Thursday, July 30, 2009

Cats nail discolored and limping?

I am taking care of a friends cat for a while and he has been limping. After examing his leg (which didn't bother him in the least) I noticed that he wouldn't exend his claws. When I looked 1 nail is disolored and that's when he jumped a little. I want to take him to the vet but it's not my cat. Just wanting to know if anyone has dealt with this or not before I take my friends cat to the vet?
Answers:
It may just be something that he hit or smashed his paw in. Like you or I slamming a toe in the door and the nail discoloring as it dies. I'd think this especially if he jerked when you put out his claws.. it may be tender. I'd take him to the vet, but not with the expectation your friend will reimburse you. Sometimes it can be pricey - so you might want to get in touch with your friend to make arrangements.
infection
It's probably infected. Try to clean the area a little with some peroxide and then spray the foot with a little warm water from a spray bottle. You could also put a little neosporin on the claw area and then observe the cat to make sure that he doesn't lick it. If you can't reach your friend then I'd go on and take the cat to the vet's since it's obviously ailing and the infection could spread.

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