Claw

[YouraveragecatLover]

So this morning as I getting out the door I heard the stray that I take care of Meow.He almost never meows and is usually silent.He came up to me and meowed again and I knew something was up.I picked him up and checked if anything was wrong and I looked at his claws.One of them was bent on one paw and on the other looked like a new claw growing.When I touched the claw That's bent he meowed in pain and managed to swing a paw at my face.I was more careful and it looks like a new claw was trying to grow but the old claw prevented it from growing(the red circle in the picture is what Looks like the new claw).The second photo is the other claw on his other paw
Is there any home treatment I can do to help him?

 

[fionasmom]

You may be correct about what is happening and it is probably painful. However, it could be another type of injury as well and if there is damage which is more complicated, you may not be able to take care of this. Given that he swiped at your face, it will be almost impossible to handle this yourself and you should not try. A cat in pain who lashes out can land a blow easily on your face as you try to work on the claw. If someone can hold him, and if it is safe to do that with him, you can try to get a better look at the foot, determine how much it is bleeding or what exactly is going on. However, if he is reacting to the bent nail being touched, this is probably beyond what you can handle or should even try as it is not just a dead piece of nail that you can remove. I know that your parents don't take the cats to the vet, but this is probably not an expensive visit as it seems like an injured nail which is not connected to anything else that could be a big health problem.

 

[YouraveragecatLover]

As long as I keep my finger away from the claw,he won't react.From what I have seen there is a lot of black crusty gunk sorrounding the claw and is attached to the hair and if Try to clean it he won't even let me remove the gunk either.

 

[fionasmom]

It could be dried blood and dirt. If you cannot handle him, and I am certainly not saying that you should be able to as I know that you care for strays and ferals, you have to continue to observe him and let him have his boundaries. Yes, it could get more painful, but that is just going to allow him to react even more and first aid like bandaging the foot will not solve the problem.

 

[YouraveragecatLover]

Thank you,I appreciate all the help you have gave me throughout all this time.If I had not discovered this site I do not know what I would have done.I thank you a lot for helping me and Countless others on here.I will continue to observe him and see if It gets worse or better.

 

[fionasmom]

It is out pleasure to try to help . Sadly, we can't be there in person to try to give more support. You are a great kid for trying to help these cats and they know that you are their friend. Remember you can post anytime you feel like it and someone is here.

 

[Lily Scott]

Thank you,I appreciate all the help you have gave me throughout all this time.If I had not discovered this site I do not know what I would have done.I thank you a lot for helping me and Countless others on here.I will continue to observe him and see if It gets worse or better.

did it end up healing on its own? i am in a similar situation and im in need of some guidance

 

[YouraveragecatLover]

It did end up healing on its own but what ended up happening in the end is that the old claw fell off, and the new one one started growing little by little,and eventually it grew into a normal claw. I did get someone to hold him down while I cleaned him but I did something that you shouldn't do. When I was cleaning him, I used alcohol spray and wet wipes to clean him, which obviously caused him a lot of pain. Please, if your cat is in the same situation, don't try to clean them with alcohol, as it does not help. Instead, try to use warm water and a clean rag as it is safer. But if your cat won't allow you to touch it and cries in pain when you try to clean them, just monitor their behavior and keep a close eye on the paw. If it looks like your cat's claw is dangling while a new one is trying to grow in, just keep a close eye on your cat and it'll eventually fall off on its own while the new one will grow in safely. Don't try to pull it off on its own. I hope your cat gets better soon!

 

[Lily Scott]

Okay, thank you so much. the strange thing in my case is he doesn't seem in pain. I could even squeeze the area and he did not seem in pain. I attached a picture of what it looks like.

Yesterday, I tried a clean rag and warm water to clean it. However it wasn't working at all and it seemed like the stuff around it was hardened gunk and dried blood.

Also, around how long did it take to heal?
And also, my cat's claw is attached to his paw but it's slightly crooked/sideways. Is is still gonna heal properly?

Thanks so much