My cat has a swollen right paw, it's almost 3 times ...

If your cat goes outdoors, the number one reason for a swollen paw is a cat bite wound. The puncture is usually tiny, and sometimes not easily seen. However, the swelling and pain are always a tell tale sign. The cat will not want to walk on the foot or will have a severe limp.

Yes, it is possible he could have gotten hit by a car and has an injury also. Insect bites do not usually cause a great deal of swelling.

If there is a cat bite wound there is not much you can do at home, unfortunately. The best thing for him right now is a course of antibiotics, and some pain medication. You should take him to the vet, and have them look at the leg and decide what the cause of the swelling is, and prescribe treatment.

In the mean time, you can place a warm compress around the paw for 5 minutes several times tonight, and get him in to the vet in the morning. Once he is on antibiotics he should feel better within a day or two.

Let me know if you have further questions.

Dr. Vicky~

Sadly, I don't have an extra $100 to take the cat to the vet right now, that is why I was writing to you. I barely had the $9 to see your opinion. I can not take him to the vet, my husband won't allow it, we have 3 children that need things right now, the cat is just an extra that we can't do right now. We just lost a huge lawsuit to a customer and the vet isn't an option. Can I just keeping putting the hot compress on him and it might come down by itself? or could this kill him? If it can kill him my husband will allow me to take him to the vet and have him euthanized, to be humane, otherwise I can't afford vet bills. We rescued this cat from the woods and my husband let me take it home under that stipulation, we get it neutered, get its shots and he's on his own after that. He is just a year old. Can this kill him? Please pretend I have no money and I have to fix this on my own, because that is the case.
Michelle

Hi Michelle,

I am sorry about your situation. It is always heartbreaking when our pets need care and the funds just aren't there.

Can you look at his leg and see if there is a puncture you can see anywhere?

Do you have any antibiotics at all at home...left overs from one of the family members ??

Yes, please continue to do the warm compresses on the paw. There is a chance it will resolve on its own. I do not know if this will kill him, but if the infection gets worse, there is that chance. I wouldn't put him down right now, I would give this a little time and see how he does.

The other thing I would do is make a phone call to the vet. Maybe if you explain your situation, they may be willing to dispense some antibiotics to him without the expense of a visit. If he has not been there for a while, they may not want to do this, but it sure can't hurt to ask!! (That is, if you have the $10-20 it might cost for medication)

If you have some antibiotics at home, please tell me what you have, and perhaps we could use it for your cat. This is not an ideal situation, but let's see what we can do.

Dr. Vicky~

I did check his paw and there is a small puncture wound on the top of his paw. It's small, but all the hair is missing around it, it's definitely there. I put neosporin on it and I have some CEFTIN antibiotic pills left from an upper respiroty infection the kids had 2 weeks ago. Can I crush some of that and give it to Reed in his food? How much?

Michelle

Michelle,

You should be able to use the Ceftin for your cat. Go ahead and verify with your own vet also. For animals of his size, if it is a 250 mg tablet, divide this into quarters, and give him 1/4 of the tablet twice daily. You can crush and mix into food you know he will eat, or just drop the 1/4 tablet down his throat, and have him swallow it. It is best if he eats some food with the medication either right before or right after. Give for at least one week, preferable 10-14 days if you have enough of the medication.

This medication can cause upset stomach, diarrhea, and/or loss of appetite. (Most antibiotics can do this, but it only happens in rare cases). If given with food, there is less chance of a problem. If the stool is just soft, it will usually get back to normal once the medication is stopped.

Continue putting neosporin on the wound twice daily.

Let me know how he is doing.