For humans, in addition to cleaning our feet, there are many ways to care for or maintain our feet. We can find a variety of foot care products in stores, and we can also check out many types of massage methods. If you often take your beloved cat out with you, it is recommended that you also pay some attention to your cat’s four paws. Regardless of whether you wipe your cat's "feet" every time he comes back from an outing, you should give him a more thorough paw cleaning at least once a week. Actually, it won’t take you much time.

Japanese Bobtail Cat

​1. Before cleaning:

When washing your cat’s feet for the first time, you should choose a time when it is relatively relaxed. You can do it after dinner, when you go home, or when the whole family is chatting together.

Most cats are very sensitive to their feet. Even the most intimate owners will encounter resistance if they forcefully pull their feet. At this time, the owner should treat the cat gently with the same tone and expression as when communicating intimately with the cat. Don't let it associate foot washing with roughness. Otherwise, not only will it be difficult to wash the paws in the future, but if the cat’s paws are sick, it will also resist during the treatment process.

If the cat is very resistant, there is no need to complete the entire cleaning process at one time. You can familiarize it with one step at a time and achieve final success step by step.

​2. Claw washing tools:

Tools that must be prepared include: water basin (prepared according to the size of the cat’s paws), warm water (the temperature can be slightly higher in winter, but not exceed 37°C), cotton balls or gauze (if there is a sponge for women’s makeup, it is better), absorbent towel , hair dryer, "foot" care lotion (can be replaced by Vaseline). An Elizabethan collar can also be used if the cat is unable to remain calm. However, this is a no-brainer and should not be used if it can be done without. Otherwise, your cat may associate paw washing with something bad.

3. Preparation before washing:

Hold the base of the cat's front paws and gently place its front paws into the basin. It is best not to choose a basin that is too big, otherwise it will easily splash water everywhere. Most cats will struggle at this time, and owners should comfort them gently.

4. Gently rub the soles of the paws:

Gently rub the soles of your feet in the water to wash away the dirt attached to the soles of your feet. You should rub the foot pads first, and then extend to the other toes, not sparing between the toes. Note that you should not rub the soles of its feet hard at this time, just remove the grass blades or mud and other dirt attached to the soles of the feet. If you just start washing your paws and rub the pads vigorously, once there are hard objects attached to the pads, it will be very difficult toEasy to scratch cats and owners.

5. Foot examination:

After washing off the dirt on the paws, you can start to carefully inspect the entire paw. You should also pay attention to whether there are foreign objects stuck in the pads and between the toes, whether there are cuts or punctures, whether there are inflammation or hair loss on the back of the claws, whether there is redness and swelling in the toes and pads, and whether the length of the toenails and sole hair is appropriate.

​6. Scrub the meat pads:

By this step, we have completely removed the dirt on the surface of the cat's "foot soles" and confirmed that there are no abnormalities on the cat's paw soles. The owner can start to carefully scrub the cat’s meat pads and toe gaps. A makeup sponge is a good choice, but if you don’t have one on hand, you can also use gauze instead.

​7. Use bath soap:

Whether it is a long-haired or short-haired cat, in the final cleaning process, using cat-specific bath soap can make the hair on the paws soft and shiny. When choosing bath liquid, you should try to choose pet-specific products with guaranteed quality produced by regular manufacturers. Using human bath liquid instead will be harmful to cats. Also note that some bath solutions need to be diluted before use, so read the instructions carefully before use.

8. Dry paws

After completely washing away the foam of the bath solution, dry the paws with an absorbent towel, paying attention to the back of the paws and the middle of the toes. Many kittens are afraid of putting their feet in a towel when they are not used to washing their feet. Therefore, owners should not use too much force when wiping.

9. Blow-dry the coat

Use a hair dryer to dry the hair on your paws. This is the most important thing to do every time you wash your feet. Cats' paws are prone to skin diseases if their fur is allowed to dry naturally. A hair dryer is also a scary thing for cats. Choosing a hair dryer that is compact and low-noise can slightly reduce your cat’s uneasiness.

10. Apply cream

After cleaning the cat's paws, you can choose a comfortable position and apply cream on its paws. Vaseline is a very moisturizing product and can be replaced by other baby skin care products. However, because cats may lick their paws at any time, skin care products containing various chemical or traditional Chinese medicine ingredients should not be used without knowing whether they are harmful to cats. Use rashly.

11. Massage the soles of the feet

After applying cream to your cat, massage the pads to make the cream more deeply moisturizing. When resting or watching TV, you can hold the cat in your arms and pressRub its paws. Some older cats will have small granular scales on the bottom of their paws, which can be massaged intensively. Don’t ignore the space between your toes either.

If possible, you can also use pet-specific toe clippers, mini clippers, toenail files and mini scissors to trim your cat’s toenails.

After your careful care, your cat will definitely become more beautiful, and it will thank you in its heart for taking good care of it!