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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

My cats had his tail amputated

35 replies

Mooncats · 24/09/2021 11:40

It was a high amputation so nothing of the tail remains .
Please Hold my hand
My sweet, loving , placid, cuddly , affectionate boy is terrified of me and I can't bear looking at the stump .

OP posts:
Ess1981 · 24/09/2021 12:30

Awwww that sounds terrible for you both, but he'll come round I'm sure. Be kind to yourself and give both of you time to adjust. Hugs 💐☕

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 24/09/2021 12:32

Oh no, what happened? You poor things x

felinelucky · 24/09/2021 12:39

Oh no, poor poppet! Must feel so strange for him. And it must be very painful. Do you have him on pain meds?

At least he's safe and loved. And he can't see the damage, so in that respect it's worse for Mum than it is for him.

ArblemarchTFruitbat · 24/09/2021 12:43

Oh, the poor love. I'm sure he will adjust soon - give him plenty of space and he will soon be back wanting cuddles again. There's a cat with most of its tail amputated near us and it's very active and lively.

BewareTheLibrarians · 24/09/2021 12:49

Hand hold for you, and a paw hold for your lovely boy! He will be ok! Our dcat had his tail amputated a while back, and he bounced back really well, and soon learnt to walk on fences and climb trees again.

His stump will look very swollen right now because of the operation, but it will go back to its normal size and when the fur grows back, it will look like the cutest little bunny tail ♥️

And I’m sure he’s not terrified of you, but the operation/drugs will have been really overwhelming for him. Our vet asked us to keep our boy in a quiet, dark room after the op and leave him alone (obviously checking in regularly in case he needs you) as much as possible, as cuddles etc will be over stimulating and stressful for him. Might that work for your boy?

Gatekeeper · 24/09/2021 12:51

my lovely old boy (now gone) had his tail amputated and there was nothing left apart for a tuft of fur Sad...some yobs got him and were swinging him round their heads by his tail...

Luckily he recovered well and didn't miss it...he was still the sweetest boy afterwards once he was over the shock and the operation

felinelucky · 24/09/2021 12:53

@Gatekeeper oh dear god I wish I hadn't read that. How utterly foul.

NoNoThankYou · 24/09/2021 13:02

You poor thing. If any comfort, I know someone with a lovely cat who had to have tail and one leg removed. He got used to it and now still enjoys running around the garden with his pals.

romdowa · 24/09/2021 13:09

My old cat had this done and he was fine after a few days. He had been snoozing under a car and it rolled over his tail , which caused him to run and he broke the tail in several places. Once he got over the indignation of being in the vets , he came around and forgave me.

frogsbreath · 24/09/2021 13:15

Don't worry! This happened to one of my cats. He was like that for half his life and perfectly good at everything cats do, if a little off at landing from jumps. He was very fat though, he was all black and would sit on the window sill. A child once asked if he was a bear Grin

Original poster
Mooncats · 24/09/2021 14:03

@romdowa

My old cat had this done and he was fine after a few days. He had been snoozing under a car and it rolled over his tail , which caused him to run and he broke the tail in several places. Once he got over the indignation of being in the vets , he came around and forgave me.
Pretty much this happened . He's been under the bed in a quiet room since he had the op yesterday . Thank you all for giving me hope . I can't stop remembering when he was a kitten and used to chase his tail for hours . They are so precious .
OP posts:
Beamur · 24/09/2021 14:06

It happened to my friends cat. He got used to it very quickly.
It might temporarily affect his balance, but not for long.

KittiesInsane · 24/09/2021 14:23

Was it a pull injury? Are his bladder and bowels OK if so, and his spine?

AmandaHugenkiss · 24/09/2021 14:27

I’m so sorry to hear this. You may find he recovers from the trauma quicker than you do, cats are very resilient creatures and being safe and loved will help him immensely. 💐

ForkedIt · 24/09/2021 14:31

My Nana’s cat (years and years ago) got into a fight with another cat and ended up losing half it’s tail. She buried the tail then buried the cat in the same place (around 10 years later) so they could be ‘reunited’ Grin

ItsJustTheOneSwanActually · 24/09/2021 14:32

oh poor puss. One of ours has just a stump (don't know why, we adopted her like that) and she's fine, if a little dodgy at balancing on narrow things.

Yours will get used to it, but his balance might be a bit off for a while.

r0ck · 24/09/2021 14:32

My much loved (and missed!) cat had the exact same thing happen (run over by a car, we did our best to save her tail including dressing it every day) but in the end it was kinder to have it removed and I can honestly can say it never seemed to bother her one bit, bless her! I hope he recovers quickly.

Original poster
Mooncats · 24/09/2021 14:38

Would I be ok to post a picture here or would it be too graphic / upsetting ? I'm just in shock at the sight of it .
His bladder and bowels are ok.

OP posts:
yourestandingonmyneck · 24/09/2021 14:42

Poor soul. I have had a cat with no tail before. The accident happened before he came to me, but he was fine the whole time I had him. They really do adapt very quickly Thanks

villainousbroodmare · 24/09/2021 14:44

Everything will look much better once the fur regrows and he is less sore.

spicedappledonuts · 24/09/2021 16:54

We had a cat growing up with no tail following an accident.
He had a long and happy life.
I'm sure your dcat will be make to his emotional normal very soon.

Toddlerteaplease · 24/09/2021 17:29

Some friends of mine have a cat that had his tail amputated. He's barely noticed!

Lonecatwithkitten · 24/09/2021 18:58

I have/had two cats without tails.
The tailless wonder who lost her's as a result of an untreated injury that became badly infected - amputation was necessary to prevent sepsis.
The handsome baggy cat who just came home one day with a degloving injury ( skin pulled off).
Both remained/remain fearless hunters living full lives jumping on and off stuff and generally being a normal cat.

Motorina · 25/09/2021 08:50

My first cat had this. She got a massive wound on the tail - we think a rat bite, because she was a ratter - which got infected, and the tail had to be amputated. This was 20 years go.

I remember being devastated, so I empathise with how you're feeling. Made her a comfy bed downstairs in case she couldn't do the stairs, bought her special food...

She gave the special food a filthy look and wouldn't eat it. She shot upstairs and sulked on my bed.

After a day or two, you would never have known. It didn't stop her bringing rabbits bigger than she was in through the lounge window.

Your cat will be fine.

Original poster
Mooncats · 25/09/2021 10:27

He seems happier today , no longer hiding and is not crying in pain like he was doing before. He's been eating and drinking lots and chasing my other kitten like he normally does which is so heartwarming . I'm so happy he has another cat to play with

OP posts: