Why is the cat's paw swollen and what to do? The cat's paw is swollen: possible causes, necessary diagnostics, treatment options

A neoplasm in an animal should always alert the owner. If a cat has a lump on its paw, it should be immediately shown to a veterinarian. There are no few reasons for the appearance of seals, and in order not to miss a dangerous disease, an examination of the animal should be carried out by a specialist. If you feel 2 small symmetrical bumps on the front paws just above the heel, then this is not a disease. They are normal for most cats. This is an atavism inherited by the animal from distant ancestors. It is also normal if they are absent, although this does not happen often.

Reasons why the paw has a bump

Pathological bumps on a cat’s paw can appear regardless of the cat’s age—one year old or 15 years old. They are not necessarily malignant in nature, and therefore you should not immediately panic when you discover a tumor on your pet’s paw.

Most often, a lump appears when the following reasons are present::

After surgery, the risk of new malignant tumors appearing in the body cannot be excluded. A veterinarian must constantly monitor the animal’s condition. Having discovered a cancerous tumor in an animal again, the specialist raises the question of a repeat operation.

If a cat has a lump on its paw, it is important to immediately seek veterinary help. A lump on a joint in a cat most often indicates inflammation, which is accompanied by abundant formation of estrudate. The paw hardly moves at all.

The owner can cope with some diseases on his own without contacting a veterinarian. But if the cat swells, it is necessary to urgently take it to the clinic. Edema is not an independent disease. Swelling of a paw, face or other part of the body is a symptom that indicates a serious problem with the health of your pet. If you notice swelling in your cat, do not waste precious time - immediately seek qualified help.

Regardless of the reasons, edema is an accumulation of fluid in the intercellular space of tissues, but the nature of the fluids can be different - lymph, pus, blood. Externally, swelling of a cat's paw, like swelling of any other part of the body, looks like a hard or soft swelling, as if filled with liquid. No matter how experienced the doctor is, it is impossible to understand the cause of the formation of edema based on the results of a single examination. Therefore, it is important to fully examine your pet in order to bring the underlying disease under control.

Edema can be general or local. With local edema, fluid accumulates in a limited area, with general swelling noticeable throughout the body. The first case is easier to recognize in time: if a cat’s paw is swollen, it looks swollen and enlarged compared to healthy limbs. General swelling is sometimes noticed only when a lot of fluid has already accumulated in the body (especially if the pet’s hair is long and thick). Swelling of the tissues is noticeable upon palpation; a depression from the fingers remains at the site of slight compression.

When a cat's paw is swollen, it is necessary to find the cause of this pathological phenomenon. Swelling of the paws does not appear on its own, and therefore it is important to provide the animal with the necessary help. The paw swells due to the accumulation of pus, blood or lymph in the intercellular space of its tissues. This phenomenon is caused by diseases or mechanical injuries. Depending on what caused the cat’s paw swelling, the necessary treatment is carried out. The swelling itself will go away only if its cause is a bruise. More often it affects the hind legs.

The main reasons why the paw is swollen

The swelling of the paw may be localized, and then it does not extend beyond a small limited area; or general, when the entire paw swells. The owner usually has a question about the condition of the animal when there is local edema. Most often, only one paw swells, although occasionally swelling of 2 or even all 4 paws occurs, which can cause the cat to lose the ability to move.

Causes the cat's paw to swell and cause him to limp a lot.

Traumatic injury. When an injury occurs, the integrity of the blood and lymphatic vessels is disrupted, causing blood and lymph to flow into the intercellular space. By saturating the tissues, they lead to the development of edema. If tissue infection also occurs due to the wound, then the swelling becomes suppuration, which does not go away on its own and requires surgical intervention. When suppuration occurs, the skin at the site of the tumor turns red and a local increase in temperature occurs. The cat is limping and the paw is especially swollen in this case.
It happens that the paw pad is damaged and it is this that swells. In this case, making lotions and applying compresses will be more coordinated, since this part of the paw is used all day.
Pathologies of internal organs. If the hind paw is swollen, this is a common sign of chronic or acute renal failure. Swollen hind legs can also indicate heart disease. It is important to remember that in diseases, swelling affects both hind legs at once. At first, only the tips of the paws swell. As the disease progresses, the swelling spreads further and completely affects the limbs. In this case, swelling of the pet’s paws can be relieved only with complex treatment.
Joint diseases. The paw may swell due to inflammation in the joints. The swelling is predominantly asymmetrical. Also, with this phenomenon, the pet becomes noticeably less mobile, all its movements are limited and stiff. For this reason, the paws of old and elderly cats are more likely to swell. Swelling over the affected joint may look like a tumor on a cat's paw.
Diseases of the veins and blood vessels of the paws. If the paws swell regularly, then most likely the cat suffers from venous insufficiency. The pathology is dangerous because it will lead to acute blockage of blood vessels, which, without urgent medical treatment, can lead to necrosis and loss of a paw, or even the death of a four-legged friend.
Acute allergic reaction. Allergies are the main reason why a cat's paw is swollen. This phenomenon occurs mainly due to insect bites. The swelling in such a situation is usually very significant, and the cat experiences acute pain in the affected limb. If possible, the animal is immediately given suprastin in a dosage of ¼ tablet. Such treatment is usually sufficient to completely eliminate the problem. The swelling of the paw subsides within 2-3 days.
Lymphadenitis. The paw is swollen due to inflammation in the lymph node. Swelling usually begins in the armpit and, if left untreated, spreads to the entire limb. When palpating the area of the lymph node, its enlargement and pain are determined.
Mammary cancer. In severe stages of the disease, the paw swells on the side of the affected gland. Only one limb is affected by this phenomenon. Swelling occurs due to the fact that the neoplasm compresses the lymphatic vessels and leads to stagnation of lymph in the vessels.

