Infected Claw

Well his claw looks so much better we are going to keep doing what we are doing and check it again on Friday. As long as it continues to improve then we don't have to worry about surgery!!!

YAAAAAYYYY! Thanks for the happy update. You are doing such a good job with him! That pic of him soaking his claw is the cutest picture EVER! :heart3:

That is great news! Well done looking after him so well. He looks like such a sweet boy and reminds me of my Pushy (except for putting up with his paw being soaked!)

Awesome news!

That is great news! Continuing to send good vibes your way.

CatNamedPanda said:

Well his claw looks so much better we are going to keep doing what we are doing and check it again on Friday. As long as it continues to improve then we don't have to worry about surgery!!!

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otto said:

YAAAAAYYYY! Thanks for the happy update. You are doing such a good job with him! That pic of him soaking his claw is the cutest picture EVER! :heart3:

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Keep up the good work, momma - and Bailey!!!

Hi ! 

Thanks for posting this thread. My cat suffers from the same condition and it's been driving me insane for years. My cat, May, got this when she was about 1 year and she is 8 this year. It started on one claw and I initially thought it was from her being stuck on my carpeted stairs by the claw. She had one claw on her front paw stuck in the carpet and had twisted and turned so much she couldn't get loose. I freed her and thought nothing more of it (apart from buying more scratching posts and encouraging her to go out and use her feet more, she's quite an anxious cat and outdoors is a bit terrifying for her) It was a good few weeks later that I noticed she had a bit of a limp and would sit holding her paw up. When I examined her paw it looked like your picture only worse. Very crusty and the area around the claw bed was red and swollen. Also if you gave her claw a wee squeeze a thick pus came out. Mostly a creamy colour but sometimes green.

 So off to the vets we went. Antibiotics and painkillers were given but my vet said she hadn't seen anything like this before. We were to take the meds for the full course and comeback if it was still there. The pain relief helped I think, certainly May would at least let me look at her toes but the claw didn't clear up. We went back to the vets and were given a 2nd round of antibiotics.

They didn't clear it up either and I'd noticed a 2nd toe with same problem on her other front paw. Back to the vets again and this time she decide to do a swab of the pus to see if the lab can grow any culture from it, then we would know what bacteria we were dealing with and how to treat it. This time we were sent away with anti-bacterial wash and some drops to put on her claws (sorry I can't remember the name of the meds).

The wash seemed to help with the only problem being that my cats hate water. Despite being torn to ribbons I managed to keep washing her paws.

The lab results came back clear, which is great but doesn't explain what this is.

 After £250 I couldn't afford any more tests or meds and the vet couldn't come up with any more answers so we decided that anti-bacterial washes were the way to proceed. Over the years we've been through most of her claws, sometimes it's just one sometimes it's two or three.

So 7 years on and May currently has 3 infected claws. On her front left paw it's 2nd from the left and on her front right paw it 3rd from the right and the dew claw. All are at different stages of 'infection'. I would post pics but I've just washed her paws and she's not talking to me. I have noticed it's never the back paws, always the front.

I have ran out of wash and will need to go back to the vets soon so will ask about the meds we've had in the past.

Through out these past years I have tried so many things to help her. We been through every type of cat litter (we now use the pellets that turn to sawdust) we've tried all sorts of cat food and more recently pheromone plug -ins (expensive!). May is quite a greedy cat and I've noticed seems to comfort eat. I don't know if she doesn't like going out because her feet are sore or is the anxiety but she's not one for running around much. She'll play with toys for a bit but tends to wander off leaving me shaking a fish on a stick like a fool.

May has a brother,Tiger, who I've had for the same time and had lived in the same conditions and has had no problems with his claws at all. He loves going out and generally is healthy. I don't know what to do really. Any help would be appreciated. until I can photograph her toes here's a pic of May lying on my bed and one of Tiger lying in the grass

I have noticed my 10 year old cat has this problem with her claws. 1 or 2 on each of her front paws. So long as I keep them clean, they seem to not get infected and when I see any sign of infection, I clean them real good, put a little neosporin mixed with an antifungal cream like clotrimazole and wrap them with a little breathable gauze. I have studied this a little bit and understand it can happen to cats that are ill and may be a nail type fungus. My cat has an internal tumor the vet is keeping an eye on and it might be a cancer tumor. That would likely compromise her immune system and cause this to occur but I too believe this will be an ongoing problem. So long as she is eating, happy and loveable, I keep doing what works. However, next time I take her to the vet, I will discuss this issue with him as well. I have heard if they get too infected, the vet may recommend to remove the claw. However, I do not want to do that to her. I feel this will wind up spreading to all her front claws and eventually they will all have to be removed. I understand that to be very painful for an older cat. I will wait and see and in the mean time keeping them clean is most important.

My cat Emily had this same problem; claw would get infected, vet would clean it and send her home with antibiotics. I have two other cats and neither of them had any problems. After the fourth treatment I took her to another vet who looked for a cause and didn't just treat it. The sheath that her claws retract into aren't lined up right with her claws which allows all sorts of litter and dirt to get trapped inside and cause the infection. We only removed the one claw and the infection was so deep, despite numerous treatments that had been labeled successful, that he had to take it down to the second knuckle not just the first! I felt horrible because she was about 7 at the time and I thought losing a claw would be extremely traumatic for her. After the third day she was so much happier than she had been and wanted to play. she still has all the other claws and has not had a problem since. I know it's extreme and invasive but just like having a deeply infected tooth pulled, it was more of a relief for her than a trama.

I treated my kitties claw with generous hydrogen peroxide swabbings with qtips twice daily for a month. He hasn't had any more. I Would hold him for five minutes after getting swabbed so he couldn't lick if off

like you I recently discovered my baby has the same problem. I've not yet been able to get him to vet. Have tried wetting and dousing with table salt, Neosporin and hot spot. How long are you soaking? And how often? My guy is not co-operative but I haven't had the money yet to get him to the vet. I don't want to lose him 

Hi Tammie and welcome to TCS!

This thread is quite old and you will probably not get a response from the member who started it.

I'm concerned about your boy... There are ways to organise paying off vet bills.  I'm not the best person to advise about it as I'm in Australia, but others may be able to help.  It sounds like he really does need to be seen.