"Dead" tail and limping - oh no

So my 11 year old tabby began limping last week. It appeared to be his rear left leg but I'm not completely sure as it's hard to tell. He was acting really quiet, staying under my bed and definitely not being normal. The next day he seemed better but the day after that was a repeat - staying under my bed and not eating much. I brought him to the vet on Friday and (to Reggie's dislike) gave him a pretty complete exam, feeling and examining all of his legs. He said it might be a strain and to give it a few days and if it's not better come back ($42 later of course).

So tonight I notice something that I might not have seen last week. It appears that his tail is dead. Instead of fluttering all over constantly, it's just hanging there when he walks and not moving at all when he's lying down. This really concerns me as I don't know if he's in pain or what. I haven't talked to the vet yet as I just noticed this but has anyone on here ever experienced this? I've read that it could be his back nerves or something but I'm wondering if he will ever be able to move his tail again?

He didn't like when I moved around his tail so I'm not sure if that's because he can feel it in the base of his tail or on the actual tail.

Sorry for the very long post! Any help would be very appreciated!

- Picture of the poor guy

My mom has a kitten and she accidently pulled her tail to get her out of something. Anyway, Patches' tail would just hang there and not move. When I tried to move it for her, she would yell at me. She looked so pathetic, too. The next day, she moved it once and that was it. I finally figured out it had been strained when pulled. Is it possible that somehow your boy strained his tail? But, if I was you, I'd still call the vet.

Chrissy

Originally Posted by ChrissyR

My mom has a kitten and she accidently pulled her tail to get her out of something. Anyway, Patches' tail would just hang there and not move. When I tried to move it for her, she would yell at me. She looked so pathetic, too. The next day, she moved it once and that was it. I finally figured out it had been strained when pulled. Is it possible that somehow your boy strained his tail? But, if I was you, I'd still call the vet.

Chrissy

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Well, I live with 1 roommate and just asked him again tonight if he saw or accidentially did anything and he said no, so I'm not sure if Reg could have gotten his tail caught IN anything. But he certainly could have been jumping around and fell on his tail and did something.

I'm going to give it a few more days and see what happens. I take him to the Vet right away if anything happens but last week the doctor gave him a really complete feel test so I'm not sure I can spend $42 for another visit of that.

So you are saying the next day she moved her tail only once and stopped or the tail is back to normal?

Her tail is back to normal. It took almost a week before she was moving it fully again. She would move it a bit more each day after the initial injury. What also helped, I think, was I would lightly rub where the tail and butt meet about 2 times a day. Now, I'm not sure rubbing/massageing helped any, but I don't see where it hurt any either. Just watch your boy for signs of swelling or bleeding, things like that. I'm guessing he'll also let you know if rubbing his tail bothers him.

Edit to add: He's a very gorgeous cat!!! And I hope he feels better soon.

Originally Posted by ChrissyR

Her tail is back to normal. It took almost a week before she was moving it fully again. She would move it a bit more each day after the initial injury. What also helped, I think, was I would lightly rub where the tail and butt meet about 2 times a day. Now, I'm not sure rubbing/massageing helped any, but I don't see where it hurt any either. Just watch your boy for signs of swelling or bleeding, things like that. I'm guessing he'll also let you know if rubbing his tail bothers him.

Edit to add: He's a very gorgeous cat!!! And I hope he feels better soon.

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Thank you very much! Hopefully it will turn out like your mom's cat, I just feel so bad with him walking around with it dragging.

Originally Posted by suprax

Thank you very much! Hopefully it will turn out like your mom's cat, I just feel so bad with him walking around with it dragging.

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You're welcome. I, also, hope his tail turns out fine. I know Patch looked pathetic when walking and running with her tail just dragging behind her.

There are so many nerve ending in the back area and it can almost be anything - at the very very leats please call your vet and tell him what has been happening..

Originally Posted by Hell603

There are so many nerve ending in the back area and it can almost be anything - at the very very leats please call your vet and tell him what has been happening..

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As I mentioned in my first post I brought him there on Friday for a complete exam so the Vet is very aware of what is going on. He may not know the latest about the tail this weekend but if it continues I will call him. Since they will not do surgery on it or anything he said to wait and see.

We had an in and out cat when I was growing up. One day, his tail was dragging on the floor. It ended up healing, but I think he never got feeling back. He ended up getting several other injuries over time, and had several surgeries to the tail. It finally ended up pretty short.

