Kitten Help

[Royce4304]

We had a very young and weak kitten show up on our front porch several days ago. She trying to eat with our other grown cats. She was terrified butView attachment 290712 starving. We brought her in, cleaned her up and have been caring for her for several days. When we bathed her, we noticed a loose slice in her skin above the toes on her back paw (No bleeding),, and that the tip of her tail is broken. She has been eating and drinking well. She's fairly active and loves our Golden Retriever! This morning we noticed that a large portion of skin is completely gone on top of that paw and it can be further removed easily like sunburnt skin. No signs of infection or pain. And that she had chewed off about an inch of her tail..... Vet trip is planned by the end of the week..... any one ever seen anything like this?View attachment 290711 View attachment 290711

 

[abyeb]

Could you take her to the vet sooner? I haven’t heard about this kind of thing going on with kittens before, but hopefully another poster might have. I’ll look around to try to find some articles to get you more info, but, especially since she’s literally chewed off part of her tail, I think this warrants a vet visit ASAP.

Also, the pictures didn’t seem to load correctly. Can you try posting them again?

How To Add A Picture To Your Forum Post

 

[abyeb]

Hi again. I found some threads about similar issues that your kitten is facing:

Feral cat bites injured tail off

Peeling Paw Pads

So, for the tail thing, it seems like that cats will sometimes self-amputate their tail if it’s injured, because if a nerve is severed, that can cause that part of the tail to die (see post #4 in the above thread by catwoman707 ). In post #6 in that thread, alphakitty expressed concern that the spine could become infected, so I think it would be a good idea to take your kitten to the vet.

For the paw pads peeling, one poster in the second thread above, @mmk111975 said that their cat’s paw pads were peeling, and the vet thought that it could be a reaction to the litter. That, I think, could make sense in your situation too. But, there are possibly other reasons as well, so I think that this also warrants a vet visit.

 

[Royce4304]

Hi again. I found some threads about similar issues that your kitten is facing:

Feral cat bites injured tail off

Peeling Paw Pads

So, for the tail thing, it seems like that cats will sometimes self-amputate their tail if it’s injured, because if a nerve is severed, that can cause that part of the tail to die (see post #4 in the above thread by catwoman707 ). In post #6 in that thread, alphakitty expressed concern that the spine could become infected, so I think it would be a good idea to take your kitten to the vet.

For the paw pads peeling, one poster in the second thread above, @mmk111975 said that their cat’s paw pads were peeling, and the vet thought that it could be a reaction to the litter. That, I think, could make sense in your situation too. But, there are possibly other reasons as well, so I think that this also warrants a vet visit.

The tail issue is not of great worry, I've heard of it before. It will heal with proper care. But the foot issue has got me perplexed. It is the top of her paw not the pads. Other than the original slice/tear to the skin/hide above her toes there was no sign of trauma i.e. bleeding, bruising, swelling or tenderness.... it like the skin is dying.

 

[Royce4304]

 

[talkingpeanut]

I would take her to the vet as soon as possible. That must be very painful.

 

[Royce4304]

I would take her to the vet as soon as possible. That must be very painful.

That's why I'm posting here.. As I stated she has no pain there at all. And it's not raw like an abrasion or rash. It's like the old skill peeled off and there was new skin under it.

 

[catwoman707]

My first thought is it may be a fungal thing going on with her paw and will only spread further if not treated asap.
Unless there are other areas that you see starting to do the same, she may also have been exposed to some unknown substance that caused this.
More likely a fungal infection than substance, just due to how it's on both top and bottom, but not her entire paw pad area.
Fungal infection will appear to eat away at the skin.

As for the tip of her tail, it had been injured or caught and died so she was able to chew it off.
Keep an eye that it heals easily, because it's always possible that there is necrotic/dead tissue remaining which is a problem.
The vet will have a look when she goes for her paw.

 

[Royce4304]

I know that horses will sluff skin after a fence injury without complications but I've never seen an injury heal in this manner with a cat or dog. Thank you for your reply and I will update after our vet visit.

 

[alphakitty]

The tail issue is not of great worry, I've heard of it before. It will heal with proper care. But the foot issue has got me perplexed. It is the top of her paw not the pads. Other than the original slice/tear to the skin/hide above her toes there was no sign of trauma i.e. bleeding, bruising, swelling or tenderness.... it like the skin is dying.View attachment 290719

Oh my God...Get that kitty to a vet!! Skin sloughing off could be caused by steph infection or more likely it is a sure sign that the kitty has been bitten by a poisonous insect, such as a scorpion or a spider. In any case, get that kitty to a vet, pronto!!

alph_kitty