After recently having my cat declawed...?

How was your cat declawed? Was it a surgical excision or were nail trimmers used. Sometimes it depends on the method of declawing. Usually the surgical excision is the best and will get the required anatomy removed thoroughly. The nail trimmers would be the worse of the 2 because they sometimes lack the thoroughness needed for the procedure. With this said, if the entire anatomy of the claw is not removed they can regrow remnants of the claw and they need to be redone unfortunately. It's like having an ingrown toenail and it hurts. Another reason maybe that he had too much activity after the procedure for jumping, running and playing using his feet too much. Even though they don't walk on their tip toes, using their feet too much be ripping and running through the house as well as jumping up and down off of furniture and counter tops. All of these activities hinder the healing process. They have essentially had a part of their paw amputated, involving bone, and it takes awhile for complete healing. Even though they may act as if nothing is wrong they still need time to heal and heal properly. The acting as if nothing is wrong is a survival instinct. The instinct of showing the ability to survive otherwise they could end up as a meal for someone else.

So..............my suggestion is to have him re-examined by your veterinarian to make sure there is no infection from returning to his regular litter or the nail regrowth thing. He may very well be overusing his feet and hasn't allowed himself enough time to heal. If your veterinarian has any pain meds to send home with him, by all means do that. Please don't use anything you have at home you use on yourself. They can be very toxic for your kitty.

Something you can do at home is to confine him to a smaller space while you are gone and reduce his activity even when you are at home. You may see a difference in his ability to move when he wakes up if you try this for a week or two.

Good luck

P.S. Just an FYI. I don't think you did wrong in declawing your kitty as long as there is never a chance he will place outside or allowed outside without supervision and restraint.

I too have 2 kitties that are declawed and very happy. My skin is also happy from not being used as scatching post as well as my furniture.

One more FYI, one kitty I had declawed years ago was not declawed properly and I had to have the extra piece of bone removed. When that happened he was much happier and not as sensitive.

I believe animals can have "Phantom Pain" just like humans do after amputation. But I don't think this may be what's going on. It's possible the paw is infected, but usually they will lick at the paw constantly, there would be a foul odor from it and crusty discharge matting the fur around it down. It could be an inflammation process going on. Sometimes if they jump off of something high (like a dresser) they can hurt the toes and need time to let the pain settle down. I have my cat all four declawed, and she NEVER goes out of the house. I've seen too many cats get run over by cars, attacked by other animals (and people too). I'd rather have her stuck in the house where she's safe, than to allow her out where she can get hurt. And I wouldn't want to be someone who has to deal with Cat Scratch Fever. It can be potentially life threatening, but should someone give up their pet because the scratch can cause serious illness? I'd rather see the cat with a loving owner without claws stuck in the house, than getting attacked or contracting feline lukemia from another stray.

Hi,

This answer is not about animal abuse. I would not do it , but having your cat declawed is your decision. I just wanted to ask if you know that when they declaw they cut off the first joint of the toe, a portion of the bone. It could be that he somehow developed an infection in that area or the vet. could have made a mistake.

You might want to take him to the vet and see if he will examine him and maybe x-ray his paw to see if there was a problem with the declawing.

It could be he just feels weird , but you would think it would affect both paws.

Hope he is feeling better soon.

Because he was just declawed it could be an infection or because he just woke up it could be that his paws fell asleep (it happens). I would suggest to observe him for about 2 hours then if he doesn't go back to normal take him to the vet. And yes haha cat scratches do friggin hurt.

Good Luck :D

Cat Standing On Hind Legs

The surgical procedure of declawing cuts through bone, ligaments and nerves. It is possible that as the site is healing, he is having some tingling or sensitivity.

Check his paw carefully to see if there is any redness or swelling. If he continues to favor it, speak to the vet. It would be better to err on the side of caution than to let him be uncomfortable.

Purrs to you and kitty.

My vet told me cats have sensitive 'ducts' near the claw area and the scratching cats do is part of the 'cleaning' out process. Much like people clean out their lymphatic system with exercise etc. When a cat is declawed it can no longer carry out the natural process of keeping these ducts clean and cleared of bacterias. You need to keep an eye on his feet for infections and have regular vet checks.

It is possible that a bone spur was accidentally left when the declaw was performed, this is not uncommon. If this is the case, then your cat will require an additional surgery : ( Take him to your vet and have him reevaluated.

After declawing, even though the wounds have healed, the cat may suffer from a series of after-effects.

A declawed cat will need to learn to walk differently (because it doesn't have any front joints) and its body weight will rest on their feet which can even cause arthritis.

I would say its an infection. that sounds like how my kitty was acting when i had to take him to the vet. watch him, if he can't step on it take him to the vet. my Fang went from hmm, he's favoring that paw to, i don't feel like moving, to i'm in the car, but i don't want to fight (normally HATES car rides) in about 5 hours.

(i must put in my disclaimer here)

he got a puncture wound that got infected. I would NEVER EVER de-claw a cat, or make him an indoor only cat. de-clawing is like cutting off your finger at the first knuckle. being indoor only would be like living in bill gate's house and NEVER leaving it unless you had a chain around your neck or in a box!