My cat has gunk deep in his nail bed. Is it serious? How to clean?

Some cats will get this around their nail bed. It's a buildup of skin cells, dust and dirt. If he will let you, you can clean the nail by soaking his foot in warm water and using a soft brush to remove the gunk. If the nail bed is reddened and inflamed, it's a good idea to get him seen by your vet as he may need antibiotics to help him clear it up.

Thank you for including pictures of Tommy's feet! The nail bed could just be dirty causing the brown color. My own cat gets this build up on his nail beds as well, and I used a soft cloth and some warm water to clean it off. You can try that to see if the helps. As for the thing sticking out of his pad, it could be a nail that has broken off in it or it could be a benign growth. I would have him checked out by a vet for this, but I wouldn't considered it an emergency because his pad doesn't look swollen or painful.

I would recommend taking Tiny to a local vet to have the nail beds examined closer. It is possible for cats to get flea dirt or even fungal disease around there nail bed. Your vet might need to take a sample and look under a microscope to determine the cause and help provide proper treatment. I hope that helps

This can be a sign of a fungal infection of the nail base. If the nails do not appear normal it could also be a sign of certain autoimmune nail diseases. I would recommend seeing a veterinarian - ringworm is one type of fungus that could cause an infection and the treatment is very different from a yeast fungal infection so your veterinarian may want to run some tests. If there are changes to the nail or paw pads your veterinarian may want to take a sample for biopsy to rule out immune diseases like pemphigus.

Unfortunately there are no pictures attached so that we may look at the wound. However, if there is an odor as you describe, redness and tenderness, then this certainly warrants a trip to your vet to have this looked at. If there is an open wound that is deep enough, it may also requires staples or sutures. At the very least it sounds as though Cezare needs to be on antibiotics and proper wound management. Continue the Betadine cleanings 1-2 times a day until you can get Cezare seen by your vet for further care. I would also consider changing the litter to shredded newspaper or a litter called Yesterday’s News, to prevent further contamination of the wound. Best of luck with Cezare moving forward and I hope that his paw heals up well soon! Take care.

Try to wash off the area and see if it’s something like cat litter glued around the base of the nail. Moist cat litter can get gummy. If it doesn’t wash off, it’s possible there’s a bacterial infection or ringworm (which humans can get) around the nail bed and I recommend to have Stewie examined by his veterinarian. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

No, I would not be worried at this time. I suggest you clean that area with a dilution of 1 part hydrogen peroxide to 10 parts water. Just put the diluted peroxide on a cotton ball and wipe the nail bed area until clean. Hope this helps. Best wishes.