Pain in declawed cat

[dazzlemma]

A few weeks ago I adopted a rescue from a local charity. He was not well cared for by the previous owner(s). Obese, shedding everywhere, greasy to the touch, and front declawed. I have been doing my best to get him healthy including regular grooming, a healthy, low-carb diet, and plenty of playtime, all of which are pointing to a good recovery for him.

Unfortunately, I cannot un-declaw him and it is likely he will develop arthritis. He looks like he walks around just fine, but often when he stops, he raises one of his front paws (usually the right) to take weight off it as if it is hurting him. So my question is are there any other things I can do for him to help stop the pain? The weight loss will help for sure (and he’s already lost a whole pound over the course of only a few weeks), and I could go to the vet for some painkillers, but are there any other options that could help even more? I love this boy very much and I want to minimize the pain he has to live with that someone else selfishly inflicted upon him.

 

[Mr. Meow]

I would suggest a glucosamine supplement, even though it's mainly meant for joints and joint pain. My older kitty has arthritis and it seems to help her with joints. They come in treats (among other forms) and are relatively inexpensive, so it's worth a shot to see if it may help.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

First, thank you for taking on this cat. Declawed cats have a rough go of it. And declawing almost ALWAYS causes more behavioral issues than it "cures." It should be banned. I agree with Mr. Meow , a good joint supplement in a form that won't further traumatize your boy will certainly not hurt one thing, and may ease him a bit.

How are his litter box habits? Sore paws can cause box avoidance. Several people have found that a puppy pad in the box works very well, as it is soft and non-abrasive on tender paws.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi! In addition to giving him a supplement for arthritic issues (glucosamine, chondroitin and/or green lipped mussels), you might also have the vet x-ray the leg he is holding up - just to make sure nothing else is going on. While it is possible it could be related to him being de-clawed, I would err on the side of caution and have it checked out in case there is an unrelated issue.

 

[dazzlemma]

I would suggest a glucosamine supplement, even though it's mainly meant for joints and joint pain. My older kitty has arthritis and it seems to help her with joints. They come in treats (among other forms) and are relatively inexpensive, so it's worth a shot to see if it may help.

Hi! In addition to giving him a supplement for arthritic issues (glucosamine, chondroitin and/or green lipped mussels), you might also have the vet x-ray the leg he is holding up - just to make sure nothing else is going on. While it is possible it could be related to him being de-clawed, I would err on the side of caution and have it checked out in case there is an unrelated issue.

Thank you for the suggestion! I’ll definitely look into that. My sweet boy loves treats.

 

[dazzlemma]

First, thank you for taking on this cat. Declawed cats have a rough go of it. And declawing almost ALWAYS causes more behavioral issues than it "cures." It should be banned. I agree with Mr. Meow , a good joint supplement in a form that won't further traumatize your boy will certainly not hurt one thing, and may ease him a bit.

How are his litter box habits? Sore paws can cause box avoidance. Several people have found that a puppy pad in the box works very well, as it is soft and non-abrasive on tender paws.

His box habits are really good, actually! He’s a digger so I need to upgrade him from an open box to an enclosed one so it doesn’t get all over. He even wipes the litter off his paws on any available surface outside the box to clean them, so I need to get him a rubber mat as well. He always tries to cover his poops with litter as best as he can.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Oh, that's great! Take a look at this mat, it's the one I want to order when my next check comes in!

PET CHAMPION Hole Cat Litter Mat, Black - Chewy.com

 

[dazzlemma]

Oh, that's great! Take a look at this mat, it's the one I want to order when my next check comes in!

PET CHAMPION Hole Cat Litter Mat, Black - Chewy.com

I just got a similar one from Target! It works really well. I also now have a covered box and he seems to have adapted to it well already.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Excellent! That's wonderful to hear! What we don't do for our furbabies...

 

[Jem]

You mention that he has great litter box habits, which is fantastic, but you could try to find a softer or finer grain litter that would be less irritating to his paws.
Getting the x-ray will be a great start for the one paw. Unfortunately, sometimes little bone fragments can be left behind during the procedure and continue to cause pain.
Not sure if he's a climber on not, but you could also place pillows or some sort of soft surface at the bottom of anywhere he jumps off of, like a cat tree. It would help cushion his landing. Or make sure he has "stairs" (basically any staggered step, you can even use existing furniture to create levels for him) to climb up or down from so he doesn't need to jump.
Does he still like to "scratch" to mark his territory? Perhaps give him soft scratch posts, like carpet rather than sisal for example, anything that would be less irritating.
And even if he doesn't jump up/down from high places or scratch things at the moment, you may find that as he loses weight and becomes a bit more energetic he'll start to do it more.