Cats Tail Bone Sticking Out

One of the 4-6 month old feral kittens we rescued kept wining to go outside again today so we let him out for a bit and when we opened the garage for him to come into the house, he coming running in like he was scared of something and acting strangely.

After closer examination, we noticed the last 2-3 inches of his tail looked like it had something sticking out of it and upon some research online, we believe that it may be the actual bone of his tail sticking out. He is not comfortable with you being by his tail however we were able to put a bandage on it until we can take him to the vet either tomorrow or Monday am.

The part we suspect is bone, does not have fur or skin or anything on it and it is VERY skinny and is a dull yellowish color. Is this what it would look like? There was just a little bit of blood earlier which has stopped but is this life threatening? Is it possible this will heal on its own? Does he need anitbiotics to prevent infection? Amputation?

What would have caused this to happen? Did another animal attack him (he has no other marks on his body)? Did something fall on the tail? I know its hard to say but what has anyone else experienced?

I am very concerned so any input would be appreciated.

My only thought would be to keep the kitty confined to a small room until the vet appointment.
I hope that it is nothing to complicated.
Other members might have better ideas for you.
Please let us know what you find out.

He does need antibiotics and may need a partial tail amputation. It won't regrow skin or fur and the exposed bone is very much at risk for infection. Riley had just the tiny tip exposed but it has started forming scar tissue and the vet decided not to do surgery at this time. He did say if it had been any more then he would have needed the surgery. I believe it is a quick simple surgery though. They would just snip it off far enough back so that they can stitch the skin together.

Riley's happened when he got his tail tip under the computer chair wheel, so likely your kitty got his tail stuck somewhere, or even ran over by a car or similar if he was outside.

He definitely should see the vet first thing Monday morning. I would keep him isolated from the others so they can't bother his tail until then. Please let us know how it goes at the vet.

he doesnt seem to be in ALOT of pain, but you can tell it bothers him and makes him uncomfortable so is there anything I can give him for the pain until tomorrow morning?

DO NOT give him any aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen. All of those can be very bad for a cat.

It's most likely he got his tail caught in a door or something.

yeah that I know already but thanks. I am looking for other things I can do to make his day easier.

I am still in shock that the fur, the skin and everything is gone down to the bone, how would all of that be gone?

It happened when he was outside alone? My thought would be possibly another animal could have tried to grab him, dogs will snap at tails.

Bone can get infected, and when it does it's serious. But that's not your only worry. If something restrained this cat with enough force to rip skin from his tail it could have caused some damage to his spine. He should really be seen by a vet ASAP, or at the very least call them this afternoon (in case anyone is at church now) and see if they want him brought in today.

I was thinking maybe another animal as well, but I am not sure because he has NO other marks anywhere. But its possible something just got his tail and he was able to get away.

If that's what happened, he's one lucky cat.

IMO, I wouldn't let him outside free like that again. If there's the chance of nasty animals in your neighborhood it's probably just a better idea to make sure no kitties meet up with them.
This isn't to say your cats can't go outside. Cat enclosures and cat proofed fencing works well and everyone stays safe. And you have the peace of mind knowing exactly where your cats are.

I would not wait until tomorrow. Cats hide pain instinctively so if he is showing pain, he is in A LOT of pain.

He could have been hit by a car, hurt by some sadistic creep, chased and bit by a dog....all of which could cause serious infection and pain.

I would take the little guy to an ER vet, or the on call vet, today, with out delay.

I agree with Alleygirl. Your cat will need antibiotics and the vet will most likely amputate part of the tail. It is a quick procedure and he will hopefully have no complications from an infection.

Sending vibes that all goes well.

I second both Strange_Wings and Otto: No more unsupervised outside trips and take the kitty to the ER vet as soon as possible.

I'm sorry this happened. Poor kitty.

Thanks for the posts, I have been trying to search for images because I am not convinced of what this is yet as my gf has not taken the bandage off as of yet. I found this image, is this what his tail would look like? http://www.stem-cell-treatment-now.c...cat-tail-2.jpg

Because what I am able to see is not much thicker than a nail and it looks NOTHING like the above. Unless this is clean down to the bone but I do not think that it would be this skinny?

That looks like there's still some muscle on it. I've seen a cat missing fur, skin, and some muscle off of it's tail... it was very very disturbing.

Either way, your cat is injured. Let the vet do the rest.

It's kinda like you got your pinkie finger slammed in a car door and everything's been ripped off but the bone..... you wouldn't wait 'till Monday to see the doc, would you?

Not trying to be melodramatic, just trying to help you see how your cat is likely feeling right now.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

It happened when he was outside alone? My thought would be possibly another animal could have tried to grab him, dogs will snap at tails.

Bone can get infected, and when it does it's serious. But that's not your only worry. If something restrained this cat with enough force to rip skin from his tail it could have caused some damage to his spine. He should really be seen by a vet ASAP, or at the very least call them this afternoon (in case anyone is at church now) and see if they want him brought in today.

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I would not be waiting for Monday am - I would take him to an ER - IMHO that is definitely an emergency.

Should have added earlier that I also would take my cat to the ER vet if you have one available. For him to show even a little pain means he is hurting pretty bad as cats are masters at hiding pain and illness. With Riley, I could see the actual white tail bone tip sticking out but your kitty sounds like a much more serious injury. If at all possible, I would take him in today. There is nothing you can give him for the pain without a vet prescription.

p.s. This type of injury is known as degloving

We do not have an emergency animal hospital near here so he is going in first thing in the morning. We do have his tail bandaged up and everything right now but we have not given him any pain meds for obvious reasons but he has not shown any pain. He has been acting much like his normal self today, he is also eating well right now so I will post back in the morning after I find out what the deal is.

Originally Posted by naviracer23

We do not have an emergency animal hospital near here so he is going in first thing in the morning. We do have his tail bandaged up and everything right now but we have not given him any pain meds for obvious reasons but he has not shown any pain. He has been acting much like his normal self today, he is also eating well right now so I will post back in the morning after I find out what the deal is.

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Cats do that. That is, they act perfectly normal even when they're in a lot of pain. It's instinct, to keeps larger predators from knowing they're not in full strength. Unfortunately, it makes it difficult for us to know about and help them manage their pain.

Please let us know how the vet visit goes tomorrow!

In the event, they need to amputate a portion of his tail, does anyone know approx what something like that may cost?