cat behaviour

[newkitty]

hi i am new to this.. i have an 8 month old kitten who has recently gotten neutered and declawed (about a month ago). he has always used his litter pan, but a couple weeks after his surgery i noticed he pooped on my bed. then now i noticed he urinated on a chair. WHY this outburst in this behaviour???? and what can I do to help

[April2]

No, I don't feel threatened. I just wanted to make sure everyone was treated respectfully on here.
Here's how I look at it. You guys say the cats are born with claws and so should keep them. Then why do we circumsize little boys? After all, they are born with that piece of skin so why do we remove it? Some people would say that's cruel and inhumane too.
I think each person has to choose what they think is best. I just don't like to see people look down on people who make these decisions just because they don't agree with it. That's all. I just want everyone to feel respected.

[marissposa]

It sounds like you are trying to do right by your pets and I appreciate that.  I am very glad that you rescue kitties.    At the same time we all need to be able to speak up with what we feel the best advice we have to offer is.  I firmly believe declawing is a cruel and unnecessary practice that hopefully we will look back at as a misguided fad  similar  to sending mentally disabled children to asylums.  Lots of  parents (of both humans and animals)  make mistakes after being given professional advice.  Doctors and vets are not moral guides so we need other community members to let us know their thoughts on an issue so we can make a choice that is informed from both a medical perspective as well as an ethical one.  I really don't feel that saying how I believe is not respecting you.  If you feel so secure in your decisions you should not be so threatened by someone presenting a different opinion.  I hope we can all respect each other enough to be allowed to clearly and confidently give the very best advice we can.

[April2]

Sorry, I still stand by what I said. I talked to plenty of vets who agreed with me. And I don't believe it makes me a terrible or irresponsible pet owner at all. Some of these cats I rescued from the pound, one I found on the street. They were all happy and well cared for. And when I said fat and lazy, I was really just kidding. They're not obese. My one cat is 9 pounds (the 10 year old one) and the other is 7 pounds (the almost 1 year old). They are healthy. I take them in to get their shots and check ups every time the vet sends me the reminder notice.

My main point of writing this post was to ask everyone to please respect everyone on here and the decisions they make. I feel I am not getting the same respect or anyone who decided to declaw their pet. Savas is the only one I feel who has not admonished me or tried to make me feel bad. Maybe I'm being extra senstitive, but please, please let's all respect each other on here, ok? Thank you so much!

[sewpretty]

there is also a kind of litter called Feline Pine.  I always use and reccomend this litter to friends when they or I have a cat that has had surgery.  it's more like pellets than gravel and there's no dust.  
The behavior problems might just be that the kitty is feeling insecure so he/she is marking with poops and pees so that everything smells like kitty.  Give extra attention and treats and make sure those paws and such don't get infections!

[marissposa]

Newkitty:  It makes sense that declawing a cat would give it aversion to litter boxes.  They scratch at the litter.  And anyone who has had an injury knows  that often even after it is no longer tender to the touch,  you just don't feel as confident using that part of your body.  (I wonder if declawed kitties get phantom limb syndrome.  Maybe if you have really gravelly hard litter  try something smoother.
April2:  People should not be afraid to come to the forum.  But they should be given honest advice.  Savas did that.  I'll agree.  If you don't want a pet with claws.  Don't get  one.  There are lots of pet choices out there so find one that fits in with your needs.  Even if it doesn't cause long term behavioral problems it is just not ethical to harm an innocent creature in this way to make life easier for you (obviously neutering is a different story altogether.  I would be careful using a cat growing  fat and lazy as a good defense  because obesity is as dangerous to animals as it is to people (although I think you were talking about neutering,  you didn't clearly differentiate so I'm assuming....)
Ghilly:  I just have to add:  When is this the only option instead of putting down? That's awful.  Use Softpaws caps,  clip your kitty's nails, or find them a new home.  I think there are always options if you're willing to go to the trouble.  
Same with newkitty.  Pound or the street? post a craigslist free kitty ad or something.  There are options!

[April2]

Could be. Maybe he feels it's too far away! I had a problem with my cat peeing outside the box and her box was downstairs. I went ahead and put a box in my masterbed bathroom (as much as I didn't want to) and she hasn't peed outside the boxes since. Give it a try, at least until you know he's fully healed from surgery. You might want to give that newspaper litter another week, too. Good luck!

