My kitten's leg is swollen from a toy string. Can I put ice on it?

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It probably is an infection affecting most of the leg. It is an emergency. Please, try and call your local emergency service if your regular vets don't have any appointments.

Unfortunately there are no OTC medications for this issue that would be safe to give Boots. The swelling could be caused by many things, including a small fracture, muscle strain, puncture wound, infection, insect bite reaction, problems with lymphatic flow, etc. Check her skin and between her pads for any punctures, wounds, or bruises. You can try gentle massage to help move any fluid present and an ice pack wrapped in a thin towel for 15 minutes at a time. If the swelling doesn't go down soon, she should be checked out by a vet.

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.

Hi, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The kitten needs medication, I recommend taking it to a veterinarian as it sounds like it needs antibiotics and possibly pain medication as well. Do not give any human medications as many are toxic to cats. Depending on exam findings, the vet may recommend xrays as well if they suspect significant trauma to the leg. Best of luck, I hope she recovers quickly.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If you are able to get to a veterinarian right now, I would do so. Waiting until the morning would mean that she is in a lot of pain until then. If you get her seen right now, she can receive appropriate pain medication to help relieve this discomfort. This may be a fractured bone and not having any pain medications until the morning would mean that she is in extreme discomfort until then. I would recommend having her seen as soon as possible so that she is not in pain. 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.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It sounds like there is severe swelling of the soft tissues along the injured leg. If the swelling is great-often times it is harder to feel the specific structures below the skin. It would be best to have an x ray of the limb to make sure there are no fractures inducing more swelling. Hope this helps

Poor Cleopatra! There appears to be a wound on the leg and the swelling is likely related to that. Concerns are an abscess, fracture, cellulitis or puncture wound. All of these require care by the veterinarian. At home you can restrict her activity since the more she walks on it, the worse it may get. You may also try applying a cool (not cold) compress but this is unlikely to fix the problem but may give some temporary relief of pain. Cleopatra needs to see her veterinarian today ideally for pain medication and treatment. I hope she starts feeling better quickly and please feel free to post any additional questions.