Any vets here please?

[springbabydays]

Bear with me I've not posted pictures before. Hope this works.

The poor cat from a few doors down has lost part of its tail. Must have had it shut in a door or something. I first noticed it on Tuesday and knocked on the neighbour's door to check they knew it had happened (which they did).

The cat was in my garden asleep today so I took a closer look - and got a photo too as I'm a bit worried.

Does this look like it has been treated?

The cat is also quite dehydrated. I don't want to ask the neighbours again if they're getting it sorted, but to my untrained eye it doesn't look right. Please tell me I'm wrong?

Just checking anyone can see this ok?

To me, it looks dreadful - and worryingly close to the base of the tail.

Sorry - I may have mis-viewed the photo. The cat has a big bushy tail?

I'm not a vet. But no, that does not look alright, and I do not think it's been treated. Can you take the cat in yourself?

It's not near the base - he's lost about 2 inches I reckon.

Could it be that the cat is on antibiotics so any improvement isn't instant?

Normally we would pretreat with antibiotics and then surgically correct the tail to give a closed finish. The cat maybe on antibiotics, but allowing it out in this weather fly strike would be a massive concern for me. The tail will need surgical correction by the looks of it.

It could be owl but wouldn't there also have been some remedial work done at the site of the injury too? I'd expect to see shaved fur at least, wouldn't you guys?

Thank you lonecat. So after 5 or 6 days you wouldn't necessarily expect any surgery to have been done? Like I said he's pretty dehydrated too at the moment.

Did you offer water?

Ring the cpl, if they are knowingly withholding treatment surely that's cruelty?

I think I'd be expecting to at least see some sort of dressing if the cat was outside - to avoid flies. That tail looks (sorry) almost as if it's rotting.

People can sometimes be very 'odd' about injuries to their pets - and tails are one of the oddities. I've actually heard a supposedly experienced owner say 'Oh that's OK - the dead bit will just drop off.'

Again not a vet but at the very least I'd expect it to be clean and the cat inside. Fly strike is a very fast killer. I would put a call in to the cpl, chances are the owner is just uneducated and a quick word from a professional will get it the attention it needs. If not the cpl are best placed to deal with it.

Some of you know I own a cat who suffered a similar injury and her previous owners received a 5 year ban from keeping animals due their failure to treat her injury.

I offered him some water and he took a small sip, but wasn't really interested in that or the chicken I offered.

I don't think the cpl are active in my area but I'll call them tomorrow and see what they say.

Thanks for your advice everyone. I do feel bad for the little fella. He's only a small slender thing, with a hint of the oriental about him. He comes into my kitchen sometimes, my cats don't like it but don't do anything about it either! He's definitely lost condition over the past few days.

Too many get away with it though. Imagine if a child had lost a finger because it had been macerated in a door and 'dropped off'. (Actually, a child would probably have lost their life from gangrene.)

He sounds ill to me, refusing chicken & water plus a loss of condition.

Agreed. (Especially about the loss of condition.) Sounds as if he's fighting an infection.

He's acting different too, he's usually a lot more skittish. Certainly never flaked out in my garden before. Not showing third eyelids so that's good isn't it?

How your bank balance? He'd be easy to get in a carrier by the sound of it.

You shouldn't flipping have to though.

He really needs seeing by a vet asap. Apart from the massive infection risk, (straight into the spine-lovely) He is probably in a hell of a lot of pain. Why on earth would someone leave him in that state? I would take him to the vet right away, tell them what is going on, and hopefully they will get the RSPCA involved and a prosecution. I feel really angry now!

Seriously?

Of course I'd rather help than see him suffer but I don't want to create bad feeling with the neighbours if they're already trying to sort it (grasping at straws here).

Do we definitely think it's not been seen by a vet then?

Well lone doesn't think so.

Sod the neighbours. You would be morally right.

Unless he was taken to a vet who had time travelled from medieval times, then no. No vet would leave his tail in that state.

Right. I'm at work tomorrow so the soonest I could get him in would be the evening anyway. I'll knock on neighbour's door before I go and explain how he was to us tonight and that I think they should get him seen asap. Then if they've done nothing by the time I get home I will act.