected pretty easily. In addition, I'm not sure how the vet cleans up the area before the surgery, but I can't imagine getting it perfectly clean with any non-damaging procedure.

I would definitely have the vet check the cat for infection.

And just so you know, no one here doubts your love for your cat. It's just that declawing is one of those procedures that might have been widely accepted at one time, but it's rapidly losing favor. There are more and more places all over the world where it's now illegal. It's the equivalent of cutting off all your child's fingers at the first joint to keep them from picking their nose.

That said, my bleeding-heart-liberal sister does it to all of her cats and doesn't see anything wrong with it. It may be that she has to do it to keep peace with her husband, who probably wouldn't tolerate anything that caused any damage to his furniture. Confusing world, isn't it?
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post #12 of 70
2/8/10 at 9:25am
Thread Starter 
For the record, this isn't my cat. It wasn't my choice to get it declawed. I have 2, NON declawed cats, he did belong to my SIL who, after she decided to bring the cat the vet and get it neutered/declawed decided she couldn't afford it, and that she wasn't going to pick him up. I decided we would pay for it, and take the cat in. Don't be so quick to judge.
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post #13 of 70
2/8/10 at 9:37am
Thank you for doing the best you can in a bad situation. I'm going to make a snap judgment here...your SIL sounds like a real stand-up person...*sarcasm intended.
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post #14 of 70
2/8/10 at 10:15am
See, I said that we believed you had the cat's best interests at heart. I just didn't know to what extent that was true! Your are truly being a hero.

Again, it sounds like it could be an infection. Cats are very prone to abcesses, for one thing, and they can get very serious.
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post #15 of 70
2/8/10 at 10:24am
Will kitty let you take a good look at the paw? If one of the wounds is open it could definitely be infection. But, even if one of the wounds does open cats clot so quickly that it could just be tender and painful. At least a call to the vet is in order. He may tell you to watch it for a few days if you see no obvious signs of infection. It may also be possible the vet didn't remove all of the second joint (happens pretty frequently with a lot of vets) and that could be causing problems. X ray will tell you that.... Lots of for your new baby's recovery!
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post #16 of 70
2/8/10 at 10:37am
Sorry for judging... How could we EVER imagine something like that? Wow, I hope she never get another pet!! Thank you so much for saving this little guy... Poor baby!
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post #17 of 70
2/8/10 at 12:13pm
Unfortunately we see all too many people whose vets tell them it's a simple procedure, and lump it in with the spay/neuter. It's a horrible thing to do to a cat, and I hope you can convince your SIL to never do it again.

He does still need a vet though to check the paw. Hope he's doing better soon
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post #18 of 70
2/8/10 at 12:16pm
Thread Starter 
We reported her for animal neglect. Although DH is VERY mad at me for doing it. I brought the kitty to the MY vet. He says he is fine, but gave us antibiotics just to be sure.

This kittty is only 7 months old, are they even suppose to do it that early??

I should of been more specific, I felt like I was being attacked though for a choice I did not make...

I am glad though at the responses I have gotten, because I really never knew how horrible it was until I went on that site and read up. This poor baby!!! We moved the little box upstairs, because the basement is concrete, and I didn't want to chance him getting his paws dirty.
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post #19 of 70
2/8/10 at 12:22pm
And I apologise on behalf of everyone - we did not mean for you to feel attacked, which is why I asked for no new posts to be put up unless they had something new to say. It can be very hard to make people understand that their vet does not always know best.

It's pretty clear you know better than that, and you did the right thing by taking the cat in, and reporting your SIL - that's a hard thing to do. Good for you

I'm glad kitty is ok. It definitely is a good idea to keep him away from anything that could get his paws dirty.

If you're going to declaw a cat, it's better to do it when they're very young - 7 months is actually a little old to declaw a cat, it's more likely to cause more damage. They recover better when they're younger.

Are you aware of the issues that the kitty could have with biting, pain etc. that you may have to deal with in the future? I'm not sure of the best ways to prevent the behaviours that come with declawing, but hopefully your vet can help with that, and others in this site may be able to help as well.
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post #20 of 70
2/8/10 at 12:33pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by sarahp View Post

Are you aware of the issues that the kitty could have with biting, pain etc. that you may have to deal with in the future? I'm not sure of the best ways to prevent the behaviours that come with declawing, but hopefully your vet can help with that, and others in this site may be able to help as well.
So is this poor cat going to suffer for his whole life? Is there ANYTHING I can do now for him that may make his future easier?
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post #21 of 70
2/8/10 at 12:35pm
Some cats recover fine, and have no problems, but unfortunately some cats do have lifelong problems, which is why it's banned in most countries, and now some parts of America.

