my kitty is hurt

have your husband help corral her and examine that pad. could be something as simple as something stuck to the pad.one of my cats did the same thing with a little piece of duct tape stuck to it. other possibilities are a splinter,thumbtack,hanging on shed claw or even a sprain. foot/ankle will usually swell in case of sprain/abcess.

If at all possible I would remove whatever is stuck in her paw. She could develop a nasty and expensive infection if you don't. At the very least, I'd clean up around it as best I could with peroxide several times a day to try and stave off infection.

I see by some of your other responses you got some good advice and some good ideas on what her problem could be. I wish you both the best and that she gets better soon. I know hw it is to have a pet that has something wrong and not being able to afford the vet bill.

I would suggest you keep her inside, so she doesn't go out and perhaps reinjure it, and make her rest and stay off it. Now, if it is just a sprain, that's should do it. Even if its a break, having her stay off it, so she's not jumping and landing on it will help her to recover from even a break.

Your husband is probably right, she may have sprained it or maybe hurt one of her claws kind of like we stub our toes. Give it a few days. Animals usually heal up very quickly, especially with sprains and soreness. If she seems to be in pain, give her a tiny bit of aspirin in some cheese. Tylenol is poisonous to animals but aspirin is a good pain reliever for them.

Just like with us as we are we can pull and strain or even walk and hurt our feet,legs so do not worry too much.Give it a few days like your husband says as she may get better very soon with no help.Good luck.

She could have sprained it or maybe she stepped on something? Does she have any open cuts? It's hard to determine, really. If she doesn't go back to normal in a few days then I think it's probably something more than a sprain. I hate to say it, but the best way to find out is through a vet and it's not good to just guess. I would say give her antibiotics if it's an infection but I wouldn't know if she did have one considering I'm not a vet myself. I do own 11 cats and one of them has had similar experience but that was just a sprain, luckily. I do know there are some animal shelters that offer cheaper vet services and vet clinics that provide special arrangements for families under financial stress. Maybe there is one in your local community.

Hello there! I just wanted to come back and see if Tootsie's paw is okay. :o)

One time I had a cat that went on form a few weeks without using one paw, I checked on him almost everyday, there was no sign of injusy, no bleeding, not pain, also I could handle his paw without any problem, it was clear it wasn't giving him pain. I didn't take him to the vet because I really didn't see a problem, there wasn't external injury, but not internal either! Anyways, I didn't take him to the vet and one day a few weeks later he was walking normally like nothing happened! I'll never quite understand what was the problem with his paw, but it went away by itself.