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605060 tn?1220070397

Injured paw - how serious?

Our cat has been avoiding the use of his back left foot for the past 2 days. I tried to look at it, but he was very cautious in letting me get close, and pulled it away several times.  I wasn't able to see any visible cuts or blood or anything.  He has been quite calm and cuddly as usual - even letting me pet his injured paw (on top).  

Today, however, we can see that the paw is very swollen.  He is still very calm (does not seem traumatized or too skittish), but definitely careful about his injured paw.  My husband was able to look a little closer a few minutes ago and did find a tiny bit of crusted blood around the "pad" of his paw.  We still can't really see any scratches or anything.  

My questions are: Based on his calm demeanor and lack of obvious abrasions, can we wait until tomorrow to take him to a vet, or should we be more concerned about his injury and rush him to emergency?  Is there anything we can do at home tonight to ease his discomfort and/or swelling?
21 Responses
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874521 tn?1424116797
see a Vet ASAP!!!!!!!
Helpful - 0
17286676 tn?1455298225
what should i do if my cat wont eat or drink any thing and wont get up he barley breathing i dont no what to do
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
WHAT HAPPENED WITH YOUR CAT?????? pLEASE LET US KNOW
Avatar universal
My cat is just like yours, please help, my parents wont take him to a vet and wont keep him inside. I read all these posts and now I'm really worried he might be badly injured.
His front paw is hot, not visibly swollen, and he wont put pressure on it. I cant see blood or injuries, but his claw looks wonky. Dont know if that matters. Its gotten worse since yesterday, but he is really calm. What can i do??
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi. I have a cat called Lydia and she has a deep cut on the top of her right back paw. I noticed it yesterday night but just thought it was a little cut. This morning i noticed that it was actually quite deep and she was limping. She has her normal personality still and i have noticed she's been licking it. Please help and thank you!!!
Helpful - 0
5370407 tn?1367007091
My cat simba, has a swallen paw, and he cant walk on it, hes just hopping around, but hes eating, drinking, still wants to go out, should I be worried? Help please im worried :(
Helpful - 0
4490968 tn?1355382692
I found a 2 month old Kitten on Tuesday, he's a Tabby (I'm a sucker for Tabbies) and decided to take him home and I named him Marco, I fed him  gave him some water and went out to buy him food and a Litter box. I thought I saw him  that day not sure but Wenesday I came home  and he was jumping on the counters following me around and in good spirits as he was the day before but later that evening my husband brought to my attention he was limping after asking my older child and husband did they step on him they all said no, any ways I noticed his paw was swollen after talking to a friend who is a vet assistant and reading some posts on the internet of swollen paw I figured he had an abcess and wanted to do something becuase I don't have any money until Friday and won't be able to take him to the vet... So I got a warm soap and water ( I used dawn soap) and another bowl of warm water after cleaning and please let someone help you my cat tried to fight me , then I put warm wet towel and held it there for 10 min I did this at least 3x and sure enough it was an abcess it started draining and there was the wound a deep hole I immediatley called the vet because I wanted to be sure of wound care that is open I was told to let the air  heal it, don't put any topical ointment such as A&D ointment ,neosporin cause it will make him sick and don't cover it because he could get septic infection but to clean it and put warm compress on it until its healed or until I go to the vet  for  4x a day for 10 min at a time well I know the swelling went down and he wasn't limping much afterwards so I will keep everyone posted but I know this saved me hundreds of dollars and I was still able to show this little guy some care to let him know I will be his cat mom for as long as he lives
Helpful - 0
242912 tn?1660619837
COMMUNITY LEADER
You don't say where you live, but this could be a spider bite...a spider bite would be VERY difficult to see in all that fur.  Could also be snake bite (I read that a few posts above yours).  
Helpful - 0
242912 tn?1660619837
COMMUNITY LEADER
Hello Kat & Welcome....Please do NOT give Blue anymore Tylenol!  Tylenol can be fatal for cats!  You didn't give him the whole pill did you? :(  NEVER give animals human meds without consulting your vet first.  

This sounds like a possible abscess.  He may of been bitten but has now licked it so much, it's healed over, however, the infection is still there, just now spreading underneath.  Of course this is only one guess of many.  I would get Blue to the vet for an xray at the very least.

