Cat balance after tail broken

Hi,
I adopted this gorgeous kitten on 4-5 months and Im kind of worried about him because he doesnt seem to be able to jump to high places. He always needs to claw his way to the top of the couch if he tries from the floor, and though I can see he wants to he never tries to jump up to the windows. He can jump onto beds and so on. I wonder if it could be because of a thick spot on his tail that makes me pretty sure it was broken earlier in his life? Also he's kind of limbing a bit from time to time, and also sometimes doesnt seem all that secure and steady in his walk. Could it be because of the tail?
Thank you!

Hi NeonDust.

Did you see this kitten prior to the injury or??? After? Were you told what had happened? I deal with alot of kitties who have had rear pelvic injuries & balance nor jumping has any affect on the ability to jump losing a tail or part of a tail.Usually people unknowingly will presume there was trauma to the tail & that was it.Then other symptoms occur.Like constipation for one.Jumping another.Some times their Gait is affected.Usually I recommend a rear pelvic xray to rule out an old injury blamed on the tail where in reality it was more than that.Alot of injuries I see yrs later come back only to haunt kitties.owners having no idea why their kitty can't jump as they are not old or constipation a whole bunch of stuff.Losing a tail unless just done and in pain is not a reason for the inability to jump.There is obviously rear hind weakness that makes your kitty have to do like a chin up using his front arms & claws to get up where he wants to goe.That is my recommendation first. .Please keep a good eye out on the bowel movements you are receiving some are in pain when assuming the position and will leave the litter box keeping the stool in the bowel even longer,drying it out more or there will be accidents of poo not being in the toilet etc.Not all kitties have this.My Maxwell was unable to jump only about say to the top of a toilet at 10 yrs old.He was diagnosed with CKD which can affect rear limbs and he also had MC.When I found him as a runt he had a broken rear leg.B vitamins but your kitty should not be having any b vitamin issues unless you have him on a vegan diet which I am hoping you are NOT.HTH C.

Hi,
No, the kitten was found at my neighbours door and I got him after she had been instructed not to feed him and ended up having us come and get him after three days. I have no clue how he got damaged or what happened. I dont have the money yet to bring him properly to the vet, and my parents think its stupid that I want him standard checked so theyre really not much help. Actually he didnt poop for the first day or so I had him but my mom wrotr me the day after that he had pooped 3 times on the living room floor (which is weird because he has used the litterbox perfectly when peeing.. My mom says that some of the stuff from the floor looked normal while the rest was kind of liquidy thin.
I just want to make sure he's alright, if he needs to get an xray does itmake a difference? Would they maybe be able to help him out?

I have a cat with an amputated tail and she jumps and lands on things just fine. She did sometimes claw up the bed but that was becuase she was young. At 4-5 month old he's still learning his way around things I would not worry much about him not being able to jump on things. The diarrhea is more of a concern though. Does he still have diarrhea?

In answer to your question - Yes. 

A broken tail, in and of itself, shouldn't effect your cat's balance, but it could be an indication of something more serious causing his imbalance. 

A cat's tail is a continuation of their spine. An injury to 'just the tail', depending upon the location and severity can affect balance, as well as bowel and bladder function. 

Sacrocaudal luxation (displacement or separation at the area of the vertebrae between the sacrum and coccyx) is a relatively common traumatic injury in dogs and cats, caused by traction on the tail (someone or something pulling on the tail). This can cause neurological deficits in the terminal spinal cord. There may be urinary and fecal incontinence, posterior paresis and paralysis of the tail.

The tail is mainly used for balance when walking on a narrow space like a fence rail, beam or tree branch, much like a tight-rope walker uses a pole. It also serves to maintain balance when jumping and/or running. However, cats without tails due to amputation or by birth (the Manx) learn to balance without the tail by using their ears (equilibrium). 

Grabbing a cat by it's tail should NEVER be done! I have seen children pull on tails while playing, and I have seen adults pull on tails - usually when attempting to keep a cat from escaping out a door or to pull them out of a hiding place. A cat's tail is NOT a handle! 

As MomofMaxwell said, monitor his bowel and bladder habits. Chronic constipation can lead to megacolon and other medical conditions. The fact that he is limping gives concern. There could be an underlying pelvic fracture. 

I would suggest you have your kitten vetted and an x-ray done to be sure their is no pelvic or spinal cord injury. He might have been run over by a car and his tail was pulled.

 

Please, keep us posted.

I'm really glad to hear that that might be why he claws his way up!
His stuff is not liquid as far as I can see anymore, but he still poops everywhere but in his litterbox even though he pees in it. So far in the living room and bathroom even though the doors to the room with the litter box is never closed. Do you know of any way to help it?

I'm pretty sure the tail is completely paralyzed, he can only use the short length nearest to his body above the broken place, so thats probably what has happened. I will speak with a vet tomorrow to take care of basic checking on him and hear what she says, Im so glad you wrote, thank you!!

