~ My stray cat started limping - please help me?

Good for you taking care of a stray cat. I love cats, as I do all animals. Anyway, examine the paw again, make sure you are very thorough, especially looking in the area of the cats pads on the foot. Look for thorns or anything abnormal between the pads of the foot. He could have stepped on glass and cut his paw, but because you said you could not see anything, this is highly unlikely. If he got stung by a bee, you may be able to see the stinger in the paw, which you should remove with tweezers or your fingers, however, again, this is highly unlikely.

Your cat may have sprained a muscle, or he has strained muscle ligaments. A pulled muscle in the back, hip or leg area, could cause your cat to limp, which usually lasts for 2-3 days. During this condition, there may be little, or no swelling, so, in cases where no swelling is present, a warm compress or a heating pad, is necessary to help ease the pain.

Nail injuries, can cause a great deal of pain, and of course, resulting in limping. Carefully examine the paw for cracks, tearing, dried blood, on or the surroundings of the nail. Gently palpate the nails, so you can check for tenderness.

Abscesses can cause limping, however, since there is no swelling, or bumps, then this is probably not the case.

Your cat could have arthritis, or back problems.

Your cat probably has goat a piece of wire, or some sort of object caught on his foot, however, this usually results in swelling, however, your cat may have anything that I mentioned above. The best thing for your cat, is to soak his foot in an antibacterial soap or Bentadine or Povidine, then put flower on the paw, also, if it was possible, keep your cat in an enclosed area so he can't wander all around the streets, which will just make him worse. You can apply ice in a cloth to the paw.

You should wash his paw every 4 hours. If he starts to get swelling on his paw, or if the paw is hot and red, then you will need to go to the vet. You should talk to your parents seriously about bringing the cat in and giving it a bath, so it will not be dirty, and keep it in your room, and after his paw has healed, you will put him out again, and say that you will sacrifice something for your cat to be in your room. Tell them that his paw is important, and if they don't want to take him to the vet, then let him in your room with a old sheet covering the bed, and a kitty litter tray with newspaper underneath. If your parents, after much convincing, will not let him in the house, even though the condition is worse, then you must call your local RSPCA or pound for help, so they can take him to the vet for you, and give him back to you after treatment, or even keep him in their shelter for you, and you can come and see him as often as possible.

Right now, he should be confined to a space, which limits his walking space, first beg your parents to let him come in your room only. As long as you give him the treatment, I mentioned above, he should start to get better in a few days.

I hope I helped.

The very best of luck.

If there's no swelling, cuts or blood, he might have caught it on a fence or twisted it landing wrong. Keep an eye on him, he should be ok (it would help to get him indoors) and if he shows signs of really having trouble - such as awkward sitting, keeping the foot off the ground, etc. -- he may need to be seen by a vet.

You really can't do anything unless you take him to the vet. Just try to keep him close by.

BTW, never give a cat human pain meds. It will kill them. Cats have to have special pain medications that are only prescribed by a vet.

He may have pulled a muscle. My cat was limping one day, the next she was fine. Cats are strange like that.

Try to cage rest him for 24 hours. It will make it worse if he is running around everywhere. See if his nails are scuffed and if so he's probably been clipped by a care. Check on the internet if there are any free clinics around. If your in the UK the PDSA/RSPCA may be able to help, if not the UK the equivalent of.

my cat got hit by a car (i think...) and the vet said you can tell that because her claws were all shredded at the ends (the front ones) so check that.

my cat ended up having a really bad broken leg (ball off ball and socket joint actually broke off!) and ou couldn't tell except she could hardly walk etc. maybe he has a broken/fractured leg? i dont know, but check the claws!!!

just as a heads up, my cat, sammie is fine now, one leg is slightly shorter than the other but she is still mad and perfectly capable of everything as before. she can run fast still, she does sit funny, and she runs wonky, but she is absolutely fine!