Paws are the worst place for a cleaning product spill to land, because a cat's first response to anything on her feet is to wash it off with her tongue. That turns brief skin contact into something swallowed, and it spreads the product over her mouth and face in the process. Products vary widely: some mainly irritate the skin and mouth, while others can do more serious harm, and from the cat in front of you there is no reliable way to grade which kind she has stepped in. The safe first response is therefore the same in every case: limit how much more she takes in, get the product off her paws, and let a vet judge the exposure with the label in hand.
The First Ten Minutes
Move her away from the spill first, then stop the grooming. A cone works if you have one; a gentle towel wrap that keeps her paws tucked in works too, and either is kinder than pinning her down repeatedly while she fights to lick. Rinse her paws under plain lukewarm water, working the water between her toes and through the fur, and keep rinsing rather than wiping, since wiping drags the product across clean skin and pushes it deeper into the coat. Do not try to neutralise anything with another household chemical, and do not apply creams or oils. Pat her dry, keep the cone or wrap on if she is still determined, and set the product container aside untouched, because its exact name and label warnings are what the vet will ask about.
What to Tell the Vet
Phone the vet promptly, even if she seems completely herself, and read the label to them: the product name, any hazard wording, and the ingredient list if one is printed. Add what you know about the exposure itself, roughly when it happened, whether the product was neat or diluted in mop water, and whether you saw her lick her paws before you intervened. Mention anything you have noticed since, such as drooling, pawing at her mouth, redness between her toes, vomiting, unusual quietness or restlessness, because those observations help the vet judge how urgently she needs to be seen and what they will be watching for. Follow their direction on whether to bring her in. Never induce vomiting yourself: bringing a harsh product back up can injure her mouth and throat a second time, and that decision belongs to the vet alone. Over the hours that follow, watch the skin on her paws and her general manner, and ring back the same day if redness spreads, soreness appears, or she goes off her food or seems unwell.
Stop the Next Spill Reaching Her
Most of these incidents happen in a narrow window while a floor is wet or a bucket stands open, so the prevention is mostly about closing that window. Keep her out of the room from the moment cleaning starts until the floor is fully dry, with the door actually shut rather than a verbal plan to watch her. Never leave a mop bucket standing unattended, store bottles in a cupboard she cannot open, and rinse a cleaned floor with plain water where she walks if the product is one that leaves residue. Any product decanted into a different bottle needs a clear label before it goes back in the cupboard, for your vet's sake as much as your own. KinsLe offers a quieter kind of preparation here: Pet Passport gathers her vaccination history, vet contacts and treatment notes into a single record you can pull up during a stressful phone call.