Oozing Paws And Urination

[teen(cat)mom]

Peter Parker has been to the vet in the past for an infection on his back pads that caused oozing and a horrendous odor. He has also had reoccurring issues with FLUTD. Just today I noticed his back paw has become infected again and it’s very obvious he is in pain from it. I’m following the routine I had used with him instructed by his vet last time this happened and he’ll be seeing the vet again if I don’t notice any improvement. He did urinate outside the litter box again, although his FLUTD has been kept under control for the past few months. Could he have done it due to the pain in his foot and not wanting to use the litter box? Or should I consider the chance that his FLUTD has coincidentally made a comeback as well? He has me heartbroken and very stressed so I figured I’d ask for some opinions! I’ll most likely make an appointment with the vet tomorrow regardless. Thanks for any replies!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Well, yes it could be that he's not using his box because of foot pain. Maybe try putting some shredded paper in his box or even a puppy pad in there and set him in there to see what happens.

Just curious, what is the procedure you are to follow for his feet? What do you feed him? I know food can be a trigger for the foot issues.

 

[teen(cat)mom]

Thanks for the suggestion, I set up a new litter box with feline pine instead of his usual litter and he’s been fine with it so far. Last time he had this issue I’m pretty sure it was prednisolone they had given him, which I’m not using currently this time in hopes to keep him from yet another prescription, he also has to wear a cone and I wash his feet a couple times to help keep it clean. It’s a pretty basic routine but it’s what got the job done last time. They never mentioned it being food related, he’s been on just about every brand I’ve been able to get my hands on and thought was best for him, due to other non related issues he has, and have never noticed it make a difference with his paws. I have noticed he generally has very dry pads so I’m wondering if they eventually just get so dry they crack and get infected. His foot looks much better and it’s only been a day so I’m hoping I caught it a little earlier this time!

 

[lavishsqualor]

Poor Peter Parker. I'm hoping he's back to normal in no time at all.

 

[teen(cat)mom]

Poor Peter Parker. I'm hoping he's back to normal in no time at all.

Thank you!

 

[cheeser]

I'm inclined to think your kitty may be associating his foot pain with using the litter box. It's definitely something I'd ask the vet about.

For what it's worth, one of our cats has had an ongoing problem with nail and toe infections for nearly a year, and the vet kept treating it symptomatically. Then one day our usual vet was unavailable, and the one we saw that day was pretty sure that a food allergy was the underlying cause. To make a long story short, Buddy's nails and toes have shown dramatic improvement since we eliminated chicken from his diet, and slowly introduced him to some novel proteins. Of course, the reason for your cat's problems may be entirely different than ours, but it wouldn't hurt to ask your vet to see if a food allergy might be a possibility.

Btw, if you haven't already done so, I highly recommend you check out the info at catinfo.org, and consider buying some Feliway diffusers to help reduce your kitty's stress. Both have been a huge help for our cat with FLUTD.

Hope Peter Parker is feeling better soon!