Hi neondust.I'm sorry i didn't realize you are from Denmark.welcome!!!! Sorry for so many questions & yes fyllis is right on the money!!! Right from square one.The kitten was at your neighbors and already had a damaged tail is that correct? Was the parlayzed part you mention of amputated or is it still their doing nothing? If so it does have to be removed by a veterinarian first.He/she will be able to determine if the tail section is "dead" or just damaged.There are bones in a tail & i too am against totally anyone grabbing a kitties tail.So that is the first thing.if the tail is still all there but you know some part of it is "NOT RIGHT" a vet right now.The pain could be horrific I don't know.As for pelvic injury meaning the hips/spine etc only an xray of the pelvic region will show a vet whether any other bone damage has occurred.Only an xray.Not assumptions.Also he/she will see the spine etc.All pertinent stuff.I am sorry you do not have the cooperation from your mom as you will need it.You will need support & i understand 100% that once the bond is made there's no going back and saying'I don't want you now" Although losers do that.I don't believe you to be a loser but one that cares enough to post here all the way from Denmark asking for help.The love has formed.As for the litterbox.Do you only have one kitty? This one or more? Is the litterbox does it have a dome over it or no dome on top? If it has a top on it take it off.Has the kitten been neutered yet? There are a couple of scenarios here I see.One the tail is still attached but damaged.Possibly gone dead & needing amputation.When a kitty poos if you have ever watched them they use their tail almost like a lever up & down when pushing a poo out.Not all obviously & not manx kitties.And amputated ones won't either but cats that have normal tails most of them do use their tail in the process of taking a poo.Your kitty if he experiences pain when trying to poo in the litterbox he will get what is called a "learned Aversion" you can google cats with learned aversions of litterboxes.It is all there.Cats with urinary issues that bring them pain when peeing in the litterbox sometimes get those same aversions.The reason your kitty would still pee in the toilet is obviously he feels no pain while peeing.That position he is in isn't causing him pain.Some cats it only takes one time feeling pain and they poo or pee everywhere else but the litterbox.The other scenario is that more than the tail has been damaged.Possibly hips,or spine.A narrowing of the pelvic opening is what I see most where the bones were broken,never fixed and they fused together.Kitty just continued it's life as creatures they adapt to everything.No one watching them poo etc. No one noticing.Then someone finally does notice when that narrowed opening in the rectal area over time has expanded the colon so much it has caused mega colon.Constipation would have come first before, but was missed by the owners.Over time a restricted opening meaning it is smaller than a normal cat's pelvic opening makes the poo not move through freely so it  gets backed up.Backed up stool left in the bowel,one job of the bowel is to draw water out of the stool.So the poo in there becomes dryer & harder & even more harder for the kitty to pass.It also expands the colon as the colon is not a pipe but expandable.too much expansion & the nerves in the colon that stimulate the muscles to squeeze which moves stool down toward the anus are affected.Nerve damage.Until they are finally vomiting while pooping.Or pushing so hard they get a prolapsed anus.You can google it.A perineal hernia in the colon Ihave seen.A whole bunch of stuff.But what I can tell you is all this stuff even if the opening is smaller we at the Mega Colon site can help you.I help people all over the world.I belong to the MC group but have branched off on my own helping foreigners dealing with MC.or chronic constipation months ago.Where some countries the meds used to help MC are unavailable I do my best to try to find them.So the first thing i would recommend is for your kitty to see a vet.Get a diagnosis.Tell him/her of the pooping issue as well.The soft stool doesn't worry me as kitties with rocks will push liquid stool past the rocks giving you the impression your cat now has diarrhea.When in fact it is the opposite.He is constipated or worse.MC is very manageable with help from people who know all about it.I had three MC kitties in my life.This does not mean your kitty even has this>It can be pain from the tail.This has to be determined first & if it is dead or has a dead section that has to be removed first.Before any other things can be done.Ihave seen members of the mc group have kittens as young as 10 weeks diagnosed with MC.I have talked to people who;s kitty also had a rear injury but were right there & rushed it to the vet and the broken bones we reset by the vet.Yrs later arthritis set in ,in that area & kitty began having trouble pooping.So alot of variables.Yes you need to take your baby to the vet.Write down everything as a list so you don't forget to ask everything & tell everything.All information is pertinent for the vet to help you.If he/she tells you he'll have pooping trouble all his life & to euthanize him tell him to take a flying leap!! I have helped hundreds on death row & so has the MC group.It is not a death sentence.But first see a vet about the tail right away.Tell your mom you love her & to pls support you.that you need her now more than ever.Cat/kittens are not throways and for your neighbors not to feed it makes me ILL!! then get back to us.in the meantime i hope you re feeding canned meat.the hydration of canned is much better for pooing IMO than any dry in the world.But there will be accidents happening until everything gets sorted out.puppy pads might help.tell your Mom if she finds poos to put them in the litterbox.Don't throw them down the toilet.But the aversion will have to be dealt with after the kitty is seen by a vet.Observing what type of stool is crucial.So if Mom is only home we are looking for soft logs.no ball poops.If giving canned pls add a small amount of water to the canned meat.not too much say a tbsp or something.hydration is key for it to keep moving.If the tail does need to be removed i would have your boy neutered at the same time.It will save you money and why put him under again.OK? I hope that helps you a bit.Don't fret! This is all doable but you do need the help of your family.At least cooperation.

pls get back to us as soon as you can.Hugs Cindy x lots of typos i'm sorry

Some cats are very fussy where they do their business and don't want to use the same litter box for two different things, if you get what I'm saying.
He uses the one to pewatch in I understand. Maybe if you got another litter box he'd do his business there instead of on the floor.
Give it a try.