Cat's Paw

Our cat is now 5 years old. His name is Tom Brady Dwyer. Yes,he is named after the football player. Mum named him. He is a good boy and my Mother and I adore him. He is mostly orange tabby with a white undercarriage. He is also double-pawed.
We've had double-pawed cats before, but we've never had one who kept growing more fingers. Also, he won't let us clip his nails. So, very so often, his claws grow into the pads of his feet. Which is what happened recently. He started hobbling around, on and off , around Christmas. He's been a 3 legged cat for the better part of the last 10 days. He is very ornery when it comes to getting into the box to go to the Vet. I am the annointed cat grabber because once my Mother gets down on the floor to grab him, she can't get back up without using her hands which would otherwise be holding the cat. He scratches, really well, to get out of my arms to avoid getting into the box. Consequently, we are both reluctant to make appointments for him because we can't be sure we can get him into the carrier in time to make an appointment.
My mother's friend Ellie suggested we throw a towel over him to keep him from scratching. That is what we tried yesterday and it worked ! He was not happy. I got down on the floor with him while we waited for Mum to get the car. He was growling and yowling and I felt bad that he was in such distress. But I knew he needed the care of a vet. He was only going to get worse.
When he got home, he slipped into my brothers room since my brother had nothing to do with his abduction and would be safe hiding in his room.
Today , the cat is much happier. He let me brush him and he is prancing around on all fours. He threw up all the medicine Mum gave him this morning. I wiped it up . There is nothing worse that stepping, barefoot, into cat puke. He is fine now. As are we.