How to Remove Hardened Kitty Litter From a Cat's Paw

Cats can bring a lot of joy to their owners' lives. However, there are some dirty situations an indoor cat can get into. Any cat owner will tell you that there is nothing more icky than realizing your cat has kitty litter hardened onto its paws. It may cause your cat some pain or discomfort as well. It is difficult for cats to avoid this problem when they use an indoor litter box to go to the bathroom and, of course, they are not doing it on purpose or to make their owners angry.

Things You'll Need

  • Two washcloths
  • Non-toxic soap
  • Rubber gloves
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Instructions

    • 1

      Close your cat off from the rest of your home. The litter that has hardened onto your cat's paws may include some feces in it, so you will want to make sure it is closed off from the rest of your home before it can track it onto any other surfaces. A bathroom is a good place to put your pet while you clean its paws.

    • 2

      Check your entire cat for clumped litter. Clumping litter that sticks to your cat's paws may also be a danger to their digestive system. It is important to make sure there is no clumped litter anywhere on the cat's body that it could lick up while cleaning itself.

    • 3

      Gently remove any large chunks of hardened litter from your cat's paws with your hand. The pads of the paws may be sensitive, so slowly attempt to pull away any of the big pieces of litter that have hardened. If this causes pain, try soaking the litter first.

    • 4

      Use a wet washcloth and cat-safe soap to remove any other feces or litter from your cat's paws. Dampen one of your washcloths and put a pea-sized amount of soap on it. Work the soap into a lather. Gently wipe away any remaining litter or feces that is on your cat's paws.

    • 5

      Use your second wet washcloth to thoroughly remove the soap you used to clean the paws. Your cat is likely to lick its paws after cleaning, and you don't want them to ingest the soap.

    • 6

      Leave your cat in the closed-off room for 10 to 15 minutes so that it has a chance to clean and dry its paws. Your cat will no doubt want to have some time to itself to clean its paws and let them dry a bit before returning to the rest of the house.

    • 7

      Once you are confident that your cat's paws are clean and dry, allow your pet to go back into the rest of the house. Make sure the room where you were keeping your pet is cleaned of any cat excrement that may have gotten on any surfaces.