Chronic claw infection

[jezah]

I have a question about my kitty Cricketa. She seems to have an issue with chronically getting an infection on her right thumb claw. Black stuff(I am not sure what...maybe feces from when she covers her poo...ear wax from when she itches...?)accumulates around the cuticle and BAM it swells and gets pussy. I am always cleaning the black stuff away but it always comes back and causes a infection. I usually just treat it with hydrogen peroxide and anti-bacterial gel as well as 3 days of Clindadrops. However this has been going on for months and I am running out of clinda...

It goes away for like 2 weeks then comes back. It doesnt seem to bother her, she just meows a little when I clean it so I know its sensitive. I am frustrated and was wondering if anyone had a preventve strategy I could try...or anyone else had a similar issue???

 

[jennyr]

Hello and welcome to you and Cricketa (what an unusual name). Has she ever had any antibiotics for this infection? I would guess that maybe despite your careful cleaning that the pool of infection does not go away and crops up again at regular intervals and that she may need more than you are able to do at home. There may be an abscess under the claw. I would suggest a vet visit - they can do deep cleaning and prescribe whatever is necessary to clear it up for good.

 

[panther pride]

Be careful if cricketa scratches you, you could end up in the hospital! My dad once got scratched by a cat with a claw infection and he had to be put on fulids and everything. Go to the vet ASASP!

 

[tuna]

definitely get a diagnosis from a healthcare practitioner.
are you vaccinating?
many skin ailments result after vaccination...

a wonderful natural healing product is calendula cream but it has to be pure calendula in a cream base. the best manufacturer is weleda. it is such a powerful skin healer that if there is anything in the skin it will heal the skin right over it so be careful that there are no foreign objects like sand in the skin. you can use it instead of hydrogen peroxide which is actually detrimental to the skin after the first use. only use it once to clean the area and after that it takes the skin off layer by layer and prevents healing...

 

[mzjazz2u]

One thing you can do is draw some water in a sink as warm/hot as you can get it without causing burns to the cat. Put epsom salts in the water and stand the cat in it for as long as you can get him to stay there (at least 10-15 min). Of course, you have to stand there and hold them. But the epsom salts draws out all the pus, from what I understand. I had to use it when one of my cats was sick and had all his toes with pus coming out of them.

Check with a vet before using any homeopathic/natural treatments. Even natural things can be toxic to an animal when it may be fine for a human.

 

[kmkelly127]

My Vinny has the same thing -- on ALL of his claws. The black stuff shows up on each one, but only 2 or 3 pus. The vet told me that it's nothing to worry about, especially because it doesn't bother him when I "clean" them, litter doesn't get stuck on them, and after TWO antibiotics which didn't help at all. The lady who had Vinny before we got him is a co-worker of mine, and she said he's always had the problem, since he was a kitten, and the vet I go to is the same vet Vinny's seen since he was born so he knows his past history about it.

 

[usiwine]

If your cat is getting this on every claw then it is most likely due to an immune disorder or systemic disease. My kitten ended up with a crust on every claw and 1-2 of them would start to pus. We put here on a low dose steroid daily and the problem resolved.