Do Cat Paw Pads Change Color? Vet-Approved Facts & FAQ

The station Do Cat Paw Pads Change Color? Vet-Approved Facts & FAQ by Rachael Gerkensmeyer appeared archetypal connected Catster. Copying implicit full articles infringes connected copyright laws. You whitethorn not beryllium alert of it, but each of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, truthful they aren't considered nationalist domain. However, we admit that you similar the nonfiction and would emotion it if you continued sharing conscionable the archetypal paragraph of an article, past linking retired to the remainder of the portion connected Catster.com.

Lovingly referred to arsenic toed beans by galore people, a cat’s paw pads thin to beryllium 1 of the astir endearing features of a feline. They are soft, supple, and ace cute erstwhile a feline stretches them retired aft a cozy nap.

Paw pads travel successful antithetic colors. Some are pink, others are black, and immoderate are grey oregon adjacent spotted. However, erstwhile a kitty is born, the colour of their pads volition not usually change; they volition enactment the aforesaid for the remainder of their life. If the quality of your cat’s paw pads changes, determination is apt a crushed for it that indispensable beryllium addressed. Here’s what you should know.

What Exactly Are Paw Pads?

We cognize what paw pads look like, but what are they for? A cat’s paw pads are similar the bottoms of our ain feet. They are cushions of heavy insubstantial that are pugnacious to assistance withstand abrasions from the surfaces a feline walks on. Paw pads enactment arsenic a shield betwixt the harsh situation and the soft, delicate insubstantial of a cat’s paw.

Every feline paw consists of abstracted integer pads, 4 connected the backmost paws and 5 connected the beforehand (typically). They besides person a bigger metacarpal/metatarsal pad that sits conscionable down the integer pads. Each pad is situated to assistance enactment the value of a feline erstwhile they determination astir and supply cushioning and daze absorption. The beforehand legs besides person a carpal pad higher up the limb that is liable for traction, assists with harmless jumping, and immunodeficiency successful slowing down skidding motions. Paw pads are covered successful tegument that is pigmented successful antithetic colors, including white, pink, black, gray, and spotted.

Image Credit: Orhan Cam, Shutterstock

What Purposes Do Cat Paw Pads Serve?

Besides daze absorption and protection, a cat’s paw pads service galore purposes. Another important occupation that they bash is to assistance insulate the feet truthful a feline tin withstand moderately blistery and acold temperatures erstwhile outdoors. This is not to accidental that a cat’s paw pads cannot get burned oregon frostbitten, but the paw pads tin withstand utmost upwind conditions overmuch amended than the tegument connected the remainder of the feet.

Paw pads besides supply tactile accusation to cats truthful they tin consciousness vibrations that could mean a predator oregon force is approaching and wherever they are approaching from. The pads besides supply a feline with everything that they request to cognize astir the surfaces that they are walking on. If a aboveground is sharp, blistery oregon cold, oregon painful, a feline volition debar that aboveground and determination elsewhere.

Why Would a Cat’s Paw Pads Change Color?

A cat’s paw pads should not alteration colour during their beingness unless determination is an underlying occupation that forces the change. Here are the communal reasons that a cat’s paw pads mightiness alteration colour and what tin beryllium done astir it.

Image Credit: Kevin Bidwell, Pexels

1. Injuries

Injuries tin origin a cat’s paw pad colour to change. These colour changes usually travel successful the signifier of darker pink, red,  purple, and achromatic colors. Insect and carnal bites, overgrown claws, and cuts from crisp objects and unsmooth surfaces tin each lend to injuries that mightiness alteration the colour of a cat’s paw pads.

Sometimes, different signs of injury, specified arsenic limping and excessive licking of the paw oregon foot, are present. The attraction depends connected the benignant of wounded affecting the paw pad. If you fishy that your feline has injured their ft and/or paw, it’s important to docket a checkup with your veterinarian arsenic soon arsenic possible.

2. Anemia

Anemia is simply a condition successful which reddish humor cells successful the assemblage are insufficient either owed to accrued nonaccomplishment oregon decreased production. Red humor cells transportation much-needed oxygen to each the tissues successful the body. When a feline has anemia, their lingua and gums mightiness go lighter oregon adjacent white. They are apt to go lethargic, weak, and disinterested successful food. Once your veterinarian determines the origin of anemia, they tin make and prescribe a attraction plan.

Another imaginable motion your feline is suffering from anemia is lightening of the paw pads. Pink pads tin crook white, for example. Cats with people achromatic paw pads that person anemia won’t beryllium arsenic visibly noticeable successful the paw pads.

Image Credits: Nynke van Holten, Getty Images

3. Vitiligo

Like humans, cats tin make vitiligo successful their big years, which is simply a uncommon yet harmless information that’s considered to beryllium hereditary.  Vitiligo is the depigmentation of the skin, which includes the tegument connected feline paw pads. It’s thought that it develops erstwhile an animal’s assemblage cannot decently nutrient melanin cells. Once it develops, it is not contagious.

Vitiligo tin marque a feline with achromatic paw pads make lilac, pink, oregon adjacent achromatic pads. The constituent is that dark-colored paw pads could crook lighter successful colour if the feline has vitiligo. Fortunately, this information produces nary symptom oregon wellness problems and is simply cosmetic. Therefore, determination is nary request to interest astir treating the condition.

4. Plasma Cell Pododermatitis

This uncommon information is erstwhile the paw pads go inflamed with plasma cells, a regular constituent of the immune system. These plasma cells usually nutrient antibodies to combat infections. However, with plasma compartment pododermatitis, plasma cells flood the ft pads often without a known infectious cause.

Signs of plasma compartment pododermatitis see mushy, swollen paw pads and a pillowy pad shape. They whitethorn besides alteration to a purplish colour and beryllium lame connected that foot.  Veterinarian-prescribed antibiotics are typically indispensable for respective months to assistance escaped a feline of this perchance achy condition.

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5. Cancers

Some types of cancer tin impact the ft and paw pads. The astir communal types are melanoma and squamous compartment carcinoma. These whitethorn look arsenic raised, colored masses connected the paw pads oregon different parts of the foot. Cats whitethorn limp oregon lick the ft excessively. If you announcement immoderate changes to your cat’s paw pad colour oregon texture, spot your veterinarian arsenic soon arsenic possible.

Final Thoughts

While a cat’s paw pads should enactment the aforesaid colour passim their life, determination are a fewer reasons that colour changes mightiness hap astatine immoderate point. It is ever a bully thought to consult with a veterinarian to find the origin of the colour changes truthful it tin beryllium efficaciously and decently addressed. Sometimes, the changes tin beryllium reversible. Other times, the colour changes bespeak and tin assistance diagnose wellness problems that whitethorn not person been noticed otherwise.

Featured Image Credit: Jumnong, Shutterstock

The station Do Cat Paw Pads Change Color? Vet-Approved Facts & FAQ by Rachael Gerkensmeyer appeared archetypal connected Catster. Copying implicit full articles infringes connected copyright laws. You whitethorn not beryllium alert of it, but each of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, truthful they aren't considered nationalist domain. However, we admit that you similar the nonfiction and would emotion it if you continued sharing conscionable the archetypal paragraph of an article, past linking retired to the remainder of the portion connected Catster.com.