Care for a Cat's Paws

Caring for your cat’s paws is an important aspect of her overall care. Your cat needs her paws to be healthy so she can do the things cats like to do, such as scratching and climbing. The more you do to take care of her paws, the healthier and happier she will be, and the stronger your bond will grow with her.

Steps

Performing General Care of Your Cat’s Paws

1. Massage your cat’s paws. You will be handling your cat’s paws on a regular basis to care for them properly, so she will need to get comfortable with this handling. Gently massaging your cat’s paws is a great way to do this. Pick a time to massage her paws when she is most likely to be relaxed, such as after a meal. Position her comfortably in your lap.
   • Have some tasty bits of treats on hand so you can reward her for good behavior as you touch her paws. Choose a treat that you will give her only during paw massages.
   • Start by picking up one paw and gently rubbing the top of it.
   • Hold each paw for about 3 seconds, without squeezing or pinching. If she tries to pull her paw away, keep a gentle hold on the paw and follow the direction of the pull.
   • When she’s more comfortable with you holding her paw, apply gentle pressure to the base of each toe to extend the nail out. This will start getting her ready for nail trims.
   • How often you massage your cat’s paws is up to you. Consider making this a daily ritual, which would be great for bonding, or do it only on occasion.
   • Paws can be a sensitive area for cats, so your cat may not like you touching her paws at first. If she continues to object, try to hold her paw again, but add in scratching behind her ear and giving her a treat. Leave her paws alone for a while, then repeat these actions. Eventually, she will come to enjoy the paw handling.
2. Trim your cat’s nails. Trim your cat’s nails once every 10 days to 2 weeks. How much you restrain her for nail trims will depend on her comfort level with the process. If she doesn’t mind you touching her paws, gentle restraint in your lap with your forearm pressed against her body may be sufficient.
   • You may need to use a cat restraint bag if your cat is likely to scratch or bite.
   • Massage her paws first before trimming. Keep in mind that you may not be able to trim all of her nails at once. You may only get to 1 paw per session.
   • If your cat uses a scratching post frequently, you may not need to trim her nails that often, since the scratching will keep the nails worn down.
   • You may need to acclimate your cat to the sound of clippers. To do this, place a piece of dry spaghetti in your lap as you massage her paws. As you press on her paw pad with one hand to extend a nail, use the clippers to ‘clip’ the spaghetti. Release her toe and give her a treat.
3. Give your cat a Stop a Cat from Scratching the Couch. Scratching posts are great for keeping your cat's nails naturally trimmed down. They come in several different textures (e.g., sisal, corrugated cardboard) and orientations (e.g., horizontal, vertical). Consider having several types of scratching posts for your cat so she will not get bored with just one.
   • Do not be too quick to replace the scratching posts. A scratching post that looks old and worn out to you may be perfect for your cat.
4. Wipe your cat’s paws. This is important for outdoor and indoor cats. Keeping your cat’s paws clean will prevent her from ingesting debris or household chemicals from her paw pad that could make her sick. Use a damp cloth (preferably warm) to wipe her paws each day.
   • Regularly cleaning your floors will also help keep your cat’s paws clean.
   • Make sure to wipe between her toes and around her paw pads.
5. Examine your cat’s paws. Take some extra time to examine your cat’s paws when you are wiping or massaging them. Check for any abnormalities, such as cuts, scratches, swellings, or splinters. Outdoor cats may be prone to paw injuries, but your indoor cat’s sense of curiosity and exploration could lead to injury as well.
   • You can treat minor injuries (e.g., superficial cuts, scrapes, or splinters) yourself, but more serious injuries (e.g., deep cuts, heavy bleeding, abscesses) would require immediate veterinary care.
6. Trim the long hair on your cat’s paws. If your cat has long hair, the hair in between her toes could become quite bothersome to her. In fact, the hair could become so long that it would affect your cat’s ability to walk normally. Use a small pair of rounded scissors to keep the hair trimmed short.

