Cat Paw Pad Balm Recommendations?

[Cat Sidhe]

Helloooo!

It´s been almost a month since I adopted Midna, and the time has come to ask the first of, probably, many questions.

My little lady came home with several issues that I had to tackle one by one due to her being severely undeweight and weak, but things have been improving a lot and now I can start focussing on the minor things, like her paw pads.

She has the worst maintained paw pads I´ve ever seen. It´s like she´s been walking all her life on hot pavement. The poor jelly beans are dry, flaky and look like the surface of the Moon: small holes, old scars... even one of them has a bit missing.

The vet already checked them and there´s nothing to be worried, so he recommended a balm to ease the healing proccess, but only found dog paw wax at the local stores so far. Do you guys have any recommendations on paw balms for cats? Something I could buy online and have it delivered to Europe?

 

[Margret]

Can you take a look at the ingredients of the dog paw wax? It might be safe for cats.

If that's Midna in your signature, she's adorable, by the way.

Margret

 

[Kieka]

Here is an older thread with some information and links. When applying a balm make sure it is either safe to eat or apply a very thin layer so it soaks in quickly.

cracked paw pad

 

[Margret]

Okay, I've been doing some research online and I found this do-it-yourself paw balm recipe: Paw Balm for Dogs and Cats - This Natural Dream

Then I started checking on the safety of the individual ingredients. You must assume that a cat will swallow anything you put on its skin, so if it's poisonous for ingestion it's poisonous, period. Here's what I found out about the ingredients:

• Coconut Oil: Appears to be safe. Treating Cat Skin Conditions with Coconut Oil You'll find many websites that recommend "cold pressed extra virgin" coconut oil. Cold pressed is probably a good thing as it means that good stuff hasn't been cooked out of it. As for extra virgin, however, when I was getting coconut oil for myself I asked about it and it's meaningless. (All right; it's not totally meaningless. It means that the manufacturer is trying to jack up the price.) Do be aware that, after opening, coconut oil needs refrigeration.
• Beeswax: This one was harder to find. Impossible to find, actually. I found many articles about the benefits of beeswax for humans, and several about using it for furballs (not recommended, but only because they don't know enough about it). It seems to be used in most of the topical pet ointments, however, so it should be safe. When I've needed beeswax for something I found that a local apiary was the best place to find it.
• Shea Butter: Totally safe. http://ezinearticles.com/?Shea-Butter-For-Your-Cat&id=1330012
• Almond Oil: POISONOUS TO CATS!! Leave this ingredient out entirely. Is Almond Oil Safe for Cats?
• Vitamin E oil: Completely safe. Fat Soluble Vitamins: Vitamin A, D, E, & K in Cats The main problem with vitamin E oil is finding it. In the U.S. I buy a one-ounce bottle from King Soopers (my grocery store, the chain's name is Kroger so if you have Kroger grocery stores in Europe you can get it there). One way to get it is to buy gel caps of vitamin E, intended for use as a supplement, and cut the capsules open, but you may need a lot of capsules. If you decide to look for vitamin E oil that's not in gel caps you need to be aware that most of the "vitamin E oil" skin care products are not pure vitamin E. They're actually vegetable oil with just enough E added that they can legally put it on the label. Make sure that it says "Pure vitamin E oil," and look at it. Genuine vitamin E oil is quite viscous -- when you tip the bottle it should take a while for the oil to move. If it moves like water it isn't pure. Regarding tocopherols: these are the various forms that vitamin E can take. When buying it as a supplement, mixed tocopherols are best. For a paw salve, this should be unimportant.
• Olive Oil: Safe. Olive Oil Uses for Cats | Cuteness I didn't check out the comfrey and rosemary; I'd leave them out. I've heard some reports of Italian olive oil being adulterated with other oils, however.
• Aloe Vera Juice: Should be safe. Is Aloe Vera Safe for Cats and Dogs? Cats & Aloe Plants In other words, it's only poisonous if the juice contains the latex that aloe plants also produce. One potential problem: I've found that Aloe Gel products frequently contain dye. I don't use Aloe juice so I don't know about that.

I hope this helps.

Edited to add: All that said, the primary healing ingredient in this recipe is the vitamin E. There is only one problem with simply using the vitamin E directly on your kitten's paws -- it may be licked off too quickly. My Jasmine loves the taste of vitamin E so I have to assume that at least some other cats do as well. The ointment should be slower to remove because of the beeswax in it. However, if you want to try vitamin E directly, go with the gel caps. They're easy to get, and it should only take one or two at a time to treat all four paws. Use a large pin or needle to pierce the capsules and then squeeze the oil out. If your kitten doesn't immediately lick it off you have a winner, as it's fairly easily absorbed.

Margret

 

[Cat Sidhe]

Wow, thanks for the quick replies!

Kieka : Thanks a lot for the link and for the tips! You actually make a very good point. I´ll make sure that I only apply a very thin layer, Midna will probably lick the thing away in less than a minute.
I had to search for the “Bag balm” that is mentioned on the link you provided. In UK, it was virtually unknown until a couple of years ago, but I´m so curious now after reading about all it´s good properties that I´ll order it on Amazon and give it a try.

