My cat touched a hot heater. Her paw looks fine, but what should I do?

Ouch! Running cold water on it was smart. Ideally, he should be seen by your vet since the burn looks like it goes through the pad. This could lead to infection. If this is not possible now, keep the area clean and dry. Use an e-collar (cone) on him to prevent licking. A dab of aloe vera gel can be applied a few times daily. Keep the e-collar on so he doesn't ingest the aloe vera. You may want to use shredded paper towels in the litterbox until the paw heals. Monitor for lameness, lethargy, swelling, discharge or odor. These are symptoms that should be addressed by your veterinarian.

What an adorable baby. I agree that she looks really young (about a week). Her paw pads don't look blistered at this time, but it is hard to tell from a picture. If she burned her paw pads, they will start to blister and peel. If that is the case, please seek care from a veterinarian. Check her paw pads a couple of times a day to make sure they look healthy. Hopefully you got to her quickly enough that it won't be a problem. Unfortuantely, I don't think there is anything you can do at this point, but wait and see what happens. I hope that helps. Thanks for using PetCoch.

Hello, thank you for tour question about Sky. Based on the photo you provided and the description I suspect that Sky did not experience any trauma or burn injury to his paw. Some symptoms of burn injuries include sensitivity of the area, limping, or ulceration of the skin. I would recommend continuing to monitor Sky for development of any of these symptoms. Additionally I would prevent Sky from licking the area as this may predispose it to an infection, you may need to use an ecollar or a sock over the affected paw. If Sky develops any concerning symptoms I would recommend having him seen by a veterinarian. Hope this helps!

This is a bad burn, but doesn't look too bad and should heal well with treatment over the next couple of weeks. The best thing you can do is flush the wound using a syringe or other dispensing device with cool water for five minutes. This may not be easy, because cats tend to hate water on their paws. I recommend having someone help you with this and wrapping Zorro in a towel to make sure the wound gets flushed well. Below is a link to a demonstration of an eye flush that shows how to restrain her well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDGzdUTUdNI Infection is the biggest concern with burns; so after flushing, it's best to apply an antibacterial cream to the wound. Silver sulfadizine is the best for burns and you may be able to get this at the pharmacy. In order to keep the wound clean, it's best to flush the wound 1-2 times a day and gently wipe away any big crusts - make sure not to scrub the wound, because this can make it worse. Apply the antibacterial cream after each flushing. After that, it's best to bandage the paw, or he may lick the cream, which can be bad for him. Bandaging will also help the wound heal faster. There are some helpful videos on YouTube to help you do this well. You can help keep the bandage on by placing a good (really sticky) tape above and below the bandage. I hope that helps and Zorro gets 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.

What a cute kitty! I am sorry to hear about his accident. I would recommend having his veterinarian take a look at his paws. Burns can worsen over several days so if this just occurred, we may be seeing this worsen before it gets better. The area may become painful and can be a site for infection to develop, so prescription medication to help treat pain and potential infection/aid in healing of the paw pads may be needed. I would call your vet first thing when they open for an exam. If Friskie is in pain tonight, then a trip to the emergency vet may be warranted. Best of luck to you and Friskie.

Yes just monitor, it sounds like is a minor injury and if it was very serious she would not let you touch her paw at all. Everything should resolve in the next 48hours. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.