My cat limped, has weird paw clump. What to do? Vet or home care?

Hi, in the first picture it looks like there could be a bit of infection as the fluid seems cloudy. Looking at the second one the skin lesion looks more like podo dermatitis, an inflammation of Jeff's pad. I think it is worthy to have hm checked over, in order to get some medications and help him towards a speedy recovery. If you don't take him to see your vet, his foot will continue to get worse and every time he puts his foot down to walk he will be in a lot of pain. I think your vet will not need to run tests but just give him some medications and therefore cost should be limited. All the best and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach !

A clot that causes limping is VERY painful. We do not expect cats that have thrown clots to recover without significant treatment. So, that certainly makes it less likely that Luna had a clot. However, I would strongly recommend having her examined to see what is going on. It certainly is not normal for a 6 year old cat to be limping. If Luna does not do well at the vet, maybe a house call vet would be a good option for her. I'm not sure if there is one in your area, but this might be a good place to look for one. http://www.homevets.org/Find_A_Mobile_Vet.html Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that Luna feels better soon. Thanks for using PetCoach.

It is impossible to know what is causing him to be lame without an examination. The best thing would be to have a vet take a look at him to do an orthopedic examination and take an xray, if needed, to determine the exact cause. He could have an infection, fracture, or strain/sprain. Once diagnsed, your vet can decide the best way to treat his problem. He may just need an antibiotic and/or an anti-inflammatory/pain medications. I hope Smokey feels better soon!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Judging from the photo, this looks quite mild so I would not be concerned about this. You can switch out her litter to something such as Yesterday's News so that it is not painful to walk on. I would also apply a topical ointment such as Sentry wound cream (can be found at Petco) and apply twice daily for 3-5 days. This should heal fine on its own. If you begin to notice swelling of the foot or pus coming from the area, then I would take her in to be seen by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

If it just started you can let her rest for a few days with minimal walking and minimal physical exercise, if it does not improve within 3-4 days you will have to take her to the vet in order to get it checked and treated, she might need pain killers for a few days. if the vet think it's something more serious such as a fracture, joint injury or foreign body, he might recommend to have an xray done as well.

Poor kitty. Unfortunately the photo is too dark to really get a good look at the paw. I do see some crusting there though, which leads me to think this is just an infection and not likely skin cancer. Feel free to repost another photo with a second forum question, with better lighting to verify. If it is just infection, then you can try soaking the paw in Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water or Chlorhexidine solution 3% diluted into a light blue mixture to help clean this antiseptically. Then a vet visit will be needed to get Cream on some antibiotics (oral or injectable). I hope that Cream's foot heals well soon! Best wishes and take are.

Poor kitty, that looks a bit painful in the pictures. My biggest concern here is the smell you are describing. This smell could be due to infection, but without seeing her in person, I can't say for certain. I do think the best thing to do is have her seen by a vet. If the nail is infected, then the vet can prescribe pain medication. Give her vet a call now to make her an appointment. I hope this helps.