Cat licking fur off paw

sparkle_23

Smudge has cut her paw (again) this time it's the back one. She doesn't seem to be limping or anything! Notices yesterday that between 2 toes was bald! Today there's more hair gone.



That black stuff smells like poo so that must be what it is.. Mmm hygienic! I try to clean it and she freaks out. Should I try bandage it or would that make it worse?! Is it a good sign or bad sign that she's licking it?

Irishchick

Do not attempt to cover it. It looks infected and you will just lock in the infection.

You need to take her to the vet to get it checked out. If it is infected she may need antibiotic cover and possibly something for pain.

anniehoo

Yeah it looks very inflammed and potentially infected. The smell could be the infection itself. While animals are quite good at self healing, this doesnt look too great and i think you might need vet help.

excaliburhc

yep get it checked , guessing there is some irritation there and cats have such a high pain threshold they will keep at it regardless of damage they do (take it from me - one of mine opened a wound from a tiny cut to a 2 inch squared patch with literally no skin cover.

SillyMangoX

Ah poor Smudge is having a right old time of it, see if she is depressed and cutting herself :P It looks very nasty though, a dose of antibiotic should do the trick. Might be no harm to get a bottle of hibiscrub from your vet that way if she gets more cuts you could bathe them in a dilute solution to stop the infection getting in. Just out of curiosity is Sparkle bullying her and thats why she is getting cuts? If so it might be no harm to give her claws a wash and clip!

sparkle_23

I'm bringing her to the vet at 3 today. Her and Sparkle don't get on as well as they used to but I haven't seen them fighting or anything. Sparkle spends more time trying to get into the house and sleep somewhere comfy whereas Smudge will be outside snuggling with my Springer Jake in his bed or else gone off adventuring in the hedges! I go outside and shout for Smudge and a few mins later she will jump out of a hedge with muddy paws! Maybe she's cutting them on barbed wire or maybe there's broken glass or something in a field. I really don't know! Hope its not Sparkle I'll be watching them 24/7 now!

SillyMangoX

*Sparkle* wrote: »

I'm bringing her to the vet at 3 today. Her and Sparkle don't get on as well as they used to but I haven't seen them fighting or anything. Sparkle spends more time trying to get into the house and sleep somewhere comfy whereas Smudge will be outside snuggling with my Springer Jake in his bed or else gone off adventuring in the hedges! I go outside and shout for Smudge and a few mins later she will jump out of a hedge with muddy paws! Maybe she's cutting them on barbed wire or maybe there's broken glass or something in a field. I really don't know! Hope its not Sparkle I'll be watching them 24/7 now!

Oh I don't want to be worrying you or anything like that about them fighting, it probably is something like a bush of brambles she's walking through, I just know that with my 2 Cream really bullies Peach and she'll sometimes have cuts from him. I always know that they have fought because he'll bite her back paw or hip and she'll turn around and smack him in the face!

sparkle_23

I cleaned it gently with some warm water and cotton wool. She ran off & started lickin it and she got some of the smelly stuff off. Seems to be a few lil cuts

SillyMangoX

Ooh ouch that looks nasty. Kinda more like sores than cuts, but that could just be the picture. Looks a bit like what my Peach had on her belly, does she lick it a lot?

sparkle_23

SillyMangoX wrote: »

Ooh ouch that looks nasty. Kinda more like sores than cuts, but that could just be the picture. Looks a bit like what my Peach had on her belly, does she lick it a lot?

Yeah she's lickin it a lot today! She must be all the time cause where did her fur go!

SillyMangoX

Make sure you mention it to the vet, it might not be that it's getting cut on something, there could be a reason she's licking it all the time. My vet mentioned to me that it could be flea bite dermatitis, where a flea jumps on, bites and jumps off again, not necessariily infesting them but enough to irritate them!

sparkle_23

Poor Smudge! Not too impressed!! The vet said it looked like she had caught it in something and then pulled her paw out. And she has a nasty lil infection. Nothing broken thank god! She has to wear the delightful cone of shame and she's on antibiotics!

SillyMangoX

Awww, they get used to the cone after a few hours, mine even learned to eat with it on! She loos a lot like my Peach

sparkle_23

SillyMangoX wrote: »

Awww, they get used to the cone after a few hours, mine even learned to eat with it on! She loos a lot like my Peach

Yeah they do look very alike!! She's havin a bit of trouble eating from her bowl but she's gettin there! She had a lil nap on my bed she looks so sweet with the cone!