My cat's paw hurts when touched, but she's walking. Is it broken?

I am sorry to hear your cat is having lameness. Cats are masters at hiding pain and illness so they don't typically scream out unless there is substantial pain there. But limping and a pet not willing to place a foot down is an indicator of a certain level of pain there or else they would put entire weight on the limb and paw. This most likely is not a fracture because that pain would be very evident with her not allowing you to touch it and there would be a substantial amount of swelling there. So that leaves a muscle sprain or ligament partial/complete tear. The key is to localize where on the leg the pain is coming from, look for obvious swelling, and then treat the pet with anti-inflammatory medication if sprain is suspected or do an x-ray if the knee or joint is suspected as the source of the pain to rule out a ligament rupture. Unfortunately there are no safe over the counter pain meds available for cats but your vet has safe products to prescribe for your cat for conservative treatment at the very least to see if this will improve her condition.

Hi Gabe! This sounds quite uncomfortable for Kate. Certainly a fracture is a possibility, but since you are seeing small punctures, a bite wound and abscess (infection) in the affected leg is also possible. At this point, Kate needs to be examined by a vet immediately to determine if an abscess or fracture are present so that the injury can be treated appropriately. Unfortunately, there are no home remedies for either of these situations. I hope that Kate is on the mend soon!

I am sorry Tikvichko is not feeling well. If he is an outdoor cat I would be concerned about an abscess/infection or fracture/break in his bone. Most cats will heal from a broken bone over time however I would call your vet for pain medication for Tikvichko. Also I would recommend a good physical exam because if an infection is present he will need antibiotics to resolve the issue. Hope he feels better soon

That is possible or a dislocation or some trauma to the soft tissues. Either or which is painful. I would recommend your kitty be seen for an xray, treatment plan, and pain medication. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Clearly Tink is in pain if she holds her leg up in the air and she cries when you touch her paw. She is a little dog and if she feel from a high bed, I'm concerned she could have broken her leg. The only way to rule out a broken leg is with an x-ray from the vet. In addition, she needs pain medication which you cannot give her OTC. Many human pain medications are toxic to dogs and can be fatal if given. The best thing to do for her is take her into a vet immediately to get this examined and treated. Please do that now. Best of luck.

It is possible that Susie might have injured her paw. The injury could be related to the muscles or ligaments in the foot or it is possible that the bones may be fractured, depending on what happened. If Susie does not start walking on the foot, you should take her to the veterinarian to determine what kind of injury she has. Your veterinarian will also be able to prescribe pain medications and/or anti-inflammatories that will make Susie more comfortable. In the meanwhile, do not give her any human pain medications as these can sometimes be lethal to cats.

Cats are extremely sensitive to their paws, so she will definitely be painful and crying for a while. I cannot tell the extent of the damage from the pictures, but I would need to physically see the cat in order to have a better idea. The biggest worry is that something was broken. A broken bone will cause her to not walk and will cause a great amount of swelling. If you notice this, then she should go to the vet for treatment. Otherwise, she could have been bruised, which will cause some limping for a few days. You can help relieve some of the swelling and pain by gently applying ice, or ice water to the affected areas for 15 minutes twice a day. I do not recommend giving any medication, because human pain meds can be especially dangerous if given to cats. If Savanna is still very painful by tomorrow morning, then I recommend taking her to a vet for an evaluation. They will be able to get an idea of the extent of the damage and provide better pain control. I hope that helps and Savanna gets better soon.