floppy tail?

audreyp

Hi,

I couldn't find a thread on this, apologies if its a duplicate! My cat came home last night and he was not himself and had a very floppy tail. Brought him to vet who thinks its broken and may need to be amputated. Waiting on xrays now.

My question is has anyone any experience of this? How does the cat cope at home after the operation? I love my vet and trust him completely I'm just looking for thoughts of anyone has been through this?

Thanks in advance!

Alun

I've no experience of cats losing their tails, but just to say that sometimes it's just a trauma to the tail that can heal of its own accord. It happened to one of our cats once, and it was as right as rain in a day or two.

Blueprint

I had a cat years ago who broke her tail, but it was far enough down that it didn't affect function and it healed up just fine, she was able to use it perfectly.

I've also had one of my cats show up with a floppy tail once and it turned out she had been bitten in the backside, she ended up with a lovely abscess, but recovered just fine!

audreyp

Blueprint wrote: »

I had a cat years ago who broke her tail, but it was far enough down that it didn't affect function and it healed up just fine, she was able to use it perfectly.

I've also had one of my cats show up with a floppy tail once and it turned out she had been bitten in the backside, she ended up with a lovely abscess, but recovered just fine!

Thanks for the replies, I guess I'll know more when the xrays come in! My vet said his tail is paralysed. I would love if it didn't require surgery. He is 3 and a half by the way!

carwash_2006

Hopefully the x-ray will show it is less serious than the vet thinks. There are so many possible outcomes at this stage until you know more. Everything from it will heal on it's own to worst case....My mother had a cat years ago that had a trauma to it's tail that meant that it had to be amputated, that cat used to scream in pain from time to time as it could still feel whatever pain from the trauma.

I would imagine that the likelihood of an outcome today is much lower though, surgery techniques are better and they have a much better idea of what they are doing in general. But I guess when you are dealing with nerves you just don't know what could happen.

Best wishes to your cat, really hope it goes well for him and he is back in top form soon.

audreyp

carwash_2006 wrote: »

Hopefully the x-ray will show it is less serious than the vet thinks. There are so many possible outcomes at this stage until you know more. Everything from it will heal on it's own to worst case....My mother had a cat years ago that had a trauma to it's tail that meant that it had to be amputated, that cat used to scream in pain from time to time as it could still feel whatever pain from the trauma.

I would imagine that the likelihood of an outcome today is much lower though, surgery techniques are better and they have a much better idea of what they are doing in general. But I guess when you are dealing with nerves you just don't know what could happen.

Best wishes to your cat, really hope it goes well for him and he is back in top form soon.

Thank you!

Just heard from vet, he says my cat was hit by a car based on trauma to nails. We have a decision to make. Wait a few weeks to see if it heals, and which case he'd have to be contained to crate or a cage, or have it amputated. He is holding him in over night.

He is most worried about his bladder in case that was damaged! But my cat has pee's which hopefully means he will be ok. Very very stressful! Feel so bad for him!

myxi

Our cat Tom had to have her tail amputated after we rescued her a couple of years ago! When she arrived to our house her tail was very matted and had a weird bend in it. Brought her to the vet and it turned out it was broken and the blood flow had stopped to the end of her tail. She had to have it amputated!

She looked a little bit weird at the start but the hair grew back and she looks fine with her little tail! It doesn't seem to bother her at all and she's never had any problems since!

BTW our female cat is called Tom! My sister refused to let it be called anything else!

audreyp

myxi wrote: »

Our cat Tom had to have her tail amputated after we rescued her a couple of years ago! When she arrived to our house her tail was very matted and had a weird bend in it. Brought her to the vet and it turned out it was broken and the blood flow had stopped to the end of her tail. She had to have it amputated!

She looked a little bit weird at the start but the hair grew back and she looks fine with her little tail! It doesn't seem to bother her at all and she's never had any problems since!

BTW our female cat is called Tom! My sister refused to let it be called anything else!

Thanks! Can I ask how long the recovery was? Did she have to wear a cone? I miss him about the house now that he is in the vet. His sister was killed by a car 3 months ago. :-(

lorebringer

One of my dogs broke his tail, near the base. His tail was pointing down as opposed to normally. The vet said it was broken but, because he has a heart problem and anaesthetic is risky, amputation was not an option unless there were complications. Luckily, there weren't any. He was put on a course of antibiotics and pain killers and it healed up fine. He has a right angle kink in his tail (which is very pronounced) but it's a fluffy tail so it's not really obvious except for the way he holds it - it cannot go higher than parallel to the ground. There was no nerve or blood vessel damage down his tail and once the swelling had gone down around the break itself (it was very painful for him initially, he screamed when you tried to touch it and was sitting at a mad angle so as not to put pressure on it) he doesn't even notice it anymore. He can wag it and move it normally (well, as normally as a broken tail can move) and when you touch it now he isn't bothered.

