bad declaw operation

my 7 mo. old Savannah female was very active jumped ran played fetch played with the dog.We had her front claws removed because she climes curtains. She is an inside only cat.The vet sent home pain med. to use for like 5 days.She seemed fine for about a week after the meds. ran out.

Now she just lays in my bed and sleeps all day and still sleeps at night. She no longer has any interaction with anyone or anything. Will not run jump

and will not stand very long. But she keeps shaking her paws and licks them often.I took her to the vet and he thought maybe her paws hurt a littleand sent more pain meds home with her. Might the doctor messed up the surgery. He has a VERY VERY GOOD REPUTATION. If that be the case do I have any recourse?Help she must be suffering.I just can't stand watching such a magnificent animal who was so vibrant, suffer through this.

Sadly, what is done is done. You could take her to another vet for a check to make sure nothing actually untoward happened, but many cats do suffer terrible pain and trauma after declaw operations. After all, you have removed the top joints of her fingers, and she can no longer do the things she loved to do. She may get back some previous activity of climbing, but she will never be able to hang on or jump like she used to. Some cats find it difficult to run. Her behaviour may change too - have you given her a softer litter to use - one based on paper or wood pellets, that will not hurt her paws. she may be having trouble and pain using her box properly. Later in life watch her carefully for arthritis as this can be an after-effect years later. I hope she will be an inside cat now as she can no longer defend herself or run up a tree or fence to escape. Declawing is now illegal in many countries and even in some US states, as more people realise just how bad the effects can be. Vets in the US still offer the op, often at the same time as with neutering, and make a lot of money out of it, but gradually more are coming to offer other solutions to scratching that are effective and harmless.

I am very sorry for your cat, who will likely live with the results of this all her life, and I hope you will never declaw a cat again. This site is anti-declawing and tries to educate people into the realities of the operation and the possible after-effects. Having said that, I would ask other members to be moderate in their replies, and offer any practical advice they may have.

You need to take your kitty to another vet, immediately. I have had my 3 cats declawed, my most recent one was declawed a couple weeks ago. What you are experiencing is NOT normal.  All 3 of my cats, and I don't know, maybe I'm "lucky", or maybe it's my vet's technique, but my cats never showed even a hint of pain following their operations. Not for one second did they act like there was anything different about their paws. They didn't lick them, or limp or anything.

My 4 month old cat suffered immeasurably after her spay surgery 2 1/2 weeks ago. We humans love our animals but we also do things we probably shouldn't in the effort to make our lives with them more convenient. I'll accept that.

Look,  vets make mistakes. Misha's vet left a staple in after she supposedly removed all the staples. Perhaps your vet left something in, or damaged part of the foot that needs repaired, I don't know, I DO know that my cats have never experienced anything like this. You need to see what is going on. Your kitty absolutely needs a second opinion.

Please update.. I will be thinking of you today.

Lifewith3cats said:

You need to take your kitty to another vet, immediately. I have had my 3 cats declawed, my most recent one was declawed a couple weeks ago. What you are experiencing is NOT normal.  All 3 of my cats, and I don't know, maybe I'm "lucky", or maybe it's my vet's technique, but my cats never showed even a hint of pain following their operations. Not for one second did they act like there was anything different about their paws. They didn't lick them, or limp or anything.

However, my 4 month old cat suffered immeasurably after her spay surgery 2 1/2 weeks ago.We humans love our animals but we also do things we probably shouldn't in the effort to make our lives with them more convenient. I'll accept that.

Look,  vets make mistakes. Misha's vet left a staple in after she supposedly removed all the staples. Perhaps your vet left something in, or damaged part of the foot that needs repaired, I don't know, I DO know that my cats have never experienced anything like this. You need to see what is going on. Your kitty absolutely needs a second opinion.

Please update.. I will be thinking of you today.

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Thank you - this is helpful information. I am sorry about your Misha, That must have been horrific. As you say, vets make mistakes, as do human doctors sometimes. Fortunately the vast majority of spays are successful and the cats go on to have much healthier, happier lives with less risk of cancer or other problems. This is not the same as declawing - we spay for the cat's sake, we declaw for our own convenience, and there is a significant percentage of cats who have problems afterwards, either immediately or long-term.

In my +30 years of cat ownership I have had a number of declawed cats.  What you are describing to us is not normal.  In fact I recall having to confine a rambunctious kitten because her paws started to bleed from playing too rough too soon after the surgery.   (I am better educated on the subject now; so I am not advocating it, just sharing my experience.)   

In your situation; I would research vets who are educated in declaw repair and consider a consultation at the very minimum.  As others have said; look for soft litter.  Try to give her "step" access to things like beds and couches for now so that she won't have to jump much.  

I hope you are able to find some assistance for your kitty. 

Firstly, this is not your fault. You are not a vet, and this practice is common place, its no wonder most average people don't know just how cruel it is. But a lot of this may simply be depression caused by the declaw. Do get her checked with another vet, to make sure nothing is particularly wrong, but it also wouldn't surprise me if this was a normal declaw and your cat is just one of many who experienced the adverse effects. In the future, I suggest only taking in cats from shelters that have already been declawed, rather that doing so to another animal.

Botched declaws are not unheard of. 

@cwright We have an article on post-care which might help -

 [article="31290"]Declawing Post Surgery Care And Complications​[/article]  

And I agree, sounds like this calls for more veterinary care, possibly even a second opinion by a different vet.

Just take your cat to be rechecked. Might still not be feeling well, thats all.

definitely take your cat to be rechecked for things like infection and to be sure the healing is going well. 

and keep in mind that if you found it that hard to keep your kitty from climbing, it's something she really loved to do and no longer can.  it may take her a while to deal with that change. 

As one member said, what done is done. I think the problem comes from psychological causes.

First, make sure she is in good health condition, no bacterial infections or something like that. If she is feeling bad, she would like to move, just like us, sleep all day and night.

Second, spend more time with her, play with her. Probably you can try to let her scratch curtain, but I am not sure if she will touch curtain again.

Third, try some operations if possible. 

She is a family, so treat her as your kid. Hope she will become active again like before. Good luck.

Now that there are some good pieces of practical advice for anyone in this difficult situation. I will lock this thread.