Help for Declawed Cat?

[coloradokitty]

Hi everyone!

I'm brand new to the forum but already have a question.

About 10 days ago, we adopted Smudge (the kitty in my avatar). He's about 6 years old and is the most amazing little guy - sweet, affectionate, outgoing, calm. We love him to bits.

However, all 4 of his feet were declawed by his first owners, who then abandoned him at the shelter when they moved. 

When I was a kid, we had a cat whose front feet were declawed but I've never had experience with a cat without any claws at all. I feel SO bad for him. I mean, the very essence of being a cat is being able to jump and climb. But they stole that from him. He's not very graceful at all and has slipped numerous times while trying to get on our bed. He tried to jump on the arm of one of our chairs tonight, lost his balance and fell off. You can tell he doesn't feel confident. My heart absolutely breaks for him (and I can't begin to tell you how angry I am at his former owners for doing this to him).

I'm just wondering if anyone has any ideas to make our place more declawed-cat-friendly and safe. I'd like him to be able to get up on stuff easily. I've thought about getting some steps for the bed and maybe putting some shelves on the wall that have a non-slip surface (although I'm not entirely sure what that would be). Any and all ideas on how to improve his quality of life and make him feel more like...well... a cat would be welcome!

Thank you!!

 

[stephanietx]

Welcome to TCS and bless you for opening your heart and home to this little guy!

Like you've already mentioned, I would recommend steps, chairs or shelves of some kind at various levels for him to climb on, and even a cat tower to help him gain his confidence.
 

 

[nerdrock]

I also agree with the steps. I have steps that lead up to the bed for my dogs and the cats use them all the time, lol, lazy little buggers. The older cat is front declawed (her previous owner had it done), she doesn't seem to have any problems with balance though. 

I would also suggest a cat tower with many levels that aren't spread too far apart. 

These two have steps and lots of levels:

http://www.google.com/products/cata...=X&ei=R_6hT_yHIu_16AHtuKzhCA&ved=0CIYBEPMCMAA

http://www.google.com/products/cata...=X&ei=R_6hT_yHIu_16AHtuKzhCA&ved=0CIsBEPMCMAE

This one doesn't have stairs, but does have lots of levels that should be easy to navigate:

http://www.google.com/products/cata...=X&ei=R_6hT_yHIu_16AHtuKzhCA&ved=0CLIBEPMCMAg

If you want to put shelves up, start them lower to the ground so he doesn't have to jump as high to get on them. You can put those pads for cupboards on them that should help with grip, they're the same thing that you would use under an area rug on a hardwood floor. They come in rolls and are relatively cheap. 

I would start leaving treats on areas where he's allowed to jump that he can get to easily. That way, when he gets up on one successfully, he's rewarded with a treat. It should help to build his confidence with jumping. 

 

[kailie]

I have no further advice from what you've already been given, but I did want to say THANK YOU for rescuing this precious, precious baby. He's adorable!

My Mom adopted a cat 9 years ago who also had all 4 paws declawed from his previous owner. Oliver was also 6 at the time of adoption! So now he is 15 and can be a bit of a cranky old man with Jeckell/Hyde syndrome. He has always compensated for his missing claws by biting. He can be the sweetest cat most times but can turn at the drop of a hat without warning and bite. He got used to her house pretty quickly and figured out what he could and couldn't do, so once Smudge has been with you longer, I'm sure he'll settle in more and feel more confident.

 

[coloradokitty]

Wow...thanks so much, everyone! I'll be ordering some steps today for sure.

Nerdrock - those cat trees are awesome. I think they're a little big for our place but you've given me a lot of good ideas.

Kaillie - I've heard that declawed cats can be biters. But Smudge hasn't shown any sign of it. He came from an animal blood bank so he was handled a lot and I think that helped. He's super socialized. The first day we had him, he flipped over on his back and wanted us to rub his tummy. (You can read his whole story here, if you'd like: http://mayziegal.wordpress.com/2012/04/23/new-brudder/)

Thanks again!

 

[stephanietx]

Something else you might want to consider is adding something like Cosequin to his diet to help with any potential arthritis that might be developing.  I had a declawed (front only; came to me already declawed) who started showing signs of arthritis in her paws when she was about 7 or so.
 

 

[coloradokitty]

Stephanie - That's a good idea. I already give it to my dogs so it'll be easy to just add it to the cats' food as well. Thanks!

 

[pushylady]

Wow...thanks so much, everyone! I'll be ordering some steps today for sure.

Nerdrock - those cat trees are awesome. I think they're a little big for our place but you've given me a lot of good ideas.

Kaillie - I've heard that declawed cats can be biters. But Smudge hasn't shown any sign of it. He came from an animal blood bank so he was handled a lot and I think that helped. He's super socialized. The first day we had him, he flipped over on his back and wanted us to rub his tummy. (You can read his whole story here, if you'd like: http://mayziegal.wordpress.com/2012/04/23/new-brudder/)

Thanks again!

What a fun blog you have! I enjoyed reading about Smudge's eventful life before he was lucky enough to be adopted by you.

 

[coloradokitty]

What a fun blog you have!

I enjoyed reading about Smudge's eventful life before he was lucky enough to be adopted by you.

Awww...thanks! They give me lots of material.