Cut on paw pad, how to make a splint or something to keep off of it?

One of the foster kitties has a cut in the paw pad. It is cut, there is nothing stuck in it and I would like to clean it out and put something on it so that she stays off of it. Is there a site that shows how to put a splint on a cats paw so she can't walk on it?? Is this necessary? I think it should be wrapped because evrytime she goes to teh litterbox, there is risk of infection...

According to a friend's vet, it's dangerous to splint an animal's limb yourself. It could impair their circulation or cause other injury. If the cat needs anything more than a bandage, it should be done by a vet.

Front leg or hind leg? Hind leg would be harder to do, I think.

When Pumpkin's leg was broken, the break was near the shoulder (front leg)..she was too small to do much but bandage it. So the vet secured the top half of her front leg to her chest. The bandage went around her leg and chest, passing under the "armpit" of the other front leg. The purpose was to immobilize her shoulder but it also kept her off of it. The lower half of her leg hung there, off the ground...it had to. She would try to use it but it was almost impossible.

There's a name for that particular wrapping technique but I don't recall what it is.

Last summer, Oliver cut his paw pad open on the track to the sliding glass door when my mom accidentally scared him... he bled all over and of course the styptic stung, which he didn't like... I bandaged him up enough to crate him and get him in to Dr. Kathy... I knew just bandaging wouldn't be good enough since he'd just chew it off and reopen the cut.... Dr. Kathy cleaned the wound out again and used skin glue to repair the cut (it's what they use after declaws to close up the toes - the military's been using it forever in the field too), put him in an E-collar to prevent chewing and put him on Clavamox (just in case, since he's FIV+) and a homeopathic remedy just to calm his nerves... although he hated the E-collar, this worked just fine - he was able to use the litter box and all as usual

It is her back leg. She walks on it but the more she does, the more it will stay cut I would think and risk infection... I don't have to split it, that was just a thought...bandage it somehow? i jsut want to protect the cut so it can heal.

It might be a good idea to gently wash it with soap and water periodically. Or, better yet, have a vet give you a topical antibiotic -- I've seen this used. One is a brown liquid you dilute in water and apply to the outside of the wound once a day.

I actually use human first aid cream on my cat's small scrapes and cuts, but I can't recommend this for anyone else, since it's not supposed to be ingested and the cat does end up licking some. I try to rub it between my fingers first so only the slightest layer is applied to the cat; also, this way he's less likely to notice it and try to clean the area.

Provided the cut isn't deep enough to require stitches, it should heal on its own if it's kept clean.