[newkitty]

Well thank you all for your responses :)

To Savas; thank you for your openess. I have heard that before about cutting a persons fingers off at the first knuckle. I understand it is a painful and demeaning thing, but it was a decision that was made by my family. It was that or getting rid of the kitten because we took him from a couple who no longer wanted him. So instead of putting him on the street or the pound, we took him in. Thank you for the advise on getting him checked by our vet, I will do that.

To April; Thank you for sticking up for the people who make decisions that may not sit right with others. You are a wonderful person and seem to do well with cats. I am however a new owner of a feline. I've always had a dog. My kitten gets a lot of attention and our vet did give us a 5kg of Yesterdays News (the litter that they recommend you use a couple days after surgery). We used it for 1wk after and now he has done this. I am thinking of maybe getting that litter again OR buying a different kind of litter. The one we have now has baking soda and is clumping. I will try another brand.. any ideas???? Also his litter is in the laundry room, under the sink, between the washer and dryer... this couldn't be the reason could it????

[April2]

You know, newkitty, I just thought of something. After declawing you're supposed to use a special kitty litter (like newspaper) that won't get into the wounds for the first week or two. Did your vet tell you this? You can buy this kind of kitty litter at most vet's offices and they're supposed to tell you all this. He's not supposed to use the regular kitty litter for the first couple of weeks.
Or you can just shred newspaper yourself and use. It's just time consuming.

Thanks, Savas. I'm glad I didn't upset or offend you. I never want to do that with anyone on here.
Have a great day!

[Savas]

The problem, April, is that you're such a sweet, wonderful person, that i bet if I gave you one of our bitchiest ferals you'd have it eating out of your hand while purring in your lap in a very short time. :)

Seriously though, owner temperament does play a lot into it. From what you've told me, you put a lot of work into your cat's well being, and also seem temperamentally suited to dealing with kitties. The average person does tend to have a hard time coping with "kitty problems".
So these issues come up...they can be resolved, but most people either don't or won't have the patience to deal with them.

I will now fedex you one cat. His name is Ted-E-Bear (Tedford for short) and despite our best efforts, he refuses to allow us to pick him up. He swipes most viciously!!!


I expect miracles. :)

[Ghilly]

Savas was right on the money with his assessment of the situation.  It's not unusual at all for declawed cats to have aversions to the litterbox because of the way that the litter feels on their paws.  

Having a cat declawed is not just a matter of removing the claws, it involves an amputation of each toe at the first joint.  Claws are a cat's first line of defense, and many cats who have been declawed develop strange behaviors as a result of being declawed.  Some develop litterbox issues, others become biters because they can no longer scratch, still others become very standoffish from people because the declawing changes their whole demeanor.  Many vets now refuse to declaw cats and will send potential clients elsewhere if declawing is desired.  It has been determined to be a cruel procedure and is actually even illegal in some parts of Europe.  

April2, with all due respect, you have been very very lucky if you have never had a problem with a declawing procedure.  Cats are born with claws.  It's part of who a cat is.  If someone wants a cat, then they need to be prepared to deal with claws and all.  Cats are smart creatures who can be trained not to scratch on furniture and to use a scratching post instead.  There are nail caps that can be applied that prevent the claws from doing damage to furniture that aren't harmful to the cat.  The only time declawing should be employed is when it is a choice between declawing or the animal having to be put down.  I am not intending to be unkind to anyone who has declawed their cat, but I will not sugar coat it and pretend that it's OK either, because it is a very unkind procedure.  I will simply state the facts and hope that people who read them will remember them if they ever think about declawing.

Ghilly

[April2]

newkitty, I think you might want to take your cat back to the vet and have him checked over. It's possible that they nicked something when they did the surgery.
I was fostering a cat who started having problems with diarhea and missing the box shortly after getting her fixed. I always wondered if they nicked something in there but never found out. We did eventually find out she had Giardia.
I think it's a good idea to get him checked out. Make sure you keep him comfortable and feeling safe. Give him lot's of love and attention right now. Any time an animal (or human) has surgery it can take awhile to heal and feel normal again. Be gentle with him. Keep his box nearby so he doesn't have to go too far and keep it clean. Keep talking to him soothingly. He will feel better soon and you'll have your old cat back in no time. I wish you well.