Keep us updated! :)
Helpful - 0
874521 tn?1424116797
DO NOT GIVE TYLENOL TO A CAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this will kill him..he needs to see a Vet, theres is no home remedy for a swollen leg/arm...do NOT give medications PLEASE.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Don't know what to do?  My cat Blue who is a tom cat has a swollen front right arm. He shows no signs of bite marks or oozing. He was limping on it till I gave him tylenol. 24hrs later and its still swollen. What do you recomend??? PLEASE HELP!!
Helpful - 0
874521 tn?1424116797
the swelling in the upper leg could mean its broken and thus would need a Vet.....if its only a muscle injury it will heal on its own, how did the injury happen? Anytime your not sure abt something its always best to have a Vet check it out......good luck:)
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
my cat has injured his front right leg, his leg is swollen in the for arm area. he will not put any pressure on his leg. is ther anything i can do at home to help him?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I looked up this post because my cat had a swollen paw this moring; at first she was just limping but then it swelled up real bad within an hour or so; we took her to the emergency clinic, this being a saturday, and vet there immediately thought it was a snake bite!  Copper head.  We live in a subdivision, but there is a creek nearby and woods -- they are keeping her for ivs and observation overnight; it will probably cost like $400.  But how could I not get  her treated, poor thing. So you never know. And to me i saw no bite marks. Get it checked out by a vet if you can when you don't know.  Idon't think I'll let her be an outdoor cat anymore.  It is better for her health and my wallet!
Helpful - 0
874521 tn?1424116797
oh honey I don't know what to tell you, yes of course all those things can happen to your kitty without medical attention. would you please phone a humane society in your area for help, or phone a Vet clinic and see what you can do about a payment plan....read the top post on the beginning of this forum there are some ideas there that maybe can help you with payment......please honey try and do something for this poor kitty, can you imagine how painful this must be for him.
God bless you both♥
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have a siamese cat thats about 2 to 3 years old I have'nt had him only for about 3months but anyways about 3 weeks ago something happen to him im not sure if he was shot are another animal got a holed of him but his right back paw was injured and now he is trying to eat it off it dont look like it is infected but its red you can see his bones it looks very bad I can help him by takeing him to a doctor I cant even go to one for my self I have no can of income in my home I have had people tell me he will eat off his foot but he will live he dont act like he is hurt he still plays and lays in my lap he eats good but im so sceared he mite get gain green and mite die can anyone help
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
i have a black cat hes a male and he got out of the house like 3 or 4 days ago. his right back paw  is fat and swollen  and i look at it and i see a broken nail.i just look at it and is looks bad.. someone help me please.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have an outside male cat, Papa. I noticed a few days go that he kept licking his right back paw. I picked him up and looked at it and noticed that two of his claws are broken and one seems to be missing. What should I do. He doesn't seem to be in any pain. And there doesn't seem to be any swelling.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
My cat got into a fight with another cat over his territory.  He was injured or cut on his paw. What should I do?
Helpful - 0
228686 tn?1211554707
Do take care of it quickly. i have a cat (his picture is on my page) called "T.F."...he's a great guy, but he's also only got three toes.

He was acting exactly like your cat, only he spent most of the first day or so under the bed...the delay before we noticed the problem caused the swelling to become gangrenous, leading to the amputation of the toe.

Sadly, it did affect his personality. it was almost two years before he'd let anyone touch his feet. (sounds funny, but a pain when you want to do spot infections).

He's also, strangely enough, developed a fear of thunderstorms...
Helpful - 0
152660 tn?1291755571
I had a cat that did the same thing.  She had an abcess between her toes. OUCH.  They had to put her under, shave her paw and pop it open to clean it.  She was pretty good after that until she quit walking on it again.  My mother and I took a warm washcloth and got it to pop open again and squeezed it out.  It may take a few times to get it completely healed, but they are fairly simple.
Helpful - 0
541150 tn?1306033843
I guess you can wait until tomorrow. However, I've seen cats and dogs at the emergency clinic for as little as a minor discomfort of the hind or front leg. Your cat is in obvious pain. A swollen leg, the cat not letting you touch the area and limping is all sign of pain. According to what you've said, the cat might have fallen or got hit by something, and whatever he has in that leg has been progressively getting worse. It might be a broken bone or a bug bite that has now become abcessed. The vet may put him on antibiotics or perfrm x-rays if he/she suspects a broken leg.
What can you do at home? Try to keep him comfortable. Don't let him walk too much) He mustn't use that leg at all until you know what his problem is. I guess there isn't much you can do.
IS he an outdoor kitty? If he is there is a chance that another cat bit him, in which case rabies should also be considered. So you see, I would take him to the emergency clinic.....
Helpful - 0
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