help my cat will lose his tail on Monday :(

butler_helen

After around 3 weeks of 'wait and see' the cat is finally losing it tomorrow After everyone was so good with things to ask the vet when he first got injured I'd love to hear what you think I should ask about when I take him tomorrow- I'm writing a list as I always forget when I get there!

It's being done by a normal vet, costing around £400 and should leave him with 1.5 inches of stump... the vet thinks it should be ok and he should recover quickly.

I've left my original post below...


I'm after a bit of reassurance rather than mse advice- I hope that's ok

My cat had been missing since Saturday night and so this evening i walked around our area shouting his name and listening for a response. Out from the bushes limps a pathetic looking Boots all scared and scraggly looking.

Worse than his general appearance his tail 'wasn't working' and his back leg and claws are all bloodied, he was and still is dragging the tail behind him. It's apparently a crush injury which the vet has said they can do nothing for unless in a few days time it's no better- does this sound right?

I'm convinced he's going to lose it and will never come out from under the bed but I'd really like to hear from other tailless-cat owners or other people who have had something similar happen to their darling

I hope everyone else on the forum who has a missing cat finds theirs and i hope their in good health. I can honestly say finding him was a mix of relief and panic!

izzydogsam

Helloooo! We have a works' cat (don't ask!) and she has no tail. People think she's Manx but she's not.

Anyway, she had an accident a few years ago and damaged her tail. It was OK for a while but some time later on, it started to cause problems. So, off to the vet she went for an amputation (on the vet's advice). She now has a little stump, a bit like Rottie dogs used to have before docking was stopped . It doesn't seem to bother her at all having no tail, so if yours ends up having to have an amputation, it's not the end of the world and might stop any suffering if it doesn't right itself in the meantime.

Hopefully it won't come to that though, and congratulations on getting him back. Hope he makes a full recovery.

On the canine front, my friend used to have a black lab (sadly now at Rainbow Bridge due to cancer). His tail was injured when a door slammed on it in the wind :eek:. My friend struggled to get it to heal as he wouldn't stop wagging it and any repairs the vet did were in vain. The vet suggested amputation and my friend went ahead. Her dog's 'docked' tail healed really well and he had many happy years after the amputation. So I guess what I'm trying to say is although we'd prefer it not to have to happen, tail amputation is not the end of the world if stops your animal being in pain. Good luck!

clancy

It happened to my neighbours cat in September, and im glad to say his tail recovered after approx 2 weeks, he went through a good week of having trouble doing a number 2 and had to go back to the vets a few times for an enema, when he did eventually go number 2 he made a bit of a mess of himself but thankfully he is now 100% and the tail is fine, i was worried sick as it happened 3 days before she went on holiday and i was cat sitting, so the worry of having to take him to have the tail removed was awful but after giving him pain relief daily and lots of fuss he was fine, hope yours has the same outcome x

butler_helen

thank you! I hadn't even thought of a number 2 being a problem... might be why he isn't eating?

glad other cats are ok without tails... I'm sad for him though as he was just becoming a lovely cat after being a horrid devil cat from mistreatment (we rescued him).

how expensive are amputations? We're insured but I'd like to get a good gauge on what we will need to expend before we get it back.

xh

clancy

Im surprised the vet never told you to keep an eye on his toliet behaviour, i think its reasurring that the vet never said it needed to be removed straight away, the fact you have come home with him to recover is a good sign i think, i am sure that himhiding under your bed is because he is proberly traumatised and still in shock, just give him time and im sure he will come out when he is feeling a bit better, did the vet give you pain relief?? my friends cat got a weeks supply which was a cream i had to give him orally

butler_helen

the vet said he couldn't have pain relief as he hadn't eaten today although if he seemed in pain I could go and get some tomorrow.

The vet basically said they could xray it but if it showed that there was nothing sinister then their treatment would be to send him home to recover and if it does need amputating then to take him back in a few days (saturday ish) to xray and sort out the next plan.

He said nothing about toilet behaviour- just about watching what he eats and watching whether he moves his tail.

His tail really does look sore though- it's twice it's normal size and has a 3 inch long bit where he has no fur and it's all blistered... not to mention the scratch/injury to his leg.

we've got more antibiotics to give him orally- should be a fun few days!

picklepick

The exact same thing happened to my parents cat, Charlie. He'd quite obviously been hit by a car, as probably so has yours.

Anyway, yes you need to make sure hes weeing and pooing. If he isnt, he needs to go back to the vet so they can manually empty his bladder, they'll squeeze it by hand, pretty simple to do.And give him an enema for the poo problems. They left charlie a few weeks to see if his tail started working again, i think its nerve damage which may or may not be permanent. His didnt in the end and he had it amputated. It was no worry to him at all. He lived a healthy, happy normal cat life until he died a couple of years ago from an unrelated illness.

He had a few toilet issues right up until his death. Normally when he was sleeping, he'd sometimes have a bit of a wee if his bladder was really full but nothing too major!

I hope the vet gave you painkillers for him? He might not be eating because hes in pain. Is he drinking? If not, id speak to the vet aswell as you dont want him to get dehydrated.

Let us know how he goes!

clancy

Wow after a injury like that he needs some sort of pain killer as im sure he is in agony poor thing

clancy

And also forgot to add my neighbours cat was sitting under the car when the person ran over it, his claws were half gone through him trying to free himself, he also had blood shot eyes where he was straining to get away, so maybe he was hit by a car but mearly never moved when someone got in there's and drove off.. Suppose cats think they are safe under cars and forget about there tails sticking out..

foreign_correspondent

I am really surprised your vet has not x-rayed him or given him pain relief - if he is insured, surely cost is not a consideration - I would want as much doing as possible to determine exactly what damage is done and to ensure he is comfortable.

I cant understand why he cannot have pain relief becuase he isnt eating - surely he could be given a painkiller shot?

butler_helen

Sorry should have said... he had a painkilling injection whilst he was actually at the vets but nothing to take away. I did tell the vet to do everything they could as he was insured but that didn't change his mind. (Believe me I was asking for everything in between sobs!).

I'll watch his toilet behaviour, he doesn't normally drink indoors so I will keep an eye on the litter tray

I'm so glad I came on here now! Although I'm not looking forward to any toilet issues... he's not the nicest cat to get near when he's well let alone injured