# Keratonized pad....



## MyBabiesDaddy (Jan 1, 2013)

Hey all,

A few days ago I was playing with my 2 year olds' paws (who can resist holding them like little hands  and I saw some roughness Along the edge of it. It kind of looks like very dry and cracked skin/wart. He's walking and running normally, but I was concerned because it looks dry and painful and I'm worried it'll stop him from using the liter box. So I took him to the vet yesterday and she said its keratinized paw pads. She snipped off the very edge of it and said we can do it too, but we need to be very careful not to snip off too much. She said its kind of like a callous in humans. I will try and snap a picture if i can, but he seems more sensitive now when I touch his paw. He actually hissed at the vet when she was touching it, something he's never done before (I don't think I've ever heard him hiss).

Anyway, I couldn't find much on the internet on it, but I ordered some salmon oil to add to his food. Logic tells me that omega oils would help dry skin. I also bought some new dry foods that have oils (although they usually use olive/sunflower/other plant oils). I normally feed him Soulistic wet food and Orijen dry to snack on. 

Amazon.com: Salmon Oil For Dogs and Cats - Omega 3 for Dogs - Dog Fish Oil - Dog Salmon Oil - No More Dry, Flaky, Itchy Skin - Improve Scratching, Allergies, Shedding and Skin Issues - Great for Soft and Shiny Coats - 32 oz: Pet Supplies

Does anyone have a cat with this condition? If so, what can be done?


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## cat face (Apr 4, 2013)

ok, I just took Sadie and Belle in for their MOT (lol annual vet visit). About 3-4 months ago I had noticed this strange little bump on Belle's paw pad when I was clipping claws.
Belle didn't seem to have any reaction when I was touching it, tugging on it, snipping the end of it, etc. She just sat there like she does for the claws being trimmed.

Being half blind from old age, I put my jeweler's glass on it to have a good look. It got even weirder lol it looked a bit like a new tiny claw was budding from her paw pad. It was about the size of a small wart and hard. 
Since she didn't react when I would trim it, I just kept it relatively short (trimmed) whenever I did the claws and figured I would ask the vet the next time we went.

That was exactly what I did at the vet's this past Sunday. She took one quick look at it and said the same thing. I said, "huh?" She explained it was like a callus. Then she pinched it between her fingernails and quickly ripped it off. Belle never even flinched!!
So I asked her so when it grows back I just rip the thing off then? She said sure but it probably won't grow back. Apparently this just happens sometimes like we get callus or hang nails, etc

Belle is fine, her foot looks completely normal, and she has not changed one iota in her behavior.

That's my experience with it.  Hope it helps you


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

What you're describing sounds like "horned paws". See if the following link looks like it:

Horned Paws


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## cat face (Apr 4, 2013)

yea, that middle set of pictures on the page looks almost identical to what Belle had


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## cat face (Apr 4, 2013)

oops meant the 2nd (second) set. The one with the wee tiny pointy bit


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

wow!! Learn something new every day! Weird! Need to add "horned paws" to the 10 questions about cat thread!!!!


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## MyBabiesDaddy (Jan 1, 2013)

I know people can get "horns" as well, but this isn't a horn  anyone have karatiniation of the paws or any kind of dry paw condition?


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## cat face (Apr 4, 2013)

*MyBabiesDaddy*,

I truly thought that what you were describing was what my cat has/had on her paw. I certainly didn't mean to hijack your thread and after reading the above post, I felt bad that I unknowingly had done just that. Apologies.

So, I decided to see if I could find out what it was you were talking about. 
I started with the question what is it and this is what I found:

*What Is Keratinization?*
Answer:
_Keratinisation is a process by which the epithelial cells lose their humidity and are restored by horny tissue. This process occurs when the keratin cells push upward through the skin, die and then harden thus changing into hair or nails._

As you can see by the answer I found why I felt you and I were talking about the same kind of thing on our kitties paws.

So I tried to get more specific, in my search, and narrowed it to "paws". The link shows what I found.
Keratinization Revealing Paws

and I also found this:

* keratinized growths*

_Keratin is a protein. All skin is keratinized, and hair, nails, horn and hooves differ in the extent of thickness of keratin. Some cats develop unusual keratinized growths from the pads of their paws. These growths are usually insignificant and don’t cause the cat any problems. Although some can grow large enough to affect the way a cat walks, and it may be necessary to have them trimmed or removed.

As I am not qualified to give medical advice it is advisable to have your cat checked out by your veterinarian if you suspect that it may have this problem, especially if they are causing your pet discomfort._

I searched high and low to try and find a picture of what you described in your first post. I couldn't find anything, sorry.
But I did come across some interesting topical treatments you might want to look into.

First Aid

Hydrocortisone-wipes


I hope it helps some. Good luck to you and your kitty.


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## MyBabiesDaddy (Jan 1, 2013)

Cat face, I appreciate the research you did and the info about your cats horn was helpful too!  i too, had a very hard time finding any useful info on keratonized paws, which is why I was hoping someone had real experience. I was just trying to steer the thread away from the horn, which is a different comdition. I wasn't worried about it being hijacked or anything  

I will definitely try to take a picture and show people what I'm referring to. A picture is worth a thousand words!


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## Arianwen (Jun 3, 2012)

I hate to admit this after all my years with cats but I have NEVER come across this. Really interesting.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

MyBabiesDaddy, just wondering how your boy is doing and if you've found out any additional information? ?


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