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Cat walks with bent wrists??

post #1 of 15
8/14/10 at 10:07am
Thread Starter 
My cat walks with his wrists slightly bent inward [toward him], almost bowed towards the ground, is he double jointed, or is something wrong? He is quite plump (we got him that way, but he's lost some weight), so I'm wondering if his weight has anything to do with it. We noticed it after we got him front de-clawed, and I actually don't recall him walking like that before he was de-clawed - could it have something to do with that? I'm just concerned that if he continues walking like this the rest of his life, that when he gets older it may be a problem. He's only 3 or 4 years old now, but it's still a concern. He does however seem to go upright on his paws when he runs or scurries away.
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post #2 of 15
8/14/10 at 10:11am
Due to losing the part of their toes that they primarily walk on, declawing drastically changes how a cat walks.

This combined with his weight could possibly lead to arthritis a bit earlier, so you do need to have his gait checked out by a vet.
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post #3 of 15
8/14/10 at 10:15am
Thread Starter 
I was worried that perhaps since he was older when he was declawed than when we usually declaw our cats, that maybe he wasn't going to be able to adjust to it as well as a younger cat would. I'll have to have him checked out, what do you think the proposed solution will be? Braces perhaps?
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post #4 of 15
8/14/10 at 10:23am
No, what's done is done. He's simply adjusted his walk the best he can so that it feels better to him. You do need to have him checked out, though, because not only is arthritis more of a risk in these cats but they can also have claws/bone regrow. When this happens it usually grows out through the toe or paw pad and is extremely painful. Some cats don't heal as well as others (and yes, age plays a part) and may be left with some pain.
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post #5 of 15
8/14/10 at 10:29am
Thread Starter 
Alright, thanks for all the input! I actually initially was hoping it didn't have to do with he de-clawing, but it really does make sense, unfortunately. I didn't like how he came home from the vet, either. We didn't ask for his back claws to be de-clawed, but for whatever reason, they trimmed back his back claws so far that they were scabbed over (we even for a moment thought that they may have de-clawed ALL his paws!). We weren't happy at all, because all his feet were in pain, and there was absolutely no reason for them to cut back his back claws that far, it was just cruel, there's no reason for that.
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post #6 of 15
8/14/10 at 10:40am
Well, this forum and most members are very much anti-declaw. It's a very painful and unnecessary procedure. (and that's all I'm going to say on that )

I had a kitten come home from a spay with her back claws hacked off like that, too. I figure she kicked someone because she hates being picked up and tends to struggle and that someone got mad since no other cat has ever came home from that vet with their claws cut off. Apparently some vet clinics do this by default, though.
I called the vet office and complained. There's a note on my account now "leave all cats claws alone!".
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post #7 of 15
8/14/10 at 10:43am
Thread Starter 
It isn't my choice to have them de-clawed, they're our families cats (me and my parents) - and my mom has always had our cats front de-clawed, since they're exclusively indoor cats. I did feel bad for this cat, Binx, in particular, though - because when we first visited him and brought him home, he was always flexing his front claws out, and massaging the ground; it was clear that he really did love his claws. I feel bad for him, but the decision wasn't mine.
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post #8 of 15
8/14/10 at 11:03am
As long as you know better. Maybe with time you can show and convince your mother that it's not good for cats.

I've found that most cats really do love their claws, it's an important part of their foot after all. With proper scratching surfaces they can enjoy themselves all they want.
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post #9 of 15
8/14/10 at 1:38pm
Pixel does this, too - i think it's a side-effect of the declawing, since she's also front-declawed. of course, she's also almost 13!
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post #10 of 15
8/14/10 at 4:46pm
Here's one of the best declawing articles that explains what happened - please read it and show it ot your parents for in the future.

My first cat was declawed on insistence by my parents in order for me to keep him. After finding out what really was done, I vowed to NEVER mutilate another cat. Your situation is an extreme one for a declawed cat and he may or may not get better but have him checked out very soon.

http://maxshouse.com/Truth%20About%20Declawing.htm
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post #11 of 15
8/14/10 at 10:48pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45 View Post
Here's one of the best declawing articles that explains what happened - please read it and show it ot your parents for in the future.

My first cat was declawed on insistence by my parents in order for me to keep him. After finding out what really was done, I vowed to NEVER mutilate another cat. Your situation is an extreme one for a declawed cat and he may or may not get better but have him checked out very soon.

http://maxshouse.com/Truth%20About%20Declawing.htm


wow thanks! this picture on the site, it's kind of hard to see really, but i think it's picturing the bent wrists like binx has, if that is what the picture is..



basically, when he walks, it looks as if he's trying to use the additional pad that cats have higher up on their wrist. i'll have to inform my mom and let her know that we should probably have him checked out.. at a different vet than the one he got declawed at too - since i'm sure that they'd have some grand excuse for why it's happened and say it's normal or something [just as they excused their excess clipping of his back claws].
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post #12 of 15
8/14/10 at 10:52pm
Thread Starter 
it won't let me edit my post but the picture i'm referring to is the third one, and it appears similar, though his are more at a curve than a stark angled bend. but it just looks awkward and straining on his wrists when he walks, i really hope he isn't in any sort of pain..
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post #13 of 15
8/14/10 at 11:56pm
maybe these pix will help... this is Pixel, my front-declaw. these pix aren't really recent - the inward bowing is more pronounced, now.




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post #14 of 15
8/15/10 at 6:35am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by laureen227 View Post
maybe these pix will help... this is Pixel, my front-declaw. these pix aren't really recent - the inward bowing is more pronounced, now.
Yeah, that looks pretty similar, but when he walks it's definitely worse than those pictures - think of if the bend in our wrists was rather a curve upward when we try to put our hand at a 90 degree angle, and that's what his is like.
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post #15 of 15
8/15/10 at 6:37am
Thread Starter 
My guess is they probably had the same reaction while adjusting, but it's obviously not going to look exactly the same.
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