My cat's paw has a red bald spot. Not sure what to do- please help :(

A few (maybe two or three) weeks ago my family adopted a cat! He settled in seamlessly and fit right in. He showed no signs of stress when he moved, walking around the house purring and meowing and cuddling next to us right away! Recently, though, I noticed that he has a red spot above the pad of his paw on his front leg. Google is telling me a lot of things and I'm concerned whether it's serious or not. He doesn't seem too irritated by it.



He's about one year old- he was adopted from the ARK, who claimed that he was perfectly healthy and was checked over by a vet. Does anyone know the cause of this? And if so, is it serious?

Thanks!

Also: The people who worked there said he was found abandoned near a forest with his brother when he was a kitten. Is it possible that something happened to them around that time that could have caused this?

Congratulations on adopting your new furry little friend.  Glad he's settling in so quickly. 

As to what that bald spot might be, it's really impossible for any of us here to tell you.  We're not Vets, for one thing, and just seeing a picture just isn't enough to make a diagnosis even if we were.

Since he is so recently adopted, can you take him back in to the Shelter and have the Vet there look at it for you? 

When you touch the area, does that seem to bother him?  Does it look like a wound (open, raw), or just a bald spot?  If it doesn't bother him and doesn't appear to be open, then you could just keep an eye on it for any changes.  It's possible he burned it at some time and it's a scar, I suppose.  I really can't tell from the picture.  Does it look like that at all?