Ripped Nail

[CatInTrouble]

My cat just ripped off about 90% of his nail. I noticed it hanging and when I squeezed it gently with a paper towel, it popped off. There is a small sliver of nail left inside the paw. He has had problems with this nail repeatedly (overgrown, infected, etc.) He seems to be in pain and was reluctant to let me touch it, but he still insists on walking around. There is no blood. Should I bandage it or leave it be until morning when I can better examine it? I have attached the best pic I can, but as I said, he won’t let me poke around too much. If I could open the paw a little, you would still be able to see a tiny sliver of nail left.

 

[DreamerRose]

Lily did the same thing two weeks ago. It was bleeding, so I took her to the vet who bandaged it, gave her an antibiotic shot and pain pills for a few days. If you don't want to take yours to the vet, put a tiny amount of antiseptic cream on it. Bandaging it is probably not a good idea because he will quickly get it off. Lily sure did. Infection is the worst case scenario, so a visit to the vet is probably the best thing to do. It really is quite painful.