My foster kitten has red paws from hot asphalt. How can I help?

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.

The picture is not very clear, but I see some crustiness and possibly some hair loss. I worry about ringworm (a skin fungus) with that type of lesion, because this is also a very common location for ringworm in kittens. It could also be some other infection or due to a scratch or bite. It is not normal though and to determine the cause, you would have to bring her into the vet for an exam. They can take a sample (if needed) and look at it under the microscope to find out what it is. For now, it's best to consider it contagious, because ringworm can be transmitted from cats to people. This is usually self-limiting (will go away on its own), but may need treatment if you start to see more lesions. You can wash it once a day with medicated shampoo labeled for cats (can be found at the pet store). This will help if it is an infection.

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.

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.

Hi, It sounds like Spot was lucky, as there is no limping or any lesions, so it is possible that it was very mild burn which generally limited to minor pain and in most cases also redness. Contact burns from hot surfaces are usually obvious from their onset but may take 1-2 days to fully appear in some cases. For now just monitor that she is not showing signs of discomfort and pain such as lameness or licking the paw and watch the the appearance of the paw for damage more than redness if any of these signs develop take her to your vet.

Poor Tilly! If the wounds are severe, she should be seen by a vet right away for bandaging, antibiotics, and pain medication. You can apply a small amount of SSD (silver sulfadiazine) ointment to the paws - an E-collar or "cone" will help keep Tilly from licking her paws and causing further trauma. I hope this helps and that all is well with Tilly!

If they are healed now I recommend getting booties at the local pet store and put them on Coco when you walk him on the hot asphalt. If they are still red I recommend a veterinarian. Remember you can always upload up to 3 pictures when submitting a question. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.