What are these tiny growths on my cat's carpal pads (near the dew claw)?
August 20, 2014 2:17 PM Subscribe
The other day I happened to notice these little growths on my cat's carpal pads. The rest of her claws, including her dew claw are normal and I trim them regularly. For some reason, I either have not noticed these growths on her carpal pad or they're new. I've included a picture of each paw inside.
You have a very good macro camera and a very patient cat.
My thought on seeing the first one was that it might be a matted-fur thing, it's a rough texture and matches the fur color pretty closely. But the second photo doesn't look like that at all. So obviously not.
A few diagnostic questions that won't help me at all because I'm not a vet but are still interesting to think about:
Are they sore to the touch? or does the cat notice them at all? (i.e. are there even nerves there?)
Did you buy anything new lately? (new cat toy, new scratching post, new carpet, new furniture)
Are they noticeably squishier or firmer than the rest of the pad?
posted by aimedwander at 2:30 PM on August 20, 2014 [1 favorite]
My thought on seeing the first one was that it might be a matted-fur thing, it's a rough texture and matches the fur color pretty closely. But the second photo doesn't look like that at all. So obviously not.
A few diagnostic questions that won't help me at all because I'm not a vet but are still interesting to think about:
Are they sore to the touch? or does the cat notice them at all? (i.e. are there even nerves there?)
Did you buy anything new lately? (new cat toy, new scratching post, new carpet, new furniture)
Are they noticeably squishier or firmer than the rest of the pad?
posted by aimedwander at 2:30 PM on August 20, 2014 [1 favorite]
She is totally adorable!
They feel like crusty versions of your cat's pads (known as "beans" in our house)? They are totally normal -- one of my cats never got them, but the other two have had them for years. It's similar to corns on human feet. They can grow to the point where they look like extra claws.
You can trim them off if they bother you, but they probably won't bother the cat. Here's an earlier AskMe.
posted by vickyverky at 2:31 PM on August 20, 2014 [2 favorites]
They feel like crusty versions of your cat's pads (known as "beans" in our house)? They are totally normal -- one of my cats never got them, but the other two have had them for years. It's similar to corns on human feet. They can grow to the point where they look like extra claws.
You can trim them off if they bother you, but they probably won't bother the cat. Here's an earlier AskMe.
posted by vickyverky at 2:31 PM on August 20, 2014 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: aimedwander - I don't *think* they're sore... she's a skittish cat to begin with so if you look at her the wrong way she's offended and recoils. I had to scratch her cheeks while taking the photos to distract her. I don't think she notices them at all. They're firm, like nails but they don't look like nails. Nope, I haven't bought anything new (which reminds me that I should clearly spoil my kitties more frequently). :)
Vickyverky - I think you're likely right. I did see that other post, but the picture didn't work in it so I wasn't sure if they were talking about the same thing. I googled carpal pad growths and nails extensively but only came up with super gross afflictions animals can get. Thanks for your post!
posted by DorothySmith at 2:37 PM on August 20, 2014
Vickyverky - I think you're likely right. I did see that other post, but the picture didn't work in it so I wasn't sure if they were talking about the same thing. I googled carpal pad growths and nails extensively but only came up with super gross afflictions animals can get. Thanks for your post!
posted by DorothySmith at 2:37 PM on August 20, 2014
One of my cats gets those, I asked the vet and they said that unless they grow aggressively, there is nothing to worry about.
posted by Divest_Abstraction at 3:52 PM on August 20, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Divest_Abstraction at 3:52 PM on August 20, 2014 [1 favorite]
Best answer: One of my three cats has these. His brother doesn't. I've seen them called 'toe horns'. They don't seem to bother Pumbaa. My apologies for not making these into clickable links:
http://messybeast.com/horned-paws.htm
http://www.families.com/blog/toe-horns
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/254345/horned-paws
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 5:24 PM on August 20, 2014 [1 favorite]
http://messybeast.com/horned-paws.htm
http://www.families.com/blog/toe-horns
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/254345/horned-paws
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 5:24 PM on August 20, 2014 [1 favorite]
My cat has them. I don't think they bother her. TBH she seems more offended I woke her up to look at her paws then anything else.
posted by spunweb at 6:18 PM on August 20, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by spunweb at 6:18 PM on August 20, 2014 [1 favorite]
One of my cats gets these too. The vet told us they are corns, and they kind of come and go. They don't seem to bother him.
posted by LolaGeek at 9:59 AM on August 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by LolaGeek at 9:59 AM on August 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
My cat has those, and I don't think you can cut them off. I mean, I can't cut hers off. That is FOR SURE.
posted by Medieval Maven at 10:59 AM on August 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Medieval Maven at 10:59 AM on August 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
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posted by DorothySmith at 2:28 PM on August 20, 2014 [3 favorites]