Kitten's Foot Skin Cracking

Recently my sweet calico had her kittens from a stray cat running around. The kittens were perfectly healthy and born around May 1st. They're almost 2 weeks and one (out of four) began to show really odd, yellow crust around the foot. It's close by the pads between the middle toes and it looks a bit swollen on the top. I took some pictures of it.



It's some sort of yellow crust like how the skin cracks in winter on your hands. It has been damp lately and we've had humid days one day and extremely rainy the next. We've been covering them up (they're outside cats) to prevent any dampness but I'm not sure about this poor kitten's foot. He doesn't show any signs of pain when i touch it but he's just began to walk and he's perfectly fine. been trying to look up some things about it but all I can find is scaly skin on cats.

From what you are describing, along with the pics, could it be fungus? Do you have a vet that you could send a pic to and see if they would agree that it might be fungus, and if so, how they would recommend you treat it?

I live with my parents and we don't actually have a vet. We're pretty far out in the country and we never have the time to make an appointment.
I'm not sure if it's fungus? It's like what you would get from pinkeye sort of crust, but it's somewhat like cracked, thick skin. He just got it today and I put some neosporin on it to see if it will help with it.

Just make sure the Neosporin doesn't have pain meds in it - that's is an absolute no-no. And, also wipe off any excess to avoid the kitten ingesting it. Also, be forewarned, some cats have allergic reactions to it, especially if ingested. A kitten at that age might be even more susceptible.

Also, you might want to try chamomile tea (grocery store tea bags, German - NOT English, and no additives). You can brew a bag, cool the liquid, and dab it on the paw with a cotton ball - probably multiple times a day. The tea has both soothing and healing properties, and it won't hurt anything if the kitten ingests some of it.

But, tbh, if it is a fungus, depending on what type, it could be contagious and will need more than just Neosporin or chamomile tea.

Alright, I'll try it out and give an update tomorrow, thank you!

Look forward to hearing good news tomorrow!!

Could it be ringworm? You can buy over the counter anti fungal cream for it, but as FeebysOwner says you don't want him to eat it! Ringworm is infinitely hard to get rid of, very contagious and contact spread, and it can spread to humans, so might be worth getting some cream for yourself too! If possible separate him from the others with his own blankets, and wash everything she's come into contact with on HOT and bleach hard surfaces. If it is fungal if any is left in the environment then he could just reinfect himself even after it's treated, so it's worth putting a bit of time into the cleanup!

Good luck! I hope it clears up soon. Let us know how he is!

Might be worth checking out this video from Kitten Lady about looking after kittens with ringworm:

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Hi 4inawar and welcome to the forum !

The "swollen" "yellow crust" around the paw pad area would not likely be the result of ringworm.

More probable is an allergic response/reaction that's resulting in "eosinophilic granuloma".....She may have come into contact with an allergen or her immune system might be thinking that there's a nasty invader down there and is mounting an attack.

There are no home remedies for this condition - only a Veterinarian can prescribe the type of drug needed to put this fire out. Save your Neosporin, it won't do a thing for it (and could be harmful).

You said "they're outside cats".......are you saying they are currently outside your house? If that's the case, please take them inside so they're safe and secure. Your own cat, the mother, can get pregnant again - in very short order - if she's left outside.

Are you planning to have the mother cat spayed......so that there are no more unexpected litters like this? Was she ever vaccinated?

Having a cat means finding the time....making the time, when necessary, to get medical care for her.

What are your plans for the kittens? (If you simply keep them without getting them spayed and neutered, you'll be overwhelmed with more cats in no time!)

There are cat rescue organizations and groups almost everywhere these days. Google exactly this: "cat rescue in (your town/city/area)". These folks will know of low-cost spay programs and ways to get the kittens adopted and cared for, as you might need.

Keep us posted, too!
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They're outside the house because my parents are allergic to cat dandruff/fur and really freaky on having cats inside the house.
We have someone that's going to take the mother and the two female kittens so we won't get anymore litters. She hasn't been vaccinated, mostly because my parents refuse to pay vet bills and drive around. I can't get around much, either
I will keep y'all posted and hoping he'll recover >.<

That sounds hard! If possible, it would be best to get the boys fixed too. Being upneutered puts them more at risk of serious health conditions like FIV and FeLV because they will go out and breed and, most likely, fight. It also means that the stray kitten population in your area will increase so there will still be kittens, you just won't see them! It's generally accepted that they can be done from 6 months (though some vets will do it earlier) so you have a bit of time to either work on your parents or do some charity research. I'm guessing you're not in the UK, but if you are there is a great scheme called the C4 scheme where charities come together to spay or neuter cats for free or for as little as £10. If they're outdoor cats it's probably worth chipping them at the same time. Some charities will do this for you too.

In the mean time, would it be possible to ask a friend to take the little boy to the vet? Or drive you down there? It won't fix the money problem, but it will fix the transport! It does really sound like he needs to see someone.

I plan to get the boys fixed once they get old enough. I don't know if my mom would be willing to drive me to the vet because they're set in their ways and you know, they're the 'no vet, the cat isnt sick' sort of people.
I don't know anyone to be honest (because I'm homeschooled and all) except online so that wouldn't be possible for me.
Also didn't wanna leave anyone in the dust, so.
The kitten's paw is pretty much the same. I got home late from my sister's so I didn't get to inspect it as long as I hoped but it doesn't look any worse or any better. I hope sometime this month my mom will let up and maybe we can take him to a veterinarian. Either that or he recovers.

Oh dear, bless you. Hopefully they'll let you go soon. At least it doesn't look worse, his immune system might kick in but being so little he doesn't have much to fight with yet. Let us know how he does!

Today I got to look at his paw a bit more and it looks like its trying to take over some of his pad. found some anti-fungus cream in our medicine cabinet so i put some of that on him. hoping it will do a bit of good.

Aw, well fingers crossed for the little man. Just be careful. Do all you can to make sure he doesn't eat it as obviously it's not designed for use on animals and you don't want him to ingest anything that could be dangerous. It's not ideal. Have you made any headway with your parents and getting him to a vet? If it's getting worse he should really see someone.

I'll make sure of that. He's too little to be able to groom himself and the mom has no interest in his foot so hopefully nothing will be eaten.
They're still reluctant so i'm trying to do whatever I can for this poor guy.

Okay, good luck! I hope you can persuade them. Why are they so against vets?

I think the main reason is because before I was born my older sister had a dog and he had some sort of wound and my sister was begging to take him to the vet, so they finally said yes and all the vet did was put some neosporin on it. That's at least what they told me. In short, their reason is they just don't want to put the cat in the cage, drive all the way there, pay for it, and then have the veterinarian just put some ointment on it.

Haha, well sometimes that's all it needs, I guess. Especially for wounds, unless it needs stitching all they can do is clean it up unless it's infected or not healing properly. But they will know which ointments to use and have ones that are safe for use on animals. And they might have antibiotics in and things that you can't buy over the counter. But this is a bit different to a wound, especially if it's looking worse.

I agree.
also an update on him, they're all wobbly and walking, his foot on the top looks like it died down just a small bit. i also noticed that the other boy got some of the stuff on his dew claw. it's not a big patch but it spread from the white kitten to the orange kitten