My cat's paw is swollen and limping with sores. What can I do at home?

It is probably an abscess. You can try soaking the foot in warm epsom salt water for 5 minutes 3 times per day. That may help draw the infection out. Honestly though, most of the time oral antibiotics are also needed to get this to heal up completely. She definitely looks like she does not feel well so if you can eventually get her to a vet that would be really great.

Since he goes outside, he could also have an abscess/infection in his paw or he may have an injury. He should definitely be examined by a vet to determine the exact cause. He may need an antibiotic or an anti-inflammatory to treat. Your vet can also take an x-ray, if needed, to help diagnose. There isn't much you can do at home until we know the exact cause of the swelling. Hope he feels better soon.

He will need to be seen by a vet of course as he must be given antibiotics and pain killers, but in the meantime you can clean the area, put some antiseptic or antibiotic cream on it and bandage it. i understand it will not be easy nut this is the only thing you can do to help him without seeing a vet.

Ouch! From the picture it looks like maybe a ruptured abscess and not just an injury. I would encourage you to have him seen by your veterinarian In the meantime soaking in warm water and Epsom salts maybe helpful and make him more comfortable. Best of luck and I hope he improves soon.

While a burn to his paw is possible I would also be concerned about an infection or even a bite/sting wound. Kitty Baby needs to get his paw checked out if possible as he may need antibiotics. If that is not possible I recommend he be kept indoors and you monitor the paw. Sometimes soaking the paw in a warm water or a warm compress is helpful. Do not give any human medications as they can be very toxic to cats.

I am so very sorry to hear about your kitty! It does appear, unfortunately, that your kitty could have an infection going on in the foot here, as the area looks swollen with purulent discharge coming from the area. Unfortunately when we have an area like this, a topical treatment is usually not going to suffice and oral or injectable antibiotics is often needed. We can see infections as a result of overgrown or ingrown toenails, wounds, foreign bodies (like a piece of splinter or grass seed) entering the skin, and sometimes we can also get fungal infections. Without seeing your kitty in person it is very hard to determine. I know you say you cannot afford a vet, but I think you will have to figure out a way to get your kitty in to see the vet. They can look more closely at the toe and the nail to try to determine the cause. They may be able to do this just by looking and feeling the area, they may want to test the discharge to check for bacteria or fungus They may need to flush the wound to be sure there isn't any object lodged there. I would recommend calling the vet's office and letting them know your situation. They may have a program called Care Credit that you can apply for to help pay your vet bills with monthly payments, or they may have another program set up similar to this. If they do not, they may be able to refer you to a low cost clinic in your area. Some Humane Society's or animal shelters have lower cost services for those in need. It is best to let your vet know up front of your financial situation so that they can choose the most stream-lined and cost effective options for you from the start.

Based on your description and the appearance of the paw, my suspicion is that Finley was either bitten / scratched by another animal or he suffered some sort of puncture wound from something else. If there is a yellowish exudate emanating from the effected area, there is likely a significant infection occurring that will require a systemic antibiotic to fix. I would also be concerned about a fever. You should go ahead and obtain a temperature at your house rectally. See if it is above 102.5-103.0. If so, the infection is definitely real and Finley could probably benefit from some fluids as well and an NSAID to decrease the temperature. In order to prevent any further damage to the area, the use of a collar to stop Finley from licking his paw would be great. You can make one of these at home if you don't want to buy one commercially. Anyway, I think a vet visit would be the safest bet in this case. If you decide to wait, I really think you may ultimately end up having to go anyway but with matters only worse. Hope this is helpful.