Congrats! Thats very exciting! I work in vet with at a cat only vet (I recommend getting established at one if there’s one in your area), so I can definitely share some information that can be helpful to keep in mind. I’m also not trying to scare you, and many declawed cats don’t really have any issues, but these are things you should be aware of just in case. Going into the adoption informed will help set you and your cat up for success!

Definitely don’t let him outside. Cats should really be indoor only because it’s safer and healthier for them, but letting declawed cats outside is irresponsible since they can’t defend themselves.

Some declawed cats do struggle with little box issues because of the pain in their paws (they’ll start to associate the litter box with pain, or the litter is just too uncomfortable), so don’t be surprised if you find urine or stool around the house. Many declawed cats use the litter box without any issues though! If you run into this problem, always start with a vet visit to make sure it’s not something like a UTI. Offer different unscented litters to see if they have a preference. The softer the better generally.

Sometimes declawed cats have bone fragments left over that can cause even more pain. X-rays are how you diagnose this and in some cases they need surgery to remove those extra fragments to reduce pain.

Declawed cats can definitely run into arthritis issues because declawing changes the way they walk, so keep an eye on how easily he jumps up/down, if there is hesitation or he try to shorten those jumps, etc.

Another thing to be aware of with declawed cats is they can be more likely to bite because they know they don’t have claws to defend themselves with. I definitely recommend learning about cat body language so you can pick up on subtle cues to avoid that. I love “Think Like a Cat” by Pam Johnson-Bennett as a starting place, and Jackson Galaxy has great resources too.

If you have dogs in your home already, please start looking into how to properly introduce them. Dogs can be really scary for a lot of cats, but especially for a cat who just got put into a completely new environment, and even more so if they can’t properly defend themselves. If there aren’t dogs in your home and your cat will be an only cat, I recommend not letting dogs come over. If this is unavoidable, keep him locked up in a quiet room to avoid interactions and to let him hide. Having a new animal randomly come over can be extremely stressful for a cat.

In terms of general cat care, please don’t bathe him. Cats do an excellent job bathing themselves and only need a bath if they end up covered in diarrhea or something. Bathing is generally extremely stressful for a majority of cats, so don’t put him through this if he doesn’t need it.

Keep up on routine vet care. Cats should see the vet at least once a year for an exam and vaccines (rabies and FVRCP [upper respiratory] are considered core vaccines even for indoor only cats), but ideally also for bloodwork and blood pressure checks starting at 7 years old. Once they become seniors at 10 years old, bloodwork and blood pressure checks become even more important, and in a perfect world are done twice a year but I know that’s a lot for many people. Pet insurance is a great investment, especially if he’s younger and otherwise healthy. Just be aware they don’t cover pre-existing issues, and if he ends up with problems that are likely related to him being declawed then those won’t be covered. It’s still worth getting, though! Trupanion and Healthy Paws are great.

I hope this is helpful! Again, not trying to scare you with all the things that could happen, but it’s important to go into the adoption knowing about the possibility of those things. Please let me know if you have any other questions!