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Vetdle Archive

Archive Case #163: Feline Plasma Cell Pododermatitis

Cat veterinary case - Easy - August 13, 2026

Clinical Clues

  1. A cat is presented for soft swelling affecting several footpads.
  2. The owner says the pads have become puffy and the cat is starting to limp on hard floors.
  3. On examination the digital pads are enlarged, violaceous, and slightly ulcerated.
  4. The feet are oddly cushion-like rather than sharply painful and inflamed.
  5. Fine needle sampling supports a plasma cell-rich inflammatory lesion.
  6. This unusual feline footpad disease is commonly nicknamed pillow foot.

Diagnosis

Feline Plasma Cell Pododermatitis

This case is most consistent with Feline Plasma Cell Pododermatitis because the cat has characteristic soft swollen footpads with plasma cell inflammation. The most important clues are the pillow-like pad appearance and multisite footpad involvement, which make trauma much less likely.

Learning review

Review the case evidence

Use the paired clues to explain how the evidence in this cat case supports the provided diagnosis, Feline Plasma Cell Pododermatitis, then compare your reasoning with the case explanation.

Evidence checkpoints

Clues 1-2

  1. Clue 1: A cat is presented for soft swelling affecting several footpads.
  2. Clue 2: The owner says the pads have become puffy and the cat is starting to limp on hard floors.

Clues 3-4

  1. Clue 3: On examination the digital pads are enlarged, violaceous, and slightly ulcerated.
  2. Clue 4: The feet are oddly cushion-like rather than sharply painful and inflamed.

Clues 5-6

  1. Clue 5: Fine needle sampling supports a plasma cell-rich inflammatory lesion.
  2. Clue 6: This unusual feline footpad disease is commonly nicknamed pillow foot.

Self-review prompts

  1. After clues 1-2, what evidence from this cat case shaped your initial interpretation?
  2. When you compare clues 3-4 with clues 1-2, what changed in your reasoning about Feline Plasma Cell Pododermatitis?
  3. How do clues 5-6 align with the case explanation for Feline Plasma Cell Pododermatitis?

Educational Use

Vetdle archive cases are educational veterinary games for diagnostic reasoning practice. They do not provide veterinary advice, diagnosis, treatment, or professional medical guidance.