Treating Minor Paw Injuries

1. Organize your supplies. If your cat’s paws have minor injuries (superficial cuts, scrapes, splinters), you can treat them at home. You will need a few supplies, including an antiseptic solution (Betadine), some clean gauze and towels, and tweezers. If you do not have these supplies already, you can purchase them at your local pharmacy.
   • The antiseptic solution will help prevent infection.
   • You will also need some mild soap.
2. Clean and disinfect the paw. For minor cuts and scrapes, gently wipe the paw with a towel dampened with warm water and soap to remove debris. Place a small amount of the antiseptic solution on some gauze and wipe the paw with the gauze.
   • Watch your cat’s body language. If she is resistant to you touching her paws, it may not be a good idea to force the issue, especially if you do not have a good way of restraining her. Take her to your veterinarian if you are unable to keep her still enough to treat her paws.
3. Remove foreign objects with a tweezer. If your cat has a splinter or other small foreign object that is superficially stuck in her paw, you will need a pair of tweezers to remove it. First, disinfect the tweezers with Betadine. Next, clean the affected paw with soap and water, and grasp the object with the tweezers.
   • When you grasp the object, slowly pull it out in the direction of its entry. Keep a firm hold on your cat’s paw as you pull the object out. When the object is out, clean the paw again and apply some antiseptic solution to the paw.
   • Take your cat to your veterinarian if you are unable to get the object out. If your cat is in a lot of pain, she may not let you have more than 1 attempt with the tweezers.

Caring for the Paws in the Winter and Summer

1. Wipe your cat’s paws. This is particularly important if you have an outdoor cat. If you have put salt down on your driveway or sidewalk, your outdoor cat could become sick from licking it off her paws. Wipe her feet as you would during other times of year.
2. Moisturize your cat’s paw pads. Although your cat’s paw pads are excellent at preventing puncture wounds, they are not so good at providing insulation against extreme temperatures. Your cat’s paw pads are especially sensitive to hot and cold temperatures, and can even become dry and cracked because of those temperature extremes. Moisturizing your cat’s paws in the winter and summer is a great way to care for them.
   • Apply a fast-absorbing and penetrating emollient, like petroleum jelly, to your cat’s paws 2 to 3 times/week for a few weeks to treat the dryness. Petroleum jelly, which is available at your local pharmacy, can withstand your cat’s licking.
   • Olive oil is another good moisturizing agent. Cortisone cream and tea tree oil are not recommended for moisturizing cat paw pads.
3. Keep the hair around your cat's paws short in the winter. In the winter, outdoor cats with long hair could collect snow and ice crystals in the hair around their paws. Not only could this make walking uncomfortable, but the ice crystals could potentially damage the paw pads. Use your small, rounded scissors to keep the hair short during the winter.
4. Keep your cat away from uncomfortable outdoor surfaces. Concrete can become extremely hot in the summer and very cold in the winter. If your area experiences an ice storm, the ice would be very uncomfortable for your cat to walk on. When there are temperature extremes, try to keep your cat away from surfaces that would lead to paw pad discomfort.
   • If you have an outdoor cat, you may need to transition her to staying indoors during the winter.

Tips

• Some cat breeds may be particularly susceptible to paw problems. Learn more about your cat’s breed to determine if you will need to take extra care of her paws.
• Start handling and caring for your cat’s paws early during her life. The earlier you develop a paw care routine with her, the better.
• Dry and cracking paw pads could indicate low protein levels, a fatty acid deficiency, or even certain diseases (e.g., diabetes). Fish oil supplements can help with a fatty acid deficiency, but talk with your veterinarian before giving them.

Warnings

• Do not declaw your cat. The surgery can cause significant pain in cats and can potentially cause behavioral problems.
• Herbal supplements can cause organ damage in cats. Consult with your veterinarian before giving herbal supplements to your cat.

Related Articles

• Trim Your Cat's Nails
• Keep a Cat from Running Away when It Is Moved

References

See also

• Use a Cat Comfort Bag
• Care for a Cat with a Holter Monitor
• Diagnose and Treat Cholangitis in Cats
• Handle Feline Eosinophilic Granuloma Complex
• Get a Veterinary Second Opinion for Your Cat
• Feed a Feline Cancer Patient
• Supplement Taurine for Cats
• Handle Degenerative Joint Disease in Cats
• Diagnose and Treat Ovarian Remnant Syndrome in Cats
• Give Steroids to Cats with Inflammation

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