Tail injury?

My cat, Giselle, either fell or jumped off our second story balcony yesterday. She seemed fine until this afternoon when I came home from work for lunch. Her tail is now drooping. She is walking fine and shows no pain when I feel her tail, but she usually walks around with it sticking straight up. I have seen it go up straight since I noticed it was drooping, but mostly it is arched out behind her, not dragging straight down. Is this something she needs a vet visit for? If so, what kinds of treatment might he recommend? If it's going to be a wait and see kind of thing, I'd rather not visit the vet, he's expensive.

Hi...I am only going to say a few things....as I don't want to get in trouble by posting something I don't know about....however....I have a 14 year old cat with a pin in his leg because he broke it jumping from an entertainment center.

Second floor balcony? That is still a long fall....and how old is your kitty?

You are looking at the tail....it may not be the tail, but possibly something else....

Yes....I am going to tell you to go to the vet.....only b/c if it is a break....it would need to be taken care of.

My old vet was charging me much, much money.....but I found a god vet....a fantastic vet at a clinic...can you do that?

Good luck

Oh dear that must have been horribly frightning for all of you

She can still hold her tail up straight? How does she react if you gently pinch the end of her tail? I know that sounds mean, but it's a good way of making sure they still have feeling and circulation at the tip - don't be rough, just gently pinch the end of her tail, most cats will react to that by whipping their tail away or twitching it - if she doesn't feel you doing it then I would be concerned that the nerves have been damaged or that there is a circulation problem. The problem with tail injuries is that if there is any swelling there isn't much room for circulation to continue as normal, and it could cause nerve or tissue damage if untreated.

Tbh if she fell or jumped from that height I would probably have a vet check her over anyway, cats can hide pain very well!

Is she eating & drinking normally? How are her activity levels, does she seem lethargic? And litterbox use is normal? Some tail/spine/pelvic injuries can result in loss of bladder/bowel control so keep an eye on that side of things.

Personally I would take her in for a checkup just to err on the side of caution, certainly if you still feel there's a problem with her tail tomorrow, or if there are any other symptoms. That must have been really worrying, I do hope she's alright.

P.S. Has he jumped or fallen before? Can you keep him in from the balcony unless you are there to supervise him?

Epona is absolutely correct....cats DO hide pain very well....

Good luck.

I have to agree - that sort of a fall should really get a vet check up - they'll know exactly where to feel and what reaction to expect to make sure there isn't any damage. A drooping tail is not a good sign, and worth something getting checked out.

It's the sort of thing that if it's not treated now and it IS serious, it will cost a lot more in the future, so get along to the vet if you can. Let us know how it goes!!!!

Hey Usa....you never wrote back and told us how your kitty's tail was. I would personally like to know.

Thank you.