Potential broken tail?

[Meid]

It is near the tip of the tail, clearly the cat is in pain when we touch it and we can feel a lump/kink.

Other than this, the cat is fine and because it is at the end she can wag her tail etc and it hasn't affected her balance or urine/bowel movements.

But does she still need the vet? My gut feel is that it is like a broken little toe - little can be done - but I thought I'd ask here to see if anyone has any experience/wisdom on the matter.
Any thoughts greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

To complicate matters, we don't know how it happened as she was like this when we picked her up from the cattery after our holiday. So it happened when she was not in our care.

If she's in pain and discomfort I'd pay the vet a visit just to be on the safe side and put your mind at ease.

my cat broke his (the middle of it) a few months ago and yes, they can't put a cast on or anything, but it's a good sign that she can lift it.
the vet should still check it out as mine had a bad scratch so needed antibiotics, plus a painkiller always helps!

It is really important your cat is seen by a vet, when the tail broken the blood supply can be damaged and the tail beyond the break dies. Left untreated this becomes a horrible stinking mass and then the tail falls off leaving a really nasty stump.

Oh yes I'm a vet. And sadly I have had to deal with untreated broken tails which are horrid.

Thank you for the responses. I am convinced to take her to the vets tomorrow. Will update afterwards.

One of mine had a painful lump/kink on her tail which turned out to be a tail abscess. Again very important to get treated as they can turn quite nasty due to the tail being very bony & not having a great blood supply. Mine recovered well after antibiotics but yes do take your cat to the vet. Did the cattery not notice anything?

Timtam - I haven't asked the cattery. I assumed that as they didn't say anything when I collected her if I ask them now they will deny all knowledge.

I have thought I should ask them, but I hardly think they will confess to any mishaps now.

We have been to the vets and I'm relieved to say the tail is not broken.

The vet sedated her so she could shave the tail and x-ray it. There are 3 very sore looking wounds on her tail (one quite moist and weepy) and she is now on antibiotics and painkillers. The vet said she had no idea what could have caused the wounds - it is not obviously caused by a bite or the tail being stuck in a door.

Thanks once again for the advice here. I actually think without your input I wouldn't have bothered with the vet and I can see I would have ended up with an infected tail and emergency situation. So pleased I took her today.

Oh, and I probably won't put myself through the hassle of speaking to the cattery. My DH dropped the cats off when we went on holiday and said he thinks he signed a disclaimer. So they will either deny any knowledge or point out that they are not liable to compensate.

I just won't use the cattery again. I viewed 3 other catteries in the area and wasn't happy with any of them. I'm not in the UK and the standards I found rather shocking. Although I don't have another holiday booked I think I'll start looking for a good one now!

I'm glad it's not broken. Cats heal really well usually.

Glad it's not broken.

If you're casting your net in advance of a holiday, it might be useful to think also of having a cat sitter for your own house. Maybe there are some decent ones of those around in your neck of the woods?

Thanks!
That is a good point. Plenty of time to find a cat sitter. Will definitely consider that.

Glad to hear the vet was able to diagnose & treat the problem quickly - I hope all continues to go well. And yes a cat sitter would be a good idea.