Cat with bloody tail?

A few days ago (I think) my cat broke his tail.

He lives in our house with his brother and they're very playful and can get quite rough sometimes, so I assume that's how he injured it.

Anyway, we felt a slight hard bump in his tail (only really small) just on the top, and we figured it was just from fighting so we let it be. 

Yesterday he got in a fight with a neighbour's cat and then ran inside our extremely shaken up, running into the garage and sleeping on the floor for the rest of the night (which is very uncharacteristic of him).

Now today he's entered with blood on his tail on the area where the break is. We wiped it off with a cloth but he got really mad and started hissing and meowing really loudly so we put him down and after licking the leftover blood he's asleep on my bed. 

Is this normal for cats? Should we not let him outside until his tail has healed up a bit or should we take him straight to a vet? We're kinda tight on money at the moment and if there's something we can do at home without going to a vet to stop infection/further injury I'd really like to know about it.

Thanks in advance!

I hope other can come with good home remedy advices.

But normally I would go to a vet with this, as a matter of fact.

Being prepared for amputation of this part of tail if necessary.  Such amputation is not difficult and does not demand a top surgeon with top notch surgery. Any decent vet can do it.

You dont must go to the most costly vet. Try to find some cheaper vet as long as she is decent skilly.  And or try to loan money from some relative or friend.

Some vets do accepts a payment plan.

Good luck!   *vibes*

Poor kitty ..... I would not let this cat roam outside right now. Can you keep the cat inside the house, in the safety of a room? Being left outside, that tail might not heal well and yes, get infected. I would advise you take the cat to the vet right away. Of course he hissed at you when you tried to "clean" it. It hurts Loads of vibes

I am sorry to say, I would take the kitty to the vet... Lest thing you want is for that wound to get infected... Cats don't generally complain unless they are in some serious pain

At the very least, bring him to the vet to get some pain medication. That is the least you can do for your cat. Don't let him suffer.

You should take him to the vet immediately. There may be a slim chance that the vet can clean the wound and give your cat antibiotics to prevent an infection. I don't know where you live, but you could try the banfield clinics at Petsmart, those are not the greatest but they are inexpensive. I think you really need to find a good vet for this particular injury, just my opinion.

As the other poster said, the problem with a tail injury is that the tail is part of the cat's spinal cord and is vital to a cat's sense of balance. Accordingly, cats are EXTREMELY sensitive to anything on their tail, like a wound or bandage, because they feel it very acutely, and it upsets their whole "alignment". By the same token, a laceration or injury to the tail usually causes them to repeatedly lick the area.

If there is a chance the wound will heal and fur will grow back- and it sounds like there may be a chance! Then maybe the vet can put something on the tail, in addition to treating the injury, to keep your kitty from licking the area so it can heal.

In many, many cases tails have to be amputated because it is easier than a bandage or the mutilation that a cat does in reaction to treatment of the wound.

So- get your cat to the vet asap and that is the best chance you have for saving the tail! And as the others said, keep your kitty inside.

In this same vein, understand that male cats have territory, and your cats, being indoor/outdoor are at a disadvantage against the 100% outdoor cats who claim the outside territory. And rest assured they will find your kitties and fight them. Male cats roam a lot more than females. You should never let your male cats outside at night, ever, as you will just see more of these fights. Also your males should be fixed, which should help keep them from marking territory and getting into fights. 

Just so you know, I am saying this as the mom to a feral male cat who lives 100% outdoors. My boy cat lost his tail, it had to be amputated, because of a fight he was in and the laceration did not heal. In the case of my boy kitty (william in the picture on my post :-)) his injury was in the middle of his tail. It never healed because he kept licking it. The amputation cost about $1000 overall. Save yourself all that money and just go to the vet and get him treated asap. And let people on this site know where you live, they may have some suggestions for inexpensive vet care in your area!! Good luck and please let us know how it goes, we all care!!