Cat Cut Her Paw

[smosmosmo]

I'm sorry about the constant posting, it seems my kitty is on a mission lately to make her mama worry!

Her previous owner kept her as an indoor/outdoor cat, and I haven't been able to break her of that habit completely yet - she gets to wander as far as the porch with supervision in the daytime. I think she may have hurt her paw early this morning, as I found a couple small spots of blood on my bedsheet earlier when she was digging around on it furiously (one of her hobbies).

She is no longer bleeding and doesn't seem to be in distress - she was licking her front paw earlier but wasn't doing so compulsively. She is walking normally and there doesn't seem to be anything stuck in the paw. I'm heading to the store soon for peroxide and Neosporin to clean the cut. Is there anything else I should do? I was considering paper litter too but am anxious about changing up anything about her litterbox, since she's the type of cat to avoid using it if something about it seems "off" to her. I was gonna scrub out her box later and buy her a new, clean litter scoop to minimize bacteria transfer, but I'm wondering if that's enough.

Also, is this the type of thing that warrants a vet visit? I'm trying to avoid one unless absolutely necessary because she is so incredibly fearful of them. I plan on keeping her indoors and monitoring her carefully, but want to make sure I'm doing the right thing.

 

[Kieka]

What a very lucky catto have such a caring family. I wouldn't use peroxide, just some soap and water. The Neosporin should be a very thin layer because your cat will try to lick it. Make sure the Neosporin is plain without pain relievers. For a small scratch on the paw pad I wouldn't do a vet appointment right away. Just watch it and take her in if anything seems off.

 

[duckpond]

Very glad you care, and are willing to do what it takes to keep her happy and healthy! I think with a small cut i would give the same advice as Kieka.

However if she has not had a recent vet visit, or any since you got her i would try to do that soon. Do you know if she has had her vaccinations, had parasite treatment, that kind of thing? My cats are healthy, but i do keep up with the yearly wellness checks, just to help be sure they stay that way. My cats dont like it either, but they are normally over it in a few hours of getting home. They snub me and will not let me pick them up for a few hours or so Usually until its time to eat.

 

[smosmosmo]

She had a vet visit exactly two weeks ago, where she got a full check-up and her booster shots. You're lucky yours are so cooperative! I would take being snubbed for a few hours, mine acts like the world is ending lol. My girl's super anxious and that last vet visit was really hard on her, so I'm doing what I can to avoid another one unless it's absolutely necessary. She will definitely be going if she has to, though.

I'm going to do the Neosporin without pain relievers as Kieka suggested, and pick up some Betadine and maybe some epsom salts just in case. I might even see if she'll use that paper litter, just so she doesn't keep opening up the cut before it can heal.

 

[smosmosmo]

Wanted to update and ask for advice - it's been exactly three days since Smo hurt her paw. She had what looked like a paper cut along the edge of her left carpal pad, which I think she nicked on a piece of brick jumping off the wall. The cut seems healed to the point where you can no longer really see it, although I haven't been able to get a really close look - she's hesitant about us handling her paws after we applied Betadine to her. There is no redness and no swelling at all.

She's getting serious cabin fever and really wants to go out for a bit. Would this be okay if someone is supervising her? I'm mainly worried about something from outside getting on her paw.

 

[Nadeau424]

I cant figure out how to make my own post so im sorry to piggy back off yours but my 5 month old kitty had what looked like a paper cut on her paw i couldnt find any blood or any place it could have happened shes an indoor cat only it didnt seem to bother or effect her in any way now days later i notice its scabby and yellow just womdering of i should bring her in she still doesnt seem bothered by it she lets be touch it just worried thanks and sorry again new here and cant figure it out

 

[smosmosmo]

How long has it been since she hurt her paw? With mine it took over 10 days for the cut to look totally healed, but I didn't notice any swelling or yellow discharge. We kept her indoors the entire time and applied disinfectant whenever she would allow us to, and she healed up fine. In the meantime we didn't let her out and kept floors, surfaces and her litterbox immaculate to minimize anything getting into the wound.

The cut in your photos doesn't look too bad - is it worse in person? If the wound is leaking discharge it could be a sign of infection and should be checked out by a vet. If it's closed up and just scabby I would apply Betadine for a couple days to make sure the cut stays clean. I definitely recommend doing a board search on here ("cat" & "cut paw" worked for me), there's some very thorough advice on the boards about minor wound care.

 

[Nadeau424]

Its definitely closed up so to me it looks to be healing but again im unsure i noticed the cut on monday i just thought she would be fine sense she didnt change in behavior and wasnt paying any attention to it but noticing it to be yellow and scabby today it worries me but it doesnt seem to be bothering her but i also noticed its on her toe as well and trying to google things got me no where

 

[Nadeau424]

Heres a better one theres a scab inbetween the two paws but she wont let me get a good picture of it

 

[Nadeau424]

This is what i was tryin to describe

 

[smosmosmo]

I googled like a crazy woman when Smo cut her paw (she actually ended up having a couple cuts like yours, probably from a clumsy dismount), and Betadine was recommended by a lot of people. I would get a hold of some ASAP and disinfect her paws, and make her litterbox is kept super clean.

From what I can see in your pics the wounds look scabbed up and on their way to healing. Are they leaking at all? I would take her into the vet if there's yellow discharge but if the cuts are "dry," disinfect regularly and keep a very close eye on her. Also give your vet a call tomorrow morning for peace of mind and see if they advise coming in.

 

[smosmosmo]

Okay I just saw your updated pic and it looks like a scab, but I'm no expert - maybe other posters have seen something like it before?