My cat has paint on his paws because he walked in paint. I want to remove it safely so what do I do? This is the fictional scenario.
It depends on the paint. A lot of paints are water based. All paints for inside walls are water based nowadays unless it has some special characteristics. Check the type of paint. Usually it’ll be either water or oil based.
The former can be washed off your cat’s paws with water. The oil based paint needs a more effective solvent to dissolve it.
Nail polish remover is the secret weapon! It contains acetone which is a good solvent. It will remove uncured paint. I am presuming that the paint has not dried (cured).
Once the nail polish remover has been applied and the paint has ‘liquified’ and thinned, it can be washed off with a bit of soapy water and then the paw should be rinsed.
If water based paint is on the fur it can be washed off under a tap or shower head. Oil based paint on fur can be removed where appropriate by trimming the fur that has paint on it. The residual areas can be covered in vegetable oil, left for 24 hours and then washed off with soapy water and rinsed. Your cat will have to wear an Elizabethan collar to stop him licking off the affected areas.
Petroleum solvents such as gasoline (petrol) turpentine or kerosene shouldn’t be used as they are harmful to the skin and toxic if absorbed.
The same procedure can be employed for tar. There’s a recent story about a kitten covered in tar. I don’t think they used this technique but they did a great job nonetheless.
