Rescued declawed cat (abandoned?)

Question
QUESTION: Dear Tabby,
   Just rescued a declawed cat who has been crying near my condo and sighted for about 6 weeks. She/he finally was able to be picked up and rescued, I was so concerned as we have coyotes all over the place. Now my neighbor is adopting her into a multi-pet household which is fine all get along. BUT the problem is the declawed kitty who has been out for who knows how long wants to
get out??? My neighbor needs some ideas on what to do besides patrol the door??? My neighbor says collars on cats (for ID only)
are not good? Could it be trained to like inside, obviously it was an indoor cat as someone removed the claws (ugh). Thank You

ANSWER: Jan,

A cat will not be happy inside if it is used to being an outside cat, at least until it gets used to everything. It must have been in inside cat at one time if it is declawed. Being kept inside where there are new people and new pets, it is natural that the cat will want back outside. I would try keeping the cat an inside/outside cat at first until it gets used to being there. But it will be safer to keep the cat in at night because cat is a coyote's FAVORITE food! Maybe feed the cat by the door outside at first. If there is food (and water), the cat won't go anywhere.

It is unfortunate that it is declawed! A collar is fine as long as it is a BREAK-AWAY type, you can get two fingers under it, AND it is trained inside with the collar first. It should be tight at first until the cat gets used to it so it doesn't get it's jaw caught in it which could break the cat's jaw if it panics. You can tape your phone number or address on it.

I would post notices in the neighborhood, and call Animal Control or the SPCA to list a found cat, and also to see if there have been any missing cat reports in the last 6 weeks (or since you have seen the cat). Explain that it is declawed. The poor cat MAY belong to someone who was moving and the cat got out, or someone may have moved into the neighborhood and the cat got out and got lost. It may have been a child's pet. For peace of mind, I would at least TRY to find the owners....and who knows, you may be able to reunite them and then you would REALLY feel good! Hopefully the cat wasn't just abandoned!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Tabbi- the cat cannot go outside that we live right next to  a coyote gulch and the coyotes have stolen a small dog and many cats..SHE/HE cannot
go outside. So how do we relax her until she is comfortable? We have advertised with no results and could not leave it outside to the coyotes.
Is it true if you drive the pet around the block or something like that they get disoriented about the area and may not want to go look for rheir old home? Thank You again

Answer

click on photo   Jan,

Where did the cat go to be safe when it was outside for 6 weeks? It must have a 'safe area'.

I have never heard of driving a cat around a block. A cat goes by smell, not by sight.

Instead of putting a new cat or kitten in a separate room, I use a large dog crate (48x32x30) that I got at Petco. The cats can smell, growl, hiss, etc. at each other, and get used to each other by being together, but safely. You can let the new one out a little at the time. Plus the new one gets used to the noises and movements of the people in the home and is not secluded alone in a room by itself. For a new cat that is nervous, you can put a small cat carrier inside it with the door off for it to hide in.

I am attaching a picture of the cage that I am using for fostering some kittens. It's also great for new cats. As you can see there is plenty of room for everything.

Tabbi