help! my cat got something sharp in his paw pad

Is it sticking out of the pad at all or is it completly buried into the pad?

Soak the paw is a bowl of warm water and epsom salt for 15 minutes or so, then have someone hold your cat (firmly wrapped in a towel) while you try to pull the thorn out. If unsuccessful, keep soaking daily until the vet visit to try to help keep the wound clean.

If the cat normally goes outside, you've got to keep him in and keep the foot clean. Check the foot 2-3 times a day for any sign of infection.
If you're lucky, soaking will loosen it up and the cat will pull it out himself.

I second the soaking with Epsom salts for fifteen minutes if you can. It might actually feel good on his sore pad. Then try to pull out the sliver. Ouch, that must hurt and I hope you can get it out. Good luck

Verbatim from Red Cross Cat First Aid Book (I'm Certified to treat):

"Pad Wounds:

The pads of your cat's feet contain many blood vessels that cause them to bleed heavily when injured.

Signs and Symptoms
- Bleeding (may be heavy)
- Limping or not putting weight on the limb
- Wound or foreign object in pad <-----------------------------

The Most Common Cause

Stepping on a sharp object such as a thorn or a piece of glass

What you can do

1. Remove any obvious foreign object and try to stop the bleeding with direct pressure

2. Wash the area with saline solution (to make solution add 1 teaspoon of salt to 1 quart of warm water) or with warm, soapy water)

3. Dry the foot, then apply an antibiotic ointment to prevent infection

4. Bandage the foot by placing a strip of adhesive tape on each side of the foot, starting several inches above the would and extending several inches past the bottom of the foot. The tape on either side of the leg acts like stirrups to hold the bandage in place-the tape should go directly on the fur.

5. Place a nonstick pad or gauze spong over the wound

6. Wrap the paw with gauze role starting from the toes and ending just above the ankle or wrist. [not too tightly]

7. Pull the ends of the sticky tape over the end of the gauze roll bandage as far as it will go, with the sticky part twisted to face and adhere to the bandage.

8. Place an elastic or cling roll bandage over the cotton, working from the toes to the angle. Do not wrap tightly.

9. Make sure the bandage is not too tight; check for toe swelling and feel the limb just above the bandage for coolness, swelling or pain. If any of these are evident, loosen the bandage.

10. Take your cat to a veterinary hospital to get the wound assessed."

(Straight from the book). Pad wounds are truly very serious.

Yes they are very serious and open to bacteria from two sources; the cat itself and the litter pan. Your best bet is to get this kitty to a vet now and get it taken care of also, if it is 7 months old and let outside, I hope to heaven it is neutered. 7 months old is way to young to let a kitten outside- they can get into so much trouble at that age. good luck getting a kitten to hold still for a three minute soak especially for a 15 minute one!

Exactly.

The Red Cross gives the certified things that can be done while waiting to hear from the vet or while finding a vet that's open so there's the least likely chance for infection.

Also, the Epsom salt thing someone else mentioned works well for the saline solution part.

Warmly,

Julie O'

"thanks guys,
Soaking in epson salt for one and a half day helped, my cat after each session leaked the paw and finally pad is like brand new. I must add after soaking I dried the pad and treated with coconut oil as an antiseptic and lubricant.
Cat is happy again and going out. "

{{{sigh}}}

I'm glad it worked. Please keep a close eye on it as a puncture wound can look fine then get infected quickly. If there's the least bit of redness or swelling in the paw pad get to the vet.

I've had to soak many paws and legs over the years, and even my own feet after stepping on nails. Most handleable cats will tolerate it, with the worst needing toweled. Never try it on a truly skittish or semi feral. Due note, though, that it was usually done concurrent to antibiotic treatment from the vet. Expect with childhood cats when I had a father who wouldn't allow "just a cat" to go to the vet for wound treatment - the poor things probably would have died otherwise.

The most important thing that makes it work is that you don't splash the water around. In a smaller container like a plastic margarine tub the cat doesn't quite realize it's "scary" water.