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Original poster

OH NO! My cat has a horrible tail injury :-(

27 replies

MaDAMNEDAnt · 26/10/2008 19:40

I have no idea how he did it, but he seems to have a hunk of flesh hanging off his tail I can see the bone! I've just spoken to the emergency vet, and she recommended leaving him til tomorrow, unless he seemed in need of pain relief.

Astonishingly, he seems very chipper and is frisking around as usual and gobbling his food, so I think I'm going to follow the vet's advice and take him in first thing tomorrow.

Bloody hell though It looks very gruesome.

OP posts:

LittleMonkeysMummy · 26/10/2008 19:56

This happened to one of my cats. It had got in a fight with the local tom cat. I'm impressed that your cat is so chipper! Mine was a shivering wreck (in shock) My cat needed an op but having said that she was bleeding very heavily.

Always happens at the weekend doesn't it? Never when the soding vets is open!!

Original poster

MaDAMNEDAnt · 26/10/2008 20:00

Blimming evil tom-cats. There's a huge one round here that terrorises my cats. He's called Harry. Grrr.

Did she get to keep her tail?

My injured cat has an absolute knack for getting into scrapes at the weekend.

OP posts:

differentWitch · 26/10/2008 20:01

Don't be surprised if it's too bad to save the tip.

Original poster

MaDAMNEDAnt · 26/10/2008 20:02

It's not the tip that's injured though...it's about 4 inches from the base.

OP posts:

LittleMonkeysMummy · 26/10/2008 20:06

She did keep her tail although it now has an interesting kink in it - singles her out from the rest!!

why are all evil tom cats named Harry? That our streets one too?

lucykate · 26/10/2008 20:08

if he looses his tail, cats adapt amazingly quickly. our cat came in one morning with about 3 inches missing off the end of his tail, the vet had to take quite a bit more off as they had to go down to where the blood supply was intact. he is a very large cat, not fat, just big, and did have a very long tail, he now only has about 4 inches left, and although he looks a bit silly, he manages fine with his balance.

this all, also, happened on a sunday!

Original poster

MaDAMNEDAnt · 26/10/2008 20:14

LMM - how strange!

LK - that's good to hear.

OP posts:

cutekids · 26/10/2008 20:17

My cat got hers trapped in the back door a few weeks ago.I thought she was ok but kids are convinced it's bent now!!!

tuesdayafternoon · 26/10/2008 20:26

We had a cat who had to have most of his tail amputated; the damage apparently happened while he was at the vet, being neutered - possibly while he was unconscious & his tail was hanging down to the cage below or something? Anyway we didn't notice it until later, by which time it was badly infected & he was eventually left with a fairly small stump

Didn't bother him though so it's not the end of the world

LittleMonkeysMummy · 27/10/2008 08:49

MaDAMNEDant how's your cat? Hope everything goes well at the vets

ClaireDeLoon · 27/10/2008 10:49

Hope your cat is OK MaDAMNEDAnt and his tail can be saved.

I have a tom cat (well, tom cat missing a few bits) called Harry he's nice really.

Lovesdogsandcats · 27/10/2008 13:23

How is your cat now?

differentWitch · 27/10/2008 18:51

how is your cat tonight?

Original poster

MaDAMNEDAnt · 27/10/2008 22:21

Thank you all so much for checking! How thoughtful and kind

Sadly it's v likey his tail is going to have to be amputated I'm gutted. On closer inspection (by the vet) the wound was very severe. There was a big (2 inch?) flap of skin having off which is not viable. The vet thought very hard about ways to save it, but he thinks it will probably be unkind to Jimbo to put him through extensive treatment. The only other options would have been a skin graft or to create some sort of pocket for the tail within Jimbo's flank(?? I think??) while it healed.

He's staying overnight with at the vet and will be operated on tomorrow. There's a v small chance the vet may decide to try to save the tail once he's had a better look at the cleaned up tail.

I know it sounds ridiculous, but Jimbo has such a magnificent tail, and I'm gutted that he;s probably going to lose most of it.

The vet also said that Jimbo is a particularly good-natured cat. Apparently tail injuries are v painful (and this one looked awful) and yet he was being his usual friendly self. I'm so glad he wasn't injured more seriously. It's a mystery how he got the injury though.

OP posts:

differentWitch · 27/10/2008 22:23

He's going to look so cute though when he's all healed up? It won't make up for the magnificent tail he'll lose, but his personality will more than make up for it.

Original poster

MaDAMNEDAnt · 27/10/2008 22:24

Oh yes, he'll be even more lovable with his stump...

OP posts:

differentWitch · 27/10/2008 22:27

how is that not cute?

Howlingbellyofbeelzebub · 27/10/2008 22:27

Aw, poor Jimbo, I hope the surgery goes well, he'll be fine and the vet will only amputate if it's the best thing to do.

Joolyjoolyjoo · 27/10/2008 22:30

Aww- but it's a surprisingly common injury- he will do fine without his tail. Poor boy must have been running away when he got it! The real fighters usually get the horrible bites round their head

snowleopard · 27/10/2008 22:37

Poor cat!

When I was growing up I knew of a cat that got its tail shut in a door - it kept the tail, but after that it was bent and had no feeling in it beyond the injury. Later it stuck it in the gas fire and didn't know, and it caught alight! (luckily owners were on hand to put it out)

At least amputation will mean the injury is removed.

Original poster

MaDAMNEDAnt · 27/10/2008 23:18

jooly - is you calling my cat a coward

OP posts:

Joolyjoolyjoo · 28/10/2008 08:46

heh heh- not at all Let's call him a pacifist or a conciencious (sp?) objector...

bella29 · 28/10/2008 08:53

Maybe he was turning the other cheek - geddit?

lucykate · 28/10/2008 09:00

oh madamnedant, i know how you feel about the tail, we were really sad about will loosing his. when we brought him home from the vets, he stumbled out the cat box and we just couldn't stop laughing , his tail was so short, completely bald with stitches at the end, and it wagged, whenever he moved it, it just wagged!

i looks longer now the fur has grow back, and now, we've got so used to him like this, it doesn't seem that odd anymore.

the pic differentwitch linked too is exactly how long our cats tail is now.

ClaireDeLoon · 28/10/2008 10:34

He'll be a very special cat without a tail I'm sure, like a Manx cat, hope his op goes well today.

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