It is important for the owner to remember that if the swollen paw is festering, a visit to the veterinarian should be urgent. In such a situation, even a slight delay can lead to extremely serious consequences.

First aid for a swollen paw

When it is noticed that a cat's paw is swollen, it should be examined immediately. If it is discovered that the disorder is due to her being injured, then you can try to avoid visiting the veterinary clinic, but only if there is no severe suppuration. The algorithm of actions for treatment should be as follows:

washing the wound with hydrogen peroxide or chlorhexidine;
treating the skin around the wound with iodine - if the limb is particularly swollen, then iodine can be dangerous and is replaced with alcohol;
applying a bandage to the wound with a mixture of ichthyol ointment and levomekol ointment.

The bandage should be changed once a day, combining the procedure with washing the wound. If deterioration is visible after 24 hours, or there is no improvement after 2 days of therapy, you will need to go to the veterinarian. When a cat's paw is swollen, it needs constant attention.

A cat's paws can become swollen for many reasons, and therefore you should immediately take the animal to a veterinarian. Today, finding an animal clinic near your home is not difficult. You need to help your pets as soon as they develop health problems.

Swelling of a cat's paw, like any other part of the body, is a serious problem caused by the accumulation of fluid in the tissues. Visually, the tumor can be easily diagnosed at home by the characteristic enlargement of the affected limb.

If a cat's paw is swollen, then this phenomenon indicates various diseases or injuries. It is advisable to take your cat to a veterinarian immediately. How successful its treatment will be depends on the correct identification of the cause of the tumor.

Main reasons

There are several main reasons that provoke the appearance of a limb tumor in a cat:

1. Injury. When a cat's limb is injured, the integrity of the skin is compromised, and various bacteria and microorganisms enter the open wound. They are the ones who provoke swelling of the soft tissues and redness of the paw. The temperature in the swollen area rises. Injury refers to dislocations, bruises and fractures received by a cat during a fight or other incident. In such cases, the cat does not step on its paw and limps.
2. Allergies. If an enzyme or poison enters an animal's body through an insect bite, it develops a tumor on its limbs. In cats, such an acute allergic reaction occurs only to certain types of insects and upon contact with chemicals, such as detergents or certain cat litters. In some cases, an acute reaction occurs to food.
3. Mycosis. When the immune system is weakened and the skin is slightly injured, fungal spores enter the pet’s body. Domestic cats that have free access to the outdoors are most often affected by the pathogenic fungus. Mycosis is accompanied by peeling, dandruff and an unpleasant odor.
4. Cancer. A tumor in a cat appears as a result of breast cancer and is localized on one or both front legs. Sometimes the tumor appears in soft tissues.
5. Diseases of internal organs. If a cat has problems with the liver, kidneys or heart, then a tumor forms on the hind legs. Most often, the tumor does not cause discomfort to the pet.
6. Joint diseases. Swelling of the paws in cats most often occurs with arthritis and osteochondrodystrophy.
7. Problems with blood vessels. In such cases, the temperature in the tumor area does not increase, and the skin around it turns pale. The cause of the disease lies in a blood clot that blocks a large blood vessel, or in increased permeability of the vascular walls.
8. In some cases, a tumor forms on the paw after an injection or IV. The reason lies in the catheter slipping and the solution entering outside the vein.
9. The problem also occurs due to pinching. If the swelling does not subside after removing the bandage, it is recommended to apply a bandage soaked in vodka to the swollen paw and take the cat to the veterinarian.

