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-   -   My Cat is afraid to jump! (http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=60632)

slowangel February 9th, 2009 05:22 PM

My Cat is afraid to jump!
 
Hi Pet Lovers: One year ago I adopted a 2 year old female Calico, and named her. Belle. She was declawed on all four and was dumped. Somehow her poor little tail got broken and had to be amputated. leaving a 2-inch stump.
I am handicapped and I know how it feels to be different, so I adopted her sight unseen. Now we're best friends. but she will. not jump. After six months she finally made it to the bed. She won't get in the window or jump on any furniture, or go up steps. Any Ideas?:cat:

babymomma February 9th, 2009 05:26 PM

Maybe Its the declawed thing? It may still be painful for her if there were complicatons during the horrid procedure. Maybe she is scared to jump on stuff because she cant use claws to climb as she doesnt have any? I am no expert on cats, not an expert AT ALL.

Did you get her examined by a vet and ask them why she isnt jumping?

sugarcatmom February 9th, 2009 05:36 PM

She likely just doesn't feel confident about jumping, no doubt due to both the tail issue (since cats often use their tails for balance), and also because she doesn't have claws to grip with and give her support if she slips. The other thing with declawing is that because it removes the last bone on each toe, it can also throw off a cat's balance, which will eventually cause arthritis and make jumping painful.

I'm so happy that you've given her a loving home.

slowangel February 9th, 2009 06:51 PM

I thought about her tail. or lack of. and balance. She has been declawed for over a year at the very least, and has no pain in her paws. She is very tempermental (permanent PMS). I think she's just crazy, like me.

Jim Hall February 9th, 2009 07:30 PM

lol well thats ok then maybe its the jumping down that hurts

try a pillow under the window

catlover2 February 10th, 2009 12:29 AM

Thanks for rescuing Calico girl. I used to breed Manx, and they have no difficulty keeping their balance, jumping, climbing cat trees, etc., nor do any of the wild naturally short-tailed cats like, bobcats and lynx. It's likely the fact that she's declawed, and either it's still painful for her, or she jumped before she was completely healed and associates jumping with pain. Does she have a lot of sensitivity in her paws? Will she let you squeeze them gently? If she doesn't show any discomfort, I wouldn't fuss about the fact she doesn't want to jump. Some people would like it that a cat can't jump on a table or kitchen counter. Perhaps a stool beside your bed or sofa may encourage her to jump.

As for her "permanent PMS", Calicos can have a lot of attitude. Unforltunately, some cats after being declawed use biting as a defense rather than a swat with a paw, if that's what she's doing, and some develop aggressive behaviour because of declawing. Hopefully with your kind patience and loving she may change.

dustybird February 10th, 2009 12:51 AM

Not an expert either but also going with the guess that she's afraid/worried about the jumping down part, remembering the pain from jumping down after the horrid procedure. Could also be that she can't grip anything like mentioned earlier. Declaws in my opinion are just wrong but what's done is done and sounds like her previous owner wasn't an animal lover. Not all vets who do declaws do a good job, by that I mean a clean cut so to speak, and some develp boney growths where the bone was removed.

Poor girl, she's lucky to have found you.

If you'd like her to be able to explore her home more you could make some carpeted ramps for her. That way she can't slip and doesn't have to jump. I suppose her previous owners could have been mean to her anytime she jumped on anything and therefore she's afraid of getting hurt/yelled at if she jumps on something and if that's the case then maybe over time she will come to realize that she is now in a loving home and it's ok for her to be a cat.

As for permanant pms, aside from the declaw maybe being an issue, it can be the calico way. We have a dilute calico and for the most part she's a real sweetie but has her calico days, which is one of the reasons we love her so much.

You can buy ramps but making them out of some cheap or scrap wood and capret ends from a carpet store may be cheaper, if you need more than one. Just be sure to hide any loose threads or staples(or whatever you use to affix the carpet).

Love to see some pictures of the darling little girl.

Love4himies February 10th, 2009 08:08 AM

What an :angel: you are for adopting this poor lost soul. :grouphug:

When I read you post, the first thing I thought of is that she had a bad experience jumping, either from the pain of being :evil: declawed :evil: or she lost her grip when she tried to jump after being declawed and hurt herself.

If this is the case it will take a lot of patience to show her how to jump.

Do you have a small foot stool that can be left in front of the couch and the window sill (make sure the windowsill have enough depth for her to jump comfortably)? Use treats to encourage her to jump from one level to the other. Maybe place her on the window sill at first to show her what is up there, then place her on the foot stool to show her where to jump to/from.

sugarcatmom February 10th, 2009 03:35 PM

[QUOTE=catlover2;745674]I used to breed Manx, and they have no difficulty keeping their balance, jumping, climbing cat trees, etc., nor do any of the wild naturally short-tailed cats like, bobcats and lynx.[/QUOTE]

Oh that's certainly the case in cats born with minimum tailage, but those that have them amputated [I]as an adult[/I] can take weeks or months to adjust to the way it effects their balance. And some never do.


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