paw injury

Question
hi i have a cat with an jury to his rear right paw, its gotten swollen and bleds a little bit, he got it when he got out a few days ago, sometimes he limps and sometimes he just walks on it...i tried to clean it and it looks like he cut himself on something...should i take him to a vet or is this something that i may be able to fix at home??

Answer
Alberto,

My concern with this kitty's paw is that it might become seriously infected, the fact that you're still seeing any bleeding and it's swollen up could indicate that he's got something caught in there that you can't see or he may have a painful infection. Cats tend to be amazingly good at hiding the severity of illnesses or injuries until they're no longer able to do so, this is why it's not surprising to me that your little guy is still trying to walk on it without showing pain. I don't think that it's a bad idea to have a vet look at it since the kitty's probably going to need some prescription pain medicine (DO NOT give him people pain medicines, they're toxic to cats and can be fatal, there are effective medications that your vet can prescribe), antibiotics to treat the cut and ensure that his paw doesn't become seriously infected. I should warn you when the vet looks at the cut depending on the severity of it s/he may decide that your kitty needs a dressing on the paw to keep things as clean as possible - this would likely mean your baby would have to wear the plastic cone of shame for a few days until he's well on the road to healing. Be aware, since this injury is a few days old it's quite possible that your vet may have to sedate your kitty to properly clean his wound since cats aren't exactly known for co-operating with vet staff when they're in pain. If you're worried that you may not be able to afford the financial cost of vet care I do keep a binder of resources for pet parents in the US and Canada that may be willing to offer some sort of help towards the cost of your little man's vet bill. If you think you could use that information please feel free to contact me again, all that I ask is for you to provide me with the US state/Canadian province you're in so that I don't have to waste your time or mine by typing out pages of resources that won't apply to you. I wish you and your little guy the best of luck, if you have any further questions, concerns or you'd like me to clarify anything in this answer please feel free to contact me again and I will do my absolute best to help you out.