Margret : Thank you for taking your time to research all this!!! It´s amazing the amount of info you gathered so soon!!

Regarding the dog wax, I couldn´t see the entire list of ingredients but, if I remember correctly, it had lavender essential oil, so I left it there to double check if that was toxic for cats. Now, after seeing the DIY recipe I think I´ll start gathering all the ingredients to make it. As you say, probably the pure vitamin E oil will be tricky to get (we don´t have Kroger stores here) but I´ll take a look. If Amazon sells udder cream, I´m pretty sure the vitamin E will be there too.

Midna is indeed the one in my signature! Thanks a lot! She´s 4 years old but still has such a baby face

 

[Margret]

I have an excellent search engine (DuckDuckGo -- you can add it to your browser by visiting DuckDuckGo), and most of the info was readily available. The recipe just popped up when I searched on "paw balm for cats," hoping to find some European sources.

I haven't researched Bag Balm in relation to pets, though I do know that it was originally developed for milk cow's udders and was made more widely available when people who used it on their cows inadvertently discovered that it made their hands softer and helped to heal cracked, chapped skin. This was many years ago. I've used it on my hands in the past and it's a fine product. Given the original intended use, they must have been very careful to make sure that all the ingredients were safe for human ingestion.

Margret

 

[kashmir64]

You could also use Bag Balm. It's completely safe. Just rub some into the pads to sooth it.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

If you can locate a good soap making and/or lotion making company in the UK (one that sells bulk products to soapmakers, for example) maybe you can locate one that will sell an unscented shea oil or unscented shea butter for your kitty's paws. Make sure that the product is unscented and that it only contains shea butter (Butyrospermum Parkii), or, if anything else is added, that those additional ingredients are ok for cats.

I often purchase from this great company in Arizona, getting their unscented lotions and creams, and unscented versions of their soaps. But they have two shea butter products that might be good for cat paw pads (remember to never overload the paw pad with product, as you don't want a constantly moist environment on their feet) -- I give the links so that you have an example of what to search for when looking for a local (UK) company for similar products:

the unscented version of the Shea Oil
Shea Bath & Body Oil

the unscented of the shea body butter
Shea Butter

-----

For members in Canada or the US, this is a great company for a variety of bulk products
Pure Essential Oils Supplier | New Directions Aromatics

You'd find relevant products under the Carrier Oils, or Raw Materials sections.
The problem is, if you are international (not Canada or US), then that above company requires a large $$$ minimum [bulk] order (so it's not really helpful for you in this case, Cat Sidhe).

-----

There are several sellers on Etsy (soap makers, lotion and cream makers and the like) that might ship unscented body bars of shea butter internationally. Then you could just rub those on your kitty's paw pads.

 

[Cat Sidhe]

Thanks for all the recommendations!!!

Amazon and Etsy should be sending stuff next week! I can´t wait to try it all (not only with Midna )
Cheers!

 

[cheeser]

• Vitamin E oil: Completely safe. Fat Soluble Vitamins: Vitamin A, D, E, & K in Cats The main problem with vitamin E oil is finding it. In the U.S. I buy a one-ounce bottle from King Soopers (my grocery store, the chain's name is Kroger so if you have Kroger grocery stores in Europe you can get it there). One way to get it is to buy gel caps of vitamin E, intended for use as a supplement, and cut the capsules open, but you may need a lot of capsules. If you decide to look for vitamin E oil that's not in gel caps you need to be aware that most of the "vitamin E oil" skin care products are not pure vitamin E. They're actually vegetable oil with just enough E added that they can legally put it on the label. Make sure that it says "Pure vitamin E oil," and look at it. Genuine vitamin E oil is quite viscous -- when you tip the bottle it should take a while for the oil to move. If it moves like water it isn't pure. Regarding tocopherols: these are the various forms that vitamin E can take. When buying it as a supplement, mixed tocopherols are best. For a paw salve, this should be unimportant.

[. . .]

Edited to add: All that said, the primary healing ingredient in this recipe is the vitamin E. There is only one problem with simply using the vitamin E directly on your kitten's paws -- it may be licked off too quickly. My Jasmine loves the taste of vitamin E so I have to assume that at least some other cats do as well. The ointment should be slower to remove because of the beeswax in it. However, if you want to try vitamin E directly, go with the gel caps. They're easy to get, and it should only take one or two at a time to treat all four paws. Use a large pin or needle to pierce the capsules and then squeeze the oil out. If your kitten doesn't immediately lick it off you have a winner, as it's fairly easily absorbed.

Margret

Margret , I'm so glad you posted all that wonderful info.

I've thought about trying vitamin E for minor skin irritation. But because it is a fat soluble vitamin, I was afraid of accidentally doing more harm than good in case they licked it all off and more wound up in them than on them. Is there a mystical and magical limit that you want to stay under, especially if you may need to keep reapplying vitamin E for say a week or two?