can declawed cats live outside?

I was wondering if declawed cats can live outside?
or would it be better to put a cat down instead?

one of my new cats goes to the bathroom all over the house, and gets into fights with my other cat.... I tried giving him away, no takers. I have tried the SPCA, and other animal rescues no takers.

I cannot keep the cat here, but do love him it just is not fair to meadow.

any other advice would be much appreciated.

It is extremely risky to let a declawed cat outside - their natural defenses are gone.

Declawing can be the source of the litter box issues, as many declawed cats are made sore by the litter. Can you try to switch litters to something softer?

Also, make sure to clean up the mess with a cleaner specifically for pet messes, or the cat will be able to smell it's previous spots.

I'm assuming the cat is neutered - if not, that needs to be done and should help.

Buy a feliway plug in - this should help with both the middening and the fighting. Did you take the time to 'introduce' them properly over a week or so? If not, seperate them now and have a look at how to do that. It will save you a lot of heartache.

If all that fails, can you built a cat chalet in your backyard, rather than leaving it to it's own (non existant) defenses? I suspect this will not be necessary - instinct suggests introduction/reintroduction, a feliway plug and maybe new litter is all that's needed.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by DeadIrishD

I was wondering if declawed cats can live outside?
or would it be better to put a cat down instead?

one of my new cats goes to the bathroom all over the house, and gets into fights with my other cat.... I tried giving him away, no takers. I have tried the SPCA, and other animal rescues no takers.

I cannot keep the cat here, but do love him it just is not fair to meadow.

any other advice would be much appreciated.

Click to expand...

First....has he been seen by a vet??? He may be sick which is making him fight with the other cats and go to the bathroom around your home. Please take him in for a check to make sure he doesn't have a UTI.

Here is a post all about inappropriate peeing:

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9563

Katie

No declawed kitties should only be outside with supervision...

I second the vet

Please take him to be tested for a UTI or crystals or another medical problem first. Cats are naturally clean animals and use the litterbox with no problems so if something is making the cat go all over the place, there could very well be a medical problem.

Buy some Feliway plug ins and sprays. Theya re a bit expensive but well worth it. It stops inappropriate behaviors. Plug them in the rooms the cat hangs out in or urinates in the most. Spray them near areas the cat is using to pee on.

When you say gets into fights with your other cat, tell us what you mean exactly. Is blood being drawn? If not then there is nothing to worry about. If there is growling and hissing and that's it, there is nothing to worry about. Only time to really worry is if blood is being drawn between either cat.

Are they both neutered? That is always the number one step to eliminating problems.

To give up or euthanize a cat for inappropriate litterbox problems is a bit harsh don't you think? Especially if he hasn't been to a vet yet.

I am in agreement with everyone else. No the cat should not be let outside and it should be seen by a vet right away.

Separate the cats who are fighting, and go read the stickies at the top of the behavior thread about litterbox problems. Of course a vet check is in order, too.

Be sure there are enough litterboxes...one more than the number of cats you have is the minimum.

I'm not surprised you cannot find a home for a cat who messes all over the house and fights with your cat. You need to work to solve some of his behavior problems, then if you still want to find him a new home, he will have a chance of finding one. My Festus went through a period of pooping in the bedrooms...turned out she was very wormy. Once we got rid of the worms and confined her to a small area for a few days, she has used the litterbox perfectly. It would be a shame to euthanize a cat for something that may be able to be corrected!

Didnt you adopt the cat knowing that it peed outside of the box??
You said that there was no big deal...so why put him down now??

This may sound harsh, but if you declawed him, you should accept the consequences of doing so - which can include toileting problems, aggression, biting, and any number of other issues. To put him down because of these issues, which may have been caused by the declawing you chose to do (if you chose it, if it was not your decision then this might not apply to you) would be not only irresponsible, but frankly wrong.

Please take him to the vet to rule out medical problems, invest in a Feliway plug-in, do a proper re-introduction and find ways to work the problem with the inappropriate toileting.

No declawed cat should live outside. (Honestly, I'm not even a fan of cats WITH claws living outside because there are so many dangers.)

She didnt declaw him, he came that way..In her previous posts, she got him off craigslist...And knew he had a urinating issue.Thats why I am disturbed..You knew what you were in for??

Originally Posted by alliread

She didnt declaw him, he came that way..In her previous posts, she got him off craigslist...And knew he had a urinating issue.Thats why I am disturbed..You knew what you were in for??

Click to expand...

In that case, I apologize if I came across harshly.

Declawing is an issue I'm really passionate about - anti-declawing, I mean. I would never want to offend someone but because I feel so strongly about it sometimes I can seem abrupt or brusque about it.