In order to determine the cause at home, you should observe your pet and feel the swollen limb.

What to do if your cat has a swollen paw?

After identifying the reason why the cat’s paw is swollen, you should immediately begin providing first aid at home. If mechanical damage is detected, the paw must be fixed and the pet taken to a veterinary clinic. Trying to treat a dislocation or fracture on your own is not recommended, as the cat's condition will only worsen. If the temperature in the tumor area increases, it is worth making a bandage by moistening it in cold water. To relieve pain, you can give a traumatine injection. After the injection, the swelling will not subside, and it will not exempt the cat from visiting the veterinary clinic.

If a veterinarian diagnoses a cat with joint disease, he will recommend including nutritional supplements such as chondroitin and glucosamine in the pet’s diet. A course of antibiotics such as Sinulox or Ceftriaxone and painkillers (Meloxicam, Buprenorphine) are prescribed. The dosage prescribed by the doctor must not be exceeded.

In case of an acute allergic reaction, it is necessary to identify the allergen and protect the cat from it, and then give an injection of diphenhydramine to alleviate the pet’s condition. If you suspect a disease of the internal organs, indicated by swelling of the hind limbs, it will be necessary to undergo tests to determine the exact cause. Treatment in this case will be aimed at getting rid of the disease, since the tumor is only a symptom.

Anonymous 2

Good afternoon, Alexey!
Thank you for your response. There is no way to show the cat, I am from the small town of Sosnogorsk in the Komi Republic (Russia). The cat is neutered, he is about three years old, the breed is Maine Coon, the main feeding diet is natural, Royal Canin dry food as a supplement and Doctor ZOO as a treat.
The last injection with Bicelin was given on 12/17/13. This morning I examined the paw pad, it was swollen again, crusts appeared along the edges, like on wounds, and tubercles. The cat is inactive, lies down more, but when walking he rests completely on his paw.
Maybe this is because I apply Guardian ointment and it causes irritation? In addition, it does not have time to be completely absorbed and he licks it off. A similar thing happened in August, only on the left paw. Then they tried to get treatment from different doctors, but no one could make a diagnosis. As treatment progressed, the pad then turned into a solid wound. The last doctor gave us three “blockades”, but did not apply ointment and everything went away. Now we have also contacted her and have already given her three injections, but there are no results. She also cannot explain what it is. Sorry that there was so much text, I just wanted to describe the problem in more detail.

Anonymous #ea1

Fukortsin, at first 2 rubles a day, you can even moisten the cotton wool a little with bleach and wipe it too, it removes the pus well, heals everything, then you can use tea tree oil (it’s like turpentine) for example

Anonymous #ea1

For example, in the morning, wipe with tea tree oil, fucorcin in the evening. Alternate evenly with iodine or iodine-based monclavit for open wounds. This helps more and less, soothes, removes pus, inflammation, hotness of the pillows. It must be done regularly until all holes, including empty ones, heal without pus. Use gloves for processing. Veterinarians don't really say anything: chlorhexidine, but it is very weak in this matter. Therefore, based on a person’s treatment of fungi, a skin doctor prescribed fucorcin, it helped immediately, I watched a video on the Internet, a woman treated a nail fungus with just bleach and a cotton swab, and that was the only thing that helped. Then I read about traditional medicine, and in practice I knew that tea tree oil is good for fungi. Therefore, I used all this to help the animal. Yes, by the way, they will be indignant, they probably will, but understanding that they are being treated, and knowing their breakdown, they endure stubbornly. Then it gets easier. Good luck to everyone in extending the life of pets and giving pets a longer life :-).

Anonymous 1

Good evening!
The paw was not photographed and the indicated medications were not used. Today we signed up for another veterinary clinic by phone. The examination is on Saturday, but in the meantime we were recommended to apply Levomekol. Should I do this or wait for an inspection?

Anonymous

Hello, Alexey. Sorry that I did not reply for a while.
After visiting the doctor, we were prescribed Levomekol and Tsamax. 3 days after using the latter, cracks appeared on the paw. After which both drugs were discontinued and Trauma-Gel, sea buckthorn oil, antibiotic injections and vitamins were prescribed.
In addition, the cat was switched to a completely natural diet. And it seemed to give results: the swelling subsided, the wounds healed, but the skin at the wound sites remained pink. “Trauma-Gel” was used for more than 20 days (is it possible?). After finishing one tube of gel, I bought another, which for some reason turned out to have a different composition and without the Helvet brand name. We treated it 2 times, for some reason the skin on the paw turned red and swollen again. At the same time, I gave the cat some dry food. Does it look like dermatitis, only from the food or is it medicated? Now I treat my paw with sea buckthorn oil. On the weekend, it looks like I’ll have to take him to the hospital again to figure it out further, there’s nowhere else to go.

veterinarian

Everything you describe sounds like dermatitis. I recommend using the drugs I mentioned above for some time, performing systemic antibiotic therapy (under the supervision of a doctor) and be sure to prescribe vitamins A and E (“Trivit”, “Tetravit”, “Aevit”, even better “Aisidivit”, etc.). I'm waiting for information about the changes.

