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Cat holding paw up, swollen and crooked. Is it broken or a bite?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 16 years and 5 months old | 7 lbs

Hi so my name is Gabe and I have a cat named kate that recently came home holding her front left paw up. I looked at it to see somewhat what's wrong. It is very swelled in one part and her paw appears to be crooked which leads me to believe it is broken. But I also noticed a couple of little hole like wounds which look to be note marks. She will not walk on it but she still runs around on the other three legs and acts completely normal. I would like to know what I should do?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

Veterinarian

Published on April 25th, 2017

Hi Gabe! This sounds quite uncomfortable for Kate. Certainly a fracture is a possibility, but since you are seeing small punctures, a bite wound and abscess (infection) in the affected leg is also possible. At this point, Kate needs to be examined by a vet immediately to determine if an abscess or fracture are present so that the injury can be treated appropriately. Unfortunately, there are no home remedies for either of these situations. I hope that Kate is on the mend soon!

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1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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