I have a 3 year old indoor cat without front claws: Is it OK to make him an outside cat?

No, you made a lifetime commitment to care for and protect this kitty when you declawed him! The claws are gone and cannot be replaced, thus we need to solve this situation as best as possible for everyone in the household.

Now, the only way you can make this kitty an 'outside' kitty is to provide him with a save environment, such as a screened porch/patio or a specially designed cat enclosure. I have attached several links to give you some ideas. Also, if you are considering this as a permanent move, the enclosure must be climate controlled.

The peeing on the dog's bed could be a behavior problem stemming from the declawing, but it could be a medical problem, too. Give this kitty the benefit of the doubt and schedule a wellness checkup with his vet.

If there is no medical cause for the peeing, look into something to ease the tension in the home. Is it possible he is afraid of the dog since he cannot defend himself now?

Try the Bach Flower Essence Rescue Remedy or the pheromone Feliway. I have attached links to both of these for further reading.

Finally, if nothing works and he continues to pee on the dog's bed, please consider finding him a home without dogs and possibly other cats.

Purrs to you and kitty.

No its not okay because like the guy in front of me said its defenseless. Is he fixed? Getting him fixed will reduce if not stop the spraying altogether. Did you recently get the dog? He may feel ignored or just doesn't like the dog. There are sprays you can put on the bed to keep the cat off of it. Or if its only the bed he pees on then just put it somewhere where the cat can't get to it.

Sending a de-clawed cat outside is not a good idea. The cat is basically defenseless. He's peeing on the dogs bed because he's having a problem with the dog and/or you.

NO!

If you’re thinking about having your cat declawed, there are many things you should know before you make your decision. The surgery is basically an American trend, and is considered inhumane and is illegal in many countries (England, Scotland, Wales, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Slovenia, Portugal, Belgium, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Yugoslavia and Japan). If that doesn’t impact your opinion about declawing, maybe this website will help you decide: http://community-2.webtv.net/stopdeclaw/declawpics...

I believe that people who have their cats declawed are uneducated and lazy. It is not very difficult to train your cat to use a scratching post. The surgery is not simply a trimming of the claws, it’s an amputation of the distal phalanx, including bones, ligaments, and tendons! To remove the claw, the bone, nerve, joint capsule, collateral ligaments, and the extensor and flexor tendons must all be amputated. If you were to make a comparison, it would be like having the last joint of each of our fingers chopped off. So of course it is a painful surgery, with a painful recovery. There are often many complications in the healing process, including infection often from litter box use, resulting in a life-long aversion to the litter box. Other declawed cats that can no longer mark with their claws, will mark with urine instead, resulting in inappropriate elimination problems.

Many cats who have been declawed are traumatized and become withdrawn, nervous, fearful and/or aggressive. Cats who went through the painful surgery are more prone to resort to biting when they feel threatened. Since cats have emotional feelings (just like we do) they can resent you if you decided to get them declawed. All of these things can cause depression and ultimately lead to an overweight cat.

If a cat who has been declawed accidentally escapes, he/she would be in great danger. A cat needs it's claws to defend itself, as well as to escape by climbing. The constant state of stress, caused by a feeling of defenselessness may make some declawed cats more prone to disease. Also they cannot stretch their back and shoulder muscles like they do naturally when they dig their claws into a scratching post.

One popular alternative is Soft Paws. They are lightweight vinyl nail caps that you glue on the cat's front claws. They're great for households with small children and are extremely useful for people who are away from home all day and can't exercise the watchfulness necessary to train a cat to use a scratching post. Soft Paws are easy to apply and last about four to six weeks. They come in clear or colors--which are really fun.

If your cat is scratching your furniture or rugs, here is some advice on training them to use a scratching post:

Most common types of damage are scratched furniture, ripped carpets and shredded wallpaper. You want to eliminate the problem before it occurs. Buy or build a stable, tall scratching-post, right from the start. Here are some tips to do it right:

• The post should be at least two feet high, covered with sisal-rope

• Get more than one, especially when you have a multi-cat household

• Place the post close to the furniture or other areas which are most at risk

• Introduce a new scratching-post with some catnip sprinkled on its surface. Cats love that and it’s more attractive to them

• If your cat starts scratching the "wrong" object, say "NO" and gently carry your cat to the desired post. Demonstrate how to use it by scratching the post with your own nails. If the cat doesn‘t catch on after trying this repeatedly for a few days, gently pick up his paws rub them along the post.

• Never force your cat. When it starts scratching the post by itself, make sure you use verbal praise with a rewarding treat and affection. The cat needs to know that using the scratching post results in positive things such as affection, playing and treats.

• When you have a kitten, start early with the "pawing at post" technique

• Invest in what’s called a “cat tree” which acts also as a leisure area for your cat. Different textures and heights make it more interesting, you perhaps want to build it yourself

• Try some repellent like pepper-dust or some commercial products on your furniture to keep your cat off these areas

• Be persistent and don't give up too soon

Trim her claws once a week. Here's a website that shows you how: http://www.catscratching.com/htmls/article.htm

Putting him outside won't help this. It will hurt him.

http://home.hiwaay.net/~keiper/indoors.htm

You will need to learn some other litter training methods:

http://www.howtodothings.com/pets-and-animals/a189...

Maybe the box is in the wrong place, or he wants some privacy. Get a different type of box, or litter. If this continues, seek professional advice from a vet.

Good luck!!!

the cat will pee on the dog bed because he's a cat and the dog's a dog. if you let the cat outside he is more likely to get killed because he has no self defeance

Putting a declawed cat outdoors is likely a death sentence for him. I wish people would listen when we tell them cats develop bad behaviors like this after declawing. Get with your vet and find a solution. It's not his fault. Good info here:

http://declaw.lisaviolet.com/

No. The inappropriate urination is not the cat's fault. It is something the vet "neglected" to tell you when he did the surgery.

Dont do it! The poor thing wont be able to defend itself! better keep him in.........please

No.