Pillow Paw caused by Fresh Step litter?

[Ninareya]

This is strange because my kitten started having swollen paw (pillow paw). Then she started having her back paw swell too. We took her to the vet and gave her amox antibiotics. No improvement. She was going pee and poo in the tub and in other random places. I used the Fresh Step febreeze and Purina Tidy cats kitty litter. She was ok with the tidy cats kitty litter, but the smell was bad. So we put Fresh instead. But woke up this morning to poo in the tub. I am starting to think she has an allergy to the kitty litter. I need to take her to the vet again because her little paws still hurt.

 

[FeebysOwner]

It may not be the litter brand, but the litter in general. Her paws are sore, and the litter likely irritates them. You might consider some other form of litter for now - something like Yesterday's News (recycled newspaper) or even puppy pee pads - to see if she will use a litter box with one of these type products.

Check with the vet to see if they think an allergy to litter could cause what you called 'pillow paw'. I understood this condition to be tied to auto-immune disorders, which are typically treated with not just antibiotics but steroids as well. Pillow Paw in cats is a foot pad disease, whereby excess plasma is produced and the padding of the paw becomes soft, swollen and inflamed. If this is a true form of pillow paw, things like immune-support supplements, and even dietary changes, can help reduce recurrence. Ask your vet about this angle.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Pillow Foot is formally known as Feline Plasma Cell Pododermatitis. Litter can indeed be the cause of it, or as stated above, most certainly can irritate it. I would definitely change to something non-abrasive for now, and check back with the Vet to let them know that it's not going away to see if they can treat it more aggressively. From what I've read, Doxycycline is the antibiotic of choice for this condition vs amoxicillan.