Injured/open cut on paw

[Krienze]

Does anyone PLEASE have advice on what to do?
He has litter stuck on his paws, and I can see an open cut.

We heard gunshots today, and I thought maybe he had gotten startled and missed a jump but now I see the cut, so I don't know if we did that while trying to clean the litter off, if he did that, or if that's WHY he'd been limping to begin with.

I'm terrified he'll get an infection if we just leave it, but the vets are closed right now.

 

[Krienze]

Edit:

I soaked his paw in warm salt water for a few minutes, then let him rest in a pen with a wee wee pad in his litter box.
Once his paw dried, I put some neosporin on.

He was given lots of treats to compensate e.e

He's now back in the pen and very upset

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Did you take him in to the vet today? What did they say? If we're talking about what I think we are talking about, it looks quite deep. And I'll bet he is upset, and well as insulted, that you considered him incapable of proper grooming!

 

[Krienze]

Did you take him in to the vet today? What did they say? If we're talking about what I think we are talking about, it looks quite deep. And I'll bet he is upset, and well as insulted, that you considered him incapable of proper grooming!

No vet today. By the time we noticed, vets were closed. He's due to go to the vet Thursday, but that is still a few days away.

EDIT: I am gonna call the vet tomorrow, but in the meantime I bought him some paper pellets and he's resting in his pen

 

[Krienze]

I gently wrapped his paw with an aloe wrap, let him sit with it for a bit. Gonna soak it again.

from earlier:

had to pen him up because his paper pellets will be here tomorrow, but also he keeps trying to JUMP everywhere. Like the top of this cat tree.​

 

[fionasmom]

He is an adorable little orange man with a very irritated look on his face. Will he let you use anything like vet wrap over a sterile wrap to protect it in the meantime? Today is Tuesday, and it seems as if you are really on top of managing this until Thursday, so hopefully no other problems will arise.

 

[Krienze]

He is an adorable little orange man with a very irritated look on his face. Will he let you use anything like vet wrap over a sterile wrap to protect it in the meantime? Today is Tuesday, and it seems as if you are really on top of managing this until Thursday, so hopefully no other problems will arise.

He's SUPER ornery at the moment, yes. He's NOT having it with me messing with his paw.
I got a better look at it and it looks almost like he has a slice on his pad, though I can't figure out WHAT could have caused it.

It's not red, but he's still limping.

We soaked a bit ago, then did neosporin/let him rest in his pen while it dried up.

Will try to get another photo soon

 

[Mamanyt1953]

He may have been under a piece of furniture and caught it on some metal part. I am constantly amazed at what cats can manage to get into!

 

[Krienze]

Update:

He's at the vet for his snip-snip!

Vet looked at his paw, said it was a pretty bad cut but that he'd be okay/might give us antibiotics for it.

 

[Krienze]

Update again!

Charlie came through his surgery just fine! He's mad, but okay.

After getting a better look at his paws, the vet realized he had another mark on his other paw and said they look like BLISTERS as opposed to cuts. They gave him a shot instead of antibiotics and when I told my mother, she recalled he HAD jumped on the stove last weekend. We assumed he'd been fine because he hadn't been limping until the gun shots, so we think when he got spooked, he tore one of the blisters and that was when it started to hurt him!

I feel so bad, I didn't think to check his paws because he was down so fast and wasn't limping at all!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Poor guy! First his feet, and now his little oo's! He's having a rough week!

 

[Krienze]

Poor guy! First his feet, and now his little oo's! He's having a rough week!

I figure it's fine since he's gotta rest for a few days anyway!

Not gonna lie tho, feels so weird to see his lil peach fuzzies gone LOL

 

[Mamanyt1953]

He'll be a happier cat in the long run, but you know that!

 

[Krienze]

He'll be a happier cat in the long run, but you know that!

Oh yeah for sure!

Honestly the only issue we're dealing with now is that Jasper just doesn't seem to want to be nice to him at all. Ever since we brought Gracie home, Jasper's been smacking at the other cats and now he's really irritated with Charlie (I assume due to smell.)

We're taking things slow. I assume this is all normal. Jasper just is usually the more open/accepting of all the cats, but he's been the slowest to come around this time

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Oh, yeah, non-recognition aggression is very common. Once Charlie smells "normal" again, things will calm down. If all else fails, rub a bit of REAL vanilla extract on all of the cats.

 

[Krienze]

Oh, yeah, non-recognition aggression is very common. Once Charlie smells "normal" again, things will calm down. If all else fails, rub a bit of REAL vanilla extract on all of the cats.

What does the real vanilla extract do? (also by any chance do you have any brand recommendations?)

I'm thinking part of Jasper's issue is that we also just brought Gracie home a few weeks ago and he's STILL warming up to her. Very hissy/slappy, but not out right attacking. Thinking of taking him to the vet, maybe, because he's also had the runs from his nerves, I think. Just odd, because he's never been like this with us introducing any other cat and all the other cats have totally warmed up to Gracie already (except Mia, who hates everyone equally lol)

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Real vanilla extract is both pleasant to cats, and strong. It makes both cats smell pretty much the same.

For baking, I prefer the Watkins Organic vanilla extract, and would use that, simply because I have it on hand. However, I think that McCormick's would work just as well, and is a bit cheaper. You just want real vanilla, because the volatile oils smell different in the real and the imitation, which is, I believe, tonka beans.