Anybody like to take a wild guess at what's wrong with my cat?

In My Humble Opinion (IMHO)
#1

This has been going on for a few weeks now. I blew it off at first thinking it was one of those “Cats are weird” things. But now I’ve come to realize there’s
definitely something wrong.

He keeps Obsessively grooming his left hind paw. He was doing that for a long time. Now I notice he will sometimes shake it as if something were stuck to the bottom of his foot.

I’ve inspected his paw, (as much as he would let me anyway) and did not see anything amiss.

I have to leave town for a few days but plan on having him into the vet by Monday.

So in the meantime I’m just doing my best to guess at what it might be.

#2

How old is the cat? Does this paw seem dryer than his other paws. Have you tried some type of safe for animals lotion on it?

#3

Cat is like 8 years old. I did not notice any dryness of paw.

Thanks.

#4

Other than the licking, is he favoring it? Limping? Does it feel hot to the touch?

#5

Check the length of the claws on that foot. They can get longer than you’d think, sometimes long enough to curl back into the paw.

#6

Feel both hind feet simultaneously. Any difference in warmth?

A friends cat was licking/favoring one rear limb and it was eventually discovered that there was impaired blood flow due to a blood clot. That foot was noticeably cooler. Cat was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy.

#7

Sometimes a pricker of some kind (like a thorn or a sharp seed pod) can get stuck up between the pads. There might not be enough sticking out for the cat to grab with their mouth. Time for the tweezers.