If your cat has a claw growing into the pad, it will be extremely painful. It can cause your cat to have a serious limp, and in some cases your cat might lose their ability to walk.
It is very important that you treat an ingrown claw quickly, because if you let it to grow, it can lead to serious infection and even more pain.
Read below to understand why cat claws grow in the pad in the first place, and how to treat this condition.
How to know if your cat’s nail is growing into pad?
You should regularly observe your cat’s paws at least every 2 weeks. You should be able to see the first sign of an ingrown nail when you notice the tip of the nail is touching the pad of your cat’s paw.
A cat with an ingrown nail will also exhibit the following symptoms: constant licking at feet, inflammation of paw, limping, and trouble putting weight on the foot.
To remove a cat claw that is growing into the pad, you should cut it with specialty clippers and apply anti-biotic spray on the wound.
Ingrown cat claw: What does it look like?
Below is what an ingrown cat claw looks like. As you can see, the ingrown nail has started to penetrate the cat’s pad. This has caused the pad to become inflamed and possibly infected.
The key is to look for a cat nail curled into the paw.
How to treat a cat’s ingrown nail?
Unless the ingrown nail has caused a serious infection, it should be pretty easy to treat. Below are the steps you should take to treat your cat who has a claw growing into their pad.
Cutting and removing cat claw grown into pad
If you notice the claw is already sticking into the pad of your cat’s paw, you should try to remove it. You should use a nail clipper that operates like scissors and gives you enough access to cut the claw, such as these cat nail clippers.
You should try to cut the claw just above where the claw enters the pad. You want to leave around one centimeter or two. After you clip the claw, you need to remove the part of the claw that is still sticking into the pad. You can easily do this with a pair of tweezers.
Disinfectant and rest
After the claw is removed, your job is still not done. In order to protect your cat from any infection, it is important that you wipe the area with some sort of disinfectant. While this might sting your cat a little, it will help kill any bacteria that is in the wound.
I also recommend that you spray an anti-biotic cream on the nail to help prevent infection.
After you have disinfected your cat’s paw, you should make sure your cat rests for at least a day or two. This will allow enough time for the wound to close up and heal.
Take to the vet
If it looks like your cat’s paw has already developed an infection, or your cat is frequently getting ingrown nails, we strongly recommend taking your cat to the vets. They will prescribe the proper medication to treat the infection, and they might even prescribe your cat some antibiotics.
There are some cat breeds that are more susceptible to ingrown nails. There is also a chance that your cat has a deformed paw which is causing its claws to frequently grow into the paw pad.
Whatever the problem may be, the vet should be able to offer your cat a solution to prevent ingrown nails from occurring in the future.
How to prevent your cat’s nail from growing into pad?
The best step is always prevention. There are plenty of steps you can take to make sure your cat doesn’t get an ingrown nail.
As I mentioned above, you should regularly check your cat’s paws. Aside from ingrown nails, you should also keep an eye out for splinters or any other debris that could be stuck in your cat’s paws.
It is also essential that you regularly trim your cat’s nails. This will prevent the nails from ever reaching a dangerous length. Most vets recommend that you trim your cat’s nails every two weeks. On a similar note, you should also regularly groom your cat in order to avoid matted cat hair.
Lastly, you should make sure your cat is getting enough exercise. As I mentioned earlier, a cat’s nails will naturally get worn down if they walk/run around a lot.
You should try to make sure your cat has access to hard surfaces to walk on. This will help wear down their nails faster. If your cat frequently walks on hard surfaces, you won’t have to trim their nails as often.
How do cat’s claws grow into their foot pad?
Naturally, a cat’s claws have a downward curve. This allows the cat to latch on and grab things easier. When a cat walks around or uses its claws, the claws slowly wear down.
This is a good thing, because it prevents the claw from growing too long.
A claw starts growing into the pad when the claw has not been worn down and allowed to grow freely. This usually happens when your cat doesn’t get enough exercise. Cats that are declawed are also more at risk because it is harder for their claws to get worn down.
This is why it is important to get your kitten declawed at the right age.