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I know that declawed cats spray, but why does having them declawed make them spray?
Is it that their feet hurt?
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WHY do declawed cats spray?
- Thread starter white cat lover
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I was always under the impression that it wasn't actually spraying, but inappropriate urination, or in other words peeing where they're not supposed too, because whoever declawed them did not provide a soft "litter" such as newspaper or the like and the cat associates the litter box/litter with pain so they won't use itOriginally Posted by white cat lover
I know that declawed cats spray, but why does having them declawed make them spray?Is it that their feet hurt?
It isn't spraying....it's litterbox avoidance and not all declawed cats have this issue. Some, who have had a very bad declaw done, do develop an avoidance of the litterbox due to an infection that can grow at the site of the declaw. However, litterbox avoidance isn't always caused by being declawed..so it is best to have a cat checked for a UTI (urinary tract infection) which is the number 1 reason for litterbox avoidance.Originally Posted by white cat lover
I know that declawed cats spray, but why does having them declawed make them spray?Is it that their feet hurt?
Katie
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I ask because a woman wants her cats re-homed through the shelter here. The cat is 6 years old, spayed, & FOUR PAW declawed. She has been spraying for over a year, on c/d, tested - for UTI/crystals, & now needs a home. "She has had a bit of a difference of opinon" the woman says. We've listed her on the internet, but haven't got a picute up yet. We told this woman that the odds of her kitty being adopted were basically none...we don't have homes for all the wonderful cats w/o behavioral problems, what makes her think this one will get adopted? (we must try anyways) So, she decided that her kitty needs to be sent to a farm.
SHE WANTS TO SEND A 4 PAW DECLAW TO LIVE ON A FARM!! We have been trying to tell her she can't do that. We have even told her we would take the kitty. She knew that we would euthanize her after a month if she didn't get adopted so she said no. So, now I am trying to understand why it is a declawed cat urinates outside the box. I was under the impression that it was spraying... Hopefully, I can help the kitty work through these problems & stay in her home.
She will basically have to be retrained, unless of course she had a bad declaw and she is currently in pain.
She'll need brand new litterboxes, different litter that isn't hard on the paws like feline pine or yesterday's news, enzymatic cleaner and a black light to eliminate the scent and confinement if possible to a large bathroom or extra large dog crate.
Even after all that, sometimes it's just not possible to retrain them
She'll need brand new litterboxes, different litter that isn't hard on the paws like feline pine or yesterday's news, enzymatic cleaner and a black light to eliminate the scent and confinement if possible to a large bathroom or extra large dog crate.
Even after all that, sometimes it's just not possible to retrain them
Why is she on c/d? I don't think vets normally put them on c/d unless they have a medical reason to. I'm just trying to determine if it's a medical or behavioral issue.
None of my declawed cats (first was a 4 paw, the current 2 are front only, all done when the animals were young by previous owners) have had litterbox problems related to their declawing. The one exception was when we first got Teddy, we didn't know what kind of litter he would like, so we tried one, he didn't like it, and he pooped outside the box. However, he (and the others), have never urinated outside the box.
Teddy needed a very finer litter - so we went to TidyCats, and everything has been fine.
It's funny - our 4 paw declaw LOVED the litterbox. She would dig to China in there!
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I'm not sure why....I never asked the owner(I was a little mad at the time).
Does it sound like it could be the declaw? The kitty has been checked once(I was going to suggest a recheck), completely-not just for a UTI-to see if anything was wrong.
Hmmm, I don't know much about declawing and associated litter box behavior.
The only reason I ask is because if she was put on c/d, I'm assuming some vet thought there must be a medical problem. And if there's a medical problem, she won't stop the inappropriate urination until the underlying medical problem is fixed. If it's just behavioral, I don't see any reason to have her on c/d. C/d is for kitties with chronic bladder problems; it's a urine acidifying diet.
I have to say..it sounds suspicious to me too....did you get any of this cat's medical work??
Katie