[April2]

Savas, I like and respect you very much. And I know you work with cats, but I would like to respectfully disagree with you if you don't mind.
I grew up with cats. My mom always had them fixed and declawed. They were indoor cats and spoiled rotten. My mom to this day has two cats and their great cats and spoiled rotten, never had a behavioral problem or changes in them.

I have had a total of five cats since I left home and had each one fixed and declawed. I NEVER had a problem with them afterwards. And I mean NEVER. There was never a behavioral change or anything. They do use anesthesia and pain medication but the cats act fine after the first week. They're jumping up all over the place. I swear to you, I've never, ever seen a difference in any of my cats after getting them fixed and declawed. If anything, they tend to calm down and get more fat and lazy after getting fixed. I have a cat now who is the sweetest cat ever. I got her from the pound. She was already fixed and declawed when I got her. She is the most affectionate cat I've ever had, and I've had some great cats. She comes to sit on my lap and purr every night.

I know you don't mean to but please be careful that you aren't looking down on people or admonishing them if they make the choice to declaw their cats. I've for the most part tried to stay out of these debates but have watched threads where it seemed like some people were acting holier than thou for not declawing and looking down their noses at those who choose to declaw. They will downright make people feel guilty and horrible if they do choose to declaw. I've seen simular behavior in people who breastfeed and look down on people who choose formula and act downright nasty to people who choose formula like they're abusing their child or something.
I had a nurse and a doctor try to make me feel terrible when I chose to circumsize my son. They told me it was mutilization. It was terribly painful and unnecessary and that 1 in something like 10,000 can bleed to death and on and on. They made me sign a paper and was looking so disaproving to me when I chose that. But it was my choice. It was my son and I didn't agree with them.
I feel the same way about my cats. I have loved all my cats. They've always been so well treated and downright spoiled. They know they are loved and I don't think any one of them ever hated me for declawing them.
Sorry, I guess I do get a bit sensitive about it all. It does upset me, though, when I see people admonished and looked down upon for making this decision.
I understand about the whole declawing business. But they do surprisingly well, I think. Like I said I've always seen them jumping around and running around a week or so after the surgery. They don't act like they're in pain or freaked out or anything.
By the way, my aunt had a couple of fingers removed and it didn't emotionally traumatize her either. It didn't change who she was as a person.

I never saw my cats change either, after undergoing the surgery. The only change I've seen in my one cat is this stuff recently and it was totally unrelated. And it was a good 10 years after her declawing, btw.

Please, Savas, be more kind towards those of us who declaw our cats. I know you usually are a very kind, compassionate person, but this just upsets me and I hadn't said anything about it before.
I actually had someone pm me once almost in tears because they felt judged on here because they wanted to declaw their cat and they were scared to talk to anyone on here about it so they sent me a pm. They had seen how you all were talking about how terrible it is for people to declaw and on and on. There was a post on that awhile back. Well, this person was so upset and in tears and scared to death to talk to anyone because they had made the decision to declaw their cat. They felt judged already. I think there's something wrong when someone's afraid to come on to the Cat Forum about relating to their cat and they don't for fear of being judged. I never mentioned it before but I am now because I'm trying to say, please, let's not send people away from here because we make them feel bad for making a very legitimate decision.

I talked to a few different vets about this, too. They disagreed with what you all have said about declawing. They said they NEVER saw a behavioral change in a cat because it was declawed and that no owners ever complained about that to them. When I mentioned how people say it was inhumane, etc. they just shook their heads and disagreed.
Can we please just respect each other and all our differences? Please. Thank you, Savas. I ask this in all humbleness.
From a fellow cat lover,
April

[Savas]

Well, you should have your vet check to be sure it isn't some sort of illness. If it isn't, it's behavioral.

Unfortunately, people don't realize that declawing a cat is the same thing as cutting off a person's fingers at the first knuckle. So it's very possible that the sudden change to his disabled status is creating problems. Instinctively, kitty knows he should have claws to use in various ways... and now he doesn't.

The best thing you can try to do is be patient and understanding. Try to see if some other issue in the house or outside (noise or otherwise) is causing kitty to be afraid and thus stressed. If it isn't, you'll just have to work with him to make him as comfortable and relaxed as possible.

I'd suggest another alternative to declawing in the future if it comes up with other cats. De clawed cats can be very sweet and loving, but from what I've seen, statistically they tend to be more neurotic than "clawed" cats, with a greater chance of mental health issues leading to adopt-ability problems.