He was really lucky though, if his tail has been damaged or hurting him at all after the inflammation had gone down the whole tail would have had to come off (just above the break, which would have left him with no tail at all!).

Hope your cat is ok

myxi

audreyp wrote: »

Thanks! Can I ask how long the recovery was? Did she have to wear a cone? I miss him about the house now that he is in the vet. His sister was killed by a car 3 months ago. :-(

She wore a cone for a day or two and after that she seemed to lose interest in her missing tail and left it alone. It healed fully in about 6 weeks. She's a long haired cat, so when her hair grew back it grew down over her tail and it hides it!

audreyp

myxi wrote: »

audreyp wrote: »

Thanks! Can I ask how long the recovery was? Did she have to wear a cone? I miss him about the house now that he is in the vet. His sister was killed by a car 3 months ago. :-(

She wore a cone for a day or two and after that she seemed to lose interest in her missing tail and left it alone. It healed fully in about 6 weeks. She's a long haired cat, so when her hair grew back it grew down over her tail and it hides it!

The vet is concerned that my cat hasn't pee'd the break is at the top of his tail near his pelvis. So the break could have damaged his ability to pee :-( anyone any experience with this?

He is also very aggressive at the moment, the vet cannot examine him without sedation. Feel so bad for him, what if he never forgives me for amputating his tail. :-(

audreyp

myxi wrote: »

audreyp wrote: »

Thanks! Can I ask how long the recovery was? Did she have to wear a cone? I miss him about the house now that he is in the vet. His sister was killed by a car 3 months ago. :-(

She wore a cone for a day or two and after that she seemed to lose interest in her missing tail and left it alone. It healed fully in about 6 weeks. She's a long haired cat, so when her hair grew back it grew down over her tail and it hides it!

He is just home after the amputation. I'm shocked at the bruising there was under the skin! Poor thing was in a lot of pain.

He is quite dopey still but seems happier to be home. No pee yet though :-(

Another question. He has poo'd twice now just in the room not the litter, is thus normal? Is he just in too much pain to make the litter tray or does the anesthetic leaves cats a bit too dopey to figure out the litter tray. So horrible seeing him thus way. All shaved and no tail :-(

mymo

I'd imagine the pooping is a good sign (things are working), he may be too dopey or in too much pain to get to the tray.
Is he drinking anything? If you're worried he's not get some wet cat food (gravy one is best)and add a little warm water, just enough to make it a little soupy, he'll probably just lick the watery bit, but its a good way to get fluid into him. Just give a spoonful or so at a time, every couple of hours.
Hope he recovers well, poor cat.

My cat broke his leg at the hip last year, he didn't pee for 2 days, the vet suggested the above as he wasn't drinking much either, it worked. Did the vet tell you how to check if he was dehydrated?

audreyp

mymo wrote: »

I'd imagine the pooping is a good sign (things are working), he may be too dopey or in too much pain to get to the tray.
Is he drinking anything? If you're worried he's not get some wet cat food (gravy one is best)and add a little warm water, just enough to make it a little soupy, he'll probably just lick the watery bit, but its a good way to get fluid into him. Just give a spoonful or so at a time, every couple of hours.
Hope he recovers well, poor cat.

My cat broke his leg at the hip last year, he didn't pee for 2 days, the vet suggested the above as he wasn't drinking much either, it worked. Did the vet tell you how to check if he was dehydrated?

Thanks for the advice, he actually has eaten a packet of food but didn't think to add water. Will do that next time. He hasn't drank any water yet! How do I tell if he is dehydrated?

He also keeps removing his cone, he just won't wear it. Last time he took it off he caught his paw in it. He has done it 4 times now!

audreyp

Hi

Just an update on the patient. He is recovering well and has pee'd!! He is still in pain I think, but on a patch and metacam so hopefully that is ok.

He is coming back to his old self. Jumping up on the bed and actually sleeping, not just lying down with one eye open.

He does look at the area where his tail was so I think he misses it. Hopefully he doesn't blame us.

I think he will be fine but Any advice on keeping cats who were allowed outdoors, happy indoors is welcome!

Thanks!