Hurt paw?

Hi there,

My indoor kitty seems to have a problem with his paw. He's been licking it more often the past few days, and it looks like he has black crud between his toes now. Although he puts his full weight on the paw and scratches the post with it, he definitely gets angry when I try to examine it. I can't imagine what he would have stepped on since he lives in a carpeted apartment, so I'm thinking that maybe it is an ingrow claw and he has been over-grooming to the point of it bleeding?? Has anyone had a problem like this before? Since he doesn't appear to be in pain (playing, eating like normal) I'm hesitant to spend $100 at the vet if this is something that will go away on its own. I was thinking of dunking his paw in warm water and epsom salt to clean it up a bit, so that I could at least see if there is an injury. Advice?

Thanks,
The Professor's Mom

My kitty had an ingrown claw about 2 years ago. I did'nt know what it was for a while as she did'nt limp or favor it much, she did clean it alot- but I had no idea what it was until one day she was sleeping and her foot was hanging off the bed and I seen the dried blood I took her to the vet because I did'nt know what happened I thought something smashed her foot it turned out it was her claw

This sounds like what might have happened with your cat. When they are inddor only they don't get all the wear and tear on the claws that they do living outdoors. The older they is also a factor. The claws become thicker and more difficult to shed. I would take him to the vet, and they will be able to better understand whats going on. If it is his claw, you will want to trim his nails or have them trimmed at the vet about every 4-6 weeks. and you will probably have to buy special litter for a while until his paw heals up- the regular sandy types can get into the wound ouch! A vet visit is definatly called for though Don't worry- it should'nt cost that much

Good luck with your baby!