I don't know much about it unfortunately, but hopefully someone can help you
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post #22 of 70
2/8/10 at 12:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by laceymcde View Post
So is this poor cat going to suffer for his whole life? Is there ANYTHING I can do now for him that may make his future easier?
Not neccisarily suffer, but he may well have life long issues. Someone had abandoned an elderly declawed cat and I took him in.
In his case the situation was complicated by the fact that he grew huge. Before he got sick he was nearly 25 pounds, and not fat. He was long and tall and solid.
I don't know if it came about when he was recovering from the declaw or what, but he put most of his weight on his back feet, which wound up kind of deformed looking. He also wouldn't climb all the way into the litterbox, just balance with his front feet on the side, so most of his mess went onto the floor beside the box. He never waas a biter, he'd swat with his clawless paws and all the other cats ran, I don't guess any of them understood he was clawless. In fact the dog yelped and pawed her nose when he smacked her, just like when the other cats did, lol.
While I'd never recomend it, and think it should be outlawed, I don't think his life is automatically ruined because it was done. With patience and love I think you'll be able to give him a good life.
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post #23 of 70
2/8/10 at 3:20pm
My sweet Turtle is declawed---I didn't have it done; she was already declawed when we adopted her at about 14 months of age from the local humane society that my son and I volunteered for at that time. (They didn't do it either; the previous owner did.)

She's 10-1/2 years old now and has no problems at all that I can tell. I just feel sorry for her that when she plays (like with a shoelace that we're dangling for her to grab or pulling along the floor for her to chase) she can't grab onto like she could if she had claws. She puts her two front paws together with the toy in between and/or grabs with her teeth to play with things. We've had no biting issues or anything else and she's fine, thank goodness!

Pam
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post #24 of 70
2/8/10 at 3:30pm
This cat has just found his angel good for you taking the cat in (sorry i might of missed his name as reading) and you really do have a heart for paying for the vets bills and some guts to report your sister and law i think i would of done the same

the only thing i can think of is if the cat starts to show behavioural issues then try and distract the cat i know its easier said than done
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post #25 of 70
2/8/10 at 3:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by laceymcde View Post
So is this poor cat going to suffer for his whole life? Is there ANYTHING I can do now for him that may make his future easier?
He'll likely get some arthritis later in life because declawing changes how a cat walks. Just keep an eye on him. If he heals well that will help a lot. Always be mindful that some cats are very unluckily in that either their declaw procedure wasn't done very well or that they just have bone and claw grow back. When that happens it causes problems. So always check his paws out and look out for any change in his walking or how he holds his paws.

Even once healed he may have some sensitivity and not like courser litters. If you have any litter box issues in the future a softer litter could solve it.

Make sure he stretches and plays just like your regular cats do. The actual act of stretching up to scratch on a scratching post (tree/furniture/human leg, etc) that cats do helps them stretch important muscles in their chests and shoulders.

And most importantly, no free roaming outside. He could still go out in a cat proofed yard/enclosure or on a harness if you do that with your other kitties.
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post #26 of 70
2/8/10 at 3:54pm
A lot of them become biters, I am not sure how to deal with that... A firend of mine has tow declawed cats, I can't pet either of them... they bite big time. I guess they figure fast enough their claws are gone as far as defense, and learn how to bite...
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post #27 of 70
2/8/10 at 4:07pm
It seems to me that if the cat/kitten is aggressive to begin with or even really in to play biting or any thing like that, those are the cats that will be biters after being declawed. Sure there are cases each way, but the majority seem to follow that pattern.

As for the age question, it's generally not done before 5mo. Really weight is more of an issue. At the clinic where I work we won't do spays or neuters before 5lbs, won't do declaws (or a spay/declaw, neuter/declaw) before 6lbs. Now of course if you have a smaller breed or small framed cat that probably won't get past 6lb at adulthood, we'll do it once they've hit 7-8mo.
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post #28 of 70
2/8/10 at 4:14pm
I have a former feral who was declawed (not by me) and does not bite at all, its not a given that all declawed cats will have biting issues and since its already done, there isnt anything that can undo the potential damage, psychological or physical.

One thing that is recommended is that you watch their weight carefully, since they walk differently on their feet, it puts too much stress on them if they are overweight.

You can also use a softer litter (sand, corn etc) especially while his paws heal

As far as biting, its a reaction just as scratching people is - if you care to train it out of them, its possible just as scratching is - many people use declawing as a quick fix for a problem and it is just replaced with another problem thats harder to deal with
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post #29 of 70
2/8/10 at 4:22pm
Generally speaking, some cats who are declawed develop "issues". The issues may include, but are not limited to:
aggression
biting
inappropriate urination (either spraying or urinating outside the litterbox)
inappropriate defecation

Obviously not all declawed cats develop issues, and it is nearly impossible to find solid studies that will prove declawing causes these issues.

The litterbox issues often step from pain associated with the litterbox, which can develop immediately after the surgery while they are healing. While many vets say to use a special litter for 3-7 days after surgery - please use a non-clumping/soft litter for at least a month after surgery. Some people use Swheat Scoop as it does not clump as solidly. Some use crystal litter (although to me I would think it would bother the cats paws? ). Some use Yesterday's News/Feline Pine pelleted litter.

We unfortunately see many people join TCS with a kitten, & declaw the kitten when it is S/N. Ideally (if there is such a thing with declawing) it is best to do it when they are younger/smaller. One vet I have talked to would S/N at 5 months, but not declaw until 6 months?
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post #30 of 70
2/8/10 at 7:33pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by -_aj_- View Post
This cat has just found his angel good for you taking the cat in (sorry i might of missed his name as reading) and you really do have a heart for paying for the vets bills and some guts to report your sister and law i think i would of done the same

the only thing i can think of is if the cat starts to show behavioural issues then try and distract the cat i know its easier said than done
He doesn't really have an appropriate name. They called him Jack, or JA, as in Jack A** so...I am thinking he may need a new name with his new home.
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