Anonymous

Good afternoon, Alexey. Thank you very much, I will bring everything you recommended to the veterinarian at my next visit.
By the way, which of these drugs is better to use?
In the meantime, they gave us an allergy injection (for some reason they don’t tell us the names of the drugs) and prescribed Levomekol again. Today, after 5 days, they gave me an antibiotic injection and prescribed Trauma-Gel. So your recommendations are very helpful. I'll let you know about the results.

Anonymous

Good evening, Alexey. I haven’t written to you for a while, I was waiting for the results of the treatment.
Yes, indeed, we received 5 injections of Dexafort, and at the same time we were treated with Sofroderm. The result appeared, the pad became soft, the tumor fell by half. The inflamed edges of the paw become whiter and gradually become the same color as the pad. But the recovery process is very slow, almost imperceptible.
Now we have been prescribed to take “Stop Itching” and treat the paw with “Trauma-gel” or “Pichtoin”. In addition, we take Radostin vitamins; others are difficult to get from us. They promised to bring Super-Vul.
Showed your recommendations to the doctor. They said that they were also doing hormonal treatment, but most likely, we were simply unfamiliar with such treatment regimens. I am afraid to do anything myself, without control from a veterinarian. Alexey, please advise what can be used to treat the paw, otherwise these ointments do not inspire confidence. And yet, in one of the hospitals they constantly tell me about using medicinal food from the RK line, supposedly this will help. What do you think about it?
Best regards, Sergei

veterinarian

Hello!
What city are you in? I need to know because... I can prescribe medications that you won’t have. As for medicinal foods, I am not against them and, in principle, I recommend them for certain conditions.

Anonymous

Good afternoon I live in the city of Sosnogorsk, Komi Republic, Russian Federation.

Anonymous

Good evening. We are making positive changes. Treatment with Dexofort and Sofroderm was completed more than a week ago. The swelling and redness have decreased. At the moment I am not giving any medicine, since “Stop Itching” was canceled for us, but does it make sense to continue taking hormones?
In addition, we switched him completely to a natural diet, give him mostly raw foods and vitamins, and regularly examine his paw. There are changes. The epidermis is slowly recovering. It appears that dry food is causing the dermatitis. Tell me what to do next to recover faster?

veterinarian

Good evening!
I can’t say that the food is the cause. But low quality food (including natural food) can often be the cause of diseases of this kind.
The cause of food allergies is most often poor digestion of protein, i.e. indigestion. An allergy can be to both natural meat and specialized food.
While the drugs are being used, this is not noticeable.
So I would not rejoice ahead of time about the absence of signs and would carefully observe under what circumstances (or with the introduction of what product) manifestations of the disease suddenly arise.

Anonymous

Good evening! Yes, I understand all this. After stopping the medications, no deterioration has yet been noticed. The epidermis has healed, the paw pad has become almost normal size. We feed him raw meat (turkey, rabbit, beef, chicken), for some reason he loves pork heart.
Now we need to somehow balance the diet and continue monitoring. In a couple of weeks we will go to the veterinary hospital for an examination.
And as for the feed: we used Royal Canin, you know what its quality is. Then they tried to transfer to Orijen, the result was the same. The only thing is that both foods were poultry based. Sellers at pet stores say that I am not the first with such a problem.

Anonymous 1

Good afternoon Everything seems to have returned to normal, the paw has acquired normal size and color. As soon as weather conditions permit, we will take you for an inspection. If everything is fine, we will prepare for vaccinations. I try to diversify the diet, in addition to the above, I give fermented milk products 2-3 times a week, I always have sprouted oats, wheat, I grind and give rye bread with meat, and “Radostin” vitamins.
Poor with grains and vegetables, refuses to eat in any form. His old owners taught him to eat pork heart and dry Night Hunter, apparently it was the cheapest feeding option. Therefore, we cannot completely give it up yet, but our consumption has been significantly reduced (to 20 g) per day.
Maybe something else is needed? It is very difficult to find information on natural feeding; basically everyone is fed dry or mixed.