My cat has chewed off the end of her own tail!

SnowyOwl_2

I doubt if your cat would hurt herself by biting bits of her own tail off. It sounds like she has lost sensation in it and therefore doesn't recognise it as part of herself. Please get her to the vet asap.

lowis

cats can obsessively lick and groom the parts of their bodies that are in pain...she needs the vet asap, good luck x

foreign_correspondent

delain wrote: »

Her previous owners said that the vet was not worried about the curl in it and said it was just a 'quirk'

She is going to the vets next week as is becoming apparent she has a problem. She's been over grooming it for a while but it really is like she's now bitten 2 inches off the end in the last 2 days.

I would get her to the vets ASAP - presuming she has an open wound, she needs treating to prevent or deal with infection - as her tail is an extension of her spinal column I would be very concerned about infection.

looby-loo_2

My cat over groomed the inside of his back leg until it was raw. As a temporary measure until I could get him to the vet next day I made a collar from a cereal packet. He didn't like it so I distracted him with some of his favorite sardines and he soon settled down for the night. (I think out of sight, out of mind)

He had an alergy to fleas so even one triggers it. He now has an injection twice a year and it is controlled.

SnowyOwl_2

My late cat, Tabitha, used to lick her tummy red raw - it was like an OCD. Then I gave up smoking and she stopped the obsessive licking and her tummy hair grew back all lovely and soft. Also her wheezing went away... I felt so guilty having exposed her to passive smoking for so long even though it never bothered her companion Oscar.

It's just my opinion, but it sounds to me that what your cat is doing is different to obsessive behaviour and more to do with having a loss of feeling in the affected area. It might also be due to an abscess in the area which needs to treated asap.

Whatever it is it most definitely requires professional veterinary attention.

Taniab_2

My cat damaged the nerve in his tail so we ended up having it amputated. He wouldn't leave the wound to heal and kept agitating it. We ended up putting a cut down panda pop bottle on theend of his tail (stump) with sticking plaster holding it to his fur. Even now he goes back to it and tends to run away from it when a wound he's made is sore.

This was a really distressing time so good luck and hope it heals soon

delain

Thanks for all your help!

She is in the vets at the moment having part of it amputated, because she had exposed her nerve endings.

I will keep you posted as to how she gets on, and thanks again.

Fire_Fox

Thanks for updating, please do let us know what happened.

geri1965_2

My cat Spook, who died this year, had her tail amputated after an accident when she was about two years old, leaving just a tiny stump. She never seemed to miss it, although she used to twitch the stump occasionally!

foreign_correspondent

I hope she feels better afterwards - that must have been very, very painful for her.