Amputation

Our cat, a tux, recently suffered a tail injury and the vet is suggesting the tail is cut off because it's apparently fractured close to the base. We haven't a clue how it happened. He came home in the middle of the night with no sign of injury or distress. Only when I noticed his tail was limp did I realise something was wrong.

He will be coming home soon with no tail.
Do most cats cope well without one? He's a bit of an outdoor cat. But he's not a very good climber, so we're worried about how having no tail will affect his balance or ability to run. Does it mean he will find it harder to escape dogs for example by jumping out of harm's way?

Is he an outdoor kitty? Would you consider keeping him indoors?

I've never had a cat lose a tail (nor do my cats go outdoors), but there are breeds of cats that don't have tails and they manage. There have been many a folk here that have experienced having their kitties' tails amputated though, so hopefully one of them will chime up soon

He's very much an outdoor cat. We try to keep him in after dark. But the night he injured his tail he hadn't come home at his usual time for feeding. I think he'd whine and complain if we tried to keep him in.

I think you are right to be concerned about his ability to get away from predators, especially as he's recovering.  He will need to stay in until he is totally recovered.  It is also very likely that he would adapt to staying inside after a transition time.  

Is he neutered?  

We'll be keeping him in until he's fully recovered. There are lots of foxes where we live. He hasn't been castrated but I think that's something the vet is going to be doing. We tried keeping him in before and he hated it.

He will be much happier inside once he is neutered, though it will take about a month for the hormones to fade.  It will also prevent him from wandering and getting into trouble and fights.  Can your vet do the procedure at the same time?

I thinks that's the plan, he's going to neuter at the same time as dealing with the tail problem. I'm sure our cat will adjust - just don't want him to be unhappy.

Or at greater risk of being further injured, I should add

Manx cats cope well without tails!  Mind you they rarely have predators like you have in North America - except dogs and cars....

Geoffrey

Was wondering if amputation is really necessary. Seems drastic for a fracture but then I'm not a vet so I don't know. Anybody on here had a cat with fractured tail that repaired?

I believe it is necessary because there is no way to set it in order for the fracture to heal. How is he today?

Thanks for asking. We were hoping to bring him home yesterday but now the vet is saying a catheter had to be fitted to aid urination. Maybe as a result of being castrated. The tail removal seems to have gone without complications though. Hoping we can bring him back by Friday.

The catheter is normal with anesthesia. Poor guy. Sounds like it was a hard surgery. Hope he's home soon!

Vet called today and said she thinks our poor cat may have to be put down. I was quite shocked as the injury was a tail pull with no hind leg paralysis at all, and our cat can defecate. Urination appears to be bit hit and miss, dribbles according to vet but twice had to be expressed, and catheter fitted, remove now. The vet confessed she isn't sure if he is consciously urinating when he did before. She said after 7 days post amputation op if no improvement then they usually put down. We are resisting this as it seems too soon to allow our cat to have a chance to heal.

We asked if we could express him ourselves but the vet won't allow him to come home. Also said there are no meds that might help urination.

It's very upsetting.

I don't know anything about your cat's injury but I have heard of people expressing their cat's bladder at home.  The ones that I have heard of are done that way permanently because of some type of permanent issue.  Like I said I don't know what is going on with your kitty but if it's just a matter of the bladder issue I don't know that euthanasia is a necessity.

Thanks. It's so sad especially since he had no injury except the tail fracture. The vet suggested the nerves may be damaged or simply swollen but she doesn't seem sure. Said it's a very grey area. Could it be possible that he is just sore after the castration which was done at the same time as the amputation and is reluctant to urinate? The vet would not operate on the tail unless we agreed to the castration op as well.

I don't think it's caused by the castration, that is a very simple procedure that doesn't involve any nerves.  This is probably caused by the tail injury.   As far as the symptoms go it sounds a lot like Manx syndrome even though the cause is different.  Has your vet tried a steroid?  Sometimes if it's inflammation causing the issue a steroid will help.

I would not allow your cat to be put to sleep without getting a second opinion at least.  It does sound like there may have been nerve damage when the tail was injured, but there is no reason that you can't express the bladder from home if that's all that's going on.

Thanks for replying. The problem we have with getting our cat back is that the vet is the rspca, who I think I now realise don't let you take your animal back if it's sick even if you brought it in yourself.

Is it true nerve damage (if it is nerve damage, although we still don't know if it is and the vet isn't sure either) in cats can heal? Has anyone on here had this kind of thing happen before and did your cat improve? We really don't want to lose our cat.

Did you surrender your cat to the rspca to get him treatment?  If so, I can see where you might be in a bit of a bind.  If not, you should have full rights and be able to ask for the release of your cat and for second opinions.  You will need to ascertain whether you have signed him over, though.

Yes, nerve damage can repair itself.  I really do think it's too soon to give up.