Cat with 'broken' tail

[Leanne]

My cat has come in today as his tail looks broken right at the point with his bum. It is hanging over and limp, and although he can flick the end a little bit, it appears to be completely numb (he doesn't respond to pain in it).

He was wormed yesterday and has a new biscuits food (Purina) but I can't see either of these causing paralysis of the tail.

Anyone seen this before? I don't want to put him through the trauma of the vets (he's an outside cat) if it is something that will resolve on its own.

I hope he recovers as my other cat doesn't have a tail and it would be weird to have two without. My other cat is Manx x Rag Doll so was born like that.

[teenybash]

Had a cat with a broken tail in a couple of places....the tip and midway. It was a stray so damage was already done when I took him in and it never bothered him....just looked a bit funny.
A dog in years past had a tail break where it joined the back bone and despite efforts to treat by the vet it never curled over his back again and hung limp....other than that both cat and dog were fine.
If yours has no cuts where infection could get in I would think he will be fine.....:)

[rambo1978]

Sorry to hear about the cat Leanne, might stress him but I'd take him to the vet to see if anything can be done.

Just a suggestion

[Boozeburglar]

Of course you should take the cat to the vet! If the cat gets so stressed going to the vet take them when you go with other animals so they get used to it.

If they are nervous going into a carrier feed them in it and leave it open, closing it for short periods of time until they get used to it.

:)

[kriklah]

if you can get him to the vets would be best to get it checked. however i had a cat that years ago appeard on the drive dragging herself along with her front legs, suspected broken back!!!! even the vet thought so, doing the pinch the end of tail and toes with no reaction, so he took her in over night, (and i signed the consent form should pts be necessary) gave her antinflamatry jab and planed to xray in moring. he couldnt believe it when next morning she was on her feet!!!! took a week or so for full recovery but she was back to herself quick enough. (we could only assume she been hit by a car). couple of years later, i saw her in a fight with the neighbours biiiiiig tomcat, she came in with her tail limp, and was still down and dead looking, no responce to pinching, next day, so off to vets again, who said amputation if it doesnt improve in couple of days, next day, tail standing tall again!!!!

would be nice to think this is all thats wrong with your wee cat too, so fingers x'd



as an aside, when i saw the cat with broken tail heading, i wondered if it was to do with my neighbours semi feral, who had a run in with my dog 2 nights ago. cat wasnt fast enough up a tree and the dog claimed himself a trophy - 2 inches of cat tail, complete with bone!! if i hadnt seen it happen we would never have known, only to see the cat with half a tail, and the other half dangling from the tree branch!! not a pretty sight or feeling. beeing semi feral meant noone could catch him to get him in a basket, we all had to leave him up the tree and wait till he came down and hope he went home, which fortunatly he did, to the neighbours garage where she is now hoping to catch him in a cat-trap, and has antibiotics from the vet to try and get into him via food, then it will be off to the vets, most likely to have the rest of the tail removed.

[rambo1978]

Of course you should take the cat to the vet! If the cat gets so stressed going to the vet take them when you go with other animals so they get used to it.

If they are nervous going into a carrier feed them in it and leave it open, closing it for short periods of time until they get used to it.

:)

If the cat is fine and acting normally and if taking him to the vet will really freak him well maybe not, always a critic