Frostbite: Damage or death of the skin and underlying tissues as a result of freezing temperatures. The water in the tissues freezes when exposed to severe cold, resulting in cell rupture. Normal cats have 18 toes—five on each front limb and four on each hind limb. The extra toe on the front paw is called the dewclaw. It is slightly on the inner side and does not touch the ground. Moreover, the pads are fairly robust and can easily stand rough, cold, and hot surfaces. But prolonged exposure to cold and hot surfaces can cause damage. My Siamese cat used to sit on the ledge on our woodburner, when it was lit! I’ve no idea how she didn’t burn her feet. We used to say she had ‘asbestos paws’. Tumors: A tumour is a type of abnormality that may be primary or secondary. The skin, bones, and other tissues in the foot can all be affected by several types of tumors. Abscess: An abscess is a collection of pus encased by a wall that forms when bacteria enter the wound via a bite from another cat. An abscess is extremely distressing to the cat and necessitates incision and antibiotic therapy.

Burns (chemical or thermal): Paws may be damaged by chemicals or heat, such as a hotplate or a tar road on a hot day. Keep cats indoors during severe weather and maintain supervision of them around stoves and chemical spills. Like dogs, the cats also have four digital pads for each toe, aka toe beans, because of their appearance with one big metacarpal pad (front paw) and metatarsal pad (hind paw) to bear most of the cat’s weight. The pads can also detect surrounding things like surfaces and evaluate vibrations of approaching prey. Isn’t that brilliant! The paws, like any other part of the body, may be afflicted by illness or injury. Signs might include lameness, unwillingness to put weight on the injured foot, edema (swelling), discomfort, discharge, and hair loss.Foreign Body: Sharp or needle-like object that embeds in the skin, often between the toes. Broken glass and grass awns are examples of common foreign bodies. A foreign body can cause an abscess or skin infection if left untreated.

Plasma-cell pododermatitis: This is a rare inflammatory illness that affects the paw pads and causes them to be soft, swollen and painful.