If your kitty cannot lift his tail, he probably can't feel it either, so he is more likely to injure the tail further. And how did your vet do a thorough exam if he didn't notice the tail issue? Or is this a new symptom, indicating the loss of control is progressing?

I understand the wait and see attitude...there is no need to try to surgically correct something that my correct on its own. But I am concerned if the kitty is getting worse instead of staying the same or getting slightly better.

Quick update. I just got home from work and Reg greeted me (good sign) and his tail now seems to be halfway up. It like goes straight out for a few inches and then hangs, which is a lot different than when it was just straight down. So that's a good sign and hopefully he's healing.

If it gets worse or doesn't continue to get better I'll definitely get ahold of the vet.

Thanks for the help so far everyone!

I'm glad to hear there is some improvement.

He's a big handsome guy!

Oh, I'm glad he seems to be improving!! Thats great news!

11 year old male cat limping out of the blue and a limp tail? Please watch him VERY closely. Limping out of the blue may be something as simple as a strain or could be the sign of something more serious. If his behavior changes, he appears to be in pain, continues to limp, or anything odd, get him back to the vet pronto.

I don't want to alarm you, but want you to take this seriously. I lost an 8 year old male last fall to cardiomyopathy - a heart disease and the only sign I got was limping and loss of appetite. He got a blood clot which caused the lameness. Have your vet check for a heart murmor next time you are there - Tigger's didn't show up right away. This appears most often in male cats between the ages of 8 and 12.

Originally Posted by Momofmany

11 year old male cat limping out of the blue and a limp tail? Please watch him VERY closely. Limping out of the blue may be something as simple as a strain or could be the sign of something more serious. If his behavior changes, he appears to be in pain, continues to limp, or anything odd, get him back to the vet pronto.

I don't want to alarm you, but want you to take this seriously. I lost an 8 year old male last fall to cardiomyopathy - a heart disease and the only sign I got was limping and loss of appetite. He got a blood clot which caused the lameness. Have your vet check for a heart murmor next time you are there - Tigger's didn't show up right away. This appears most often in male cats between the ages of 8 and 12.

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Reggie actually has had heart murmor for several years due to his weight problem. He has been very overweight for years and since I've had him (since January) has lost a couple pounds and was doing great.

Tonight he was acting just fine except for the limpness in his tail. He was out here (with me) almost the entire night and not hiding or acting strange at all! He's acting just fine besides half of his tail which is limp and hangs down.

Like I mentioned I was going to see if he continues to improve. But if his condition worsens at ALL or does not get better soon I will bring him to the vet. It's very scary to hear you say that you lost your cat like that.

Thank you very much! (of course now I'm doubley concerned).

Originally Posted by suprax

Reggie actually has had heart murmor for several years due to his weight problem. He has been very overweight for years and since I've had him (since January) has lost a couple pounds and was doing great.

Tonight he was acting just fine except for the limpness in his tail. He was out here (with me) almost the entire night and not hiding or acting strange at all! He's acting just fine besides half of his tail which is limp and hangs down.

Like I mentioned I was going to see if he continues to improve. But if his condition worsens at ALL or does not get better soon I will bring him to the vet. It's very scary to hear you say that you lost your cat like that.

Thank you very much! (of course now I'm doubley concerned).

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The last thing I want to do is scare you!! A lot of cats have heart murmors and live a very long life. I lost another 8 year old male to cardiomyopathy years ago and I get the sense that if it is the bad version of the disease, they go quickly with little warning. And yes, both cats were 18 pounds and overweight which clearly added to the problem. It is good that you are already aware of his condition and he's been doing great for years. As hard as it is, keep him on a diet and don't let him stay overweight. I'll keep positive vibes coming your way that this is a simple problem and again, I didn't want to scare you!!

Let us know how he does..

We had a cat who was bitten by another cat at the base of his tail. We didn't know anything was wrong until his tail was drooping. Do you have any other cats who could have bitten him at the base of his tail?

Reggie is a very handsome boy.
I agree with a couple of the above posts.
Please have your vet check Reggie for cardiomyopathy.
Take him to a specialist if you can....

Originally Posted by Bugaboo1

We had a cat who was bitten by another cat at the base of his tail. We didn't know anything was wrong until his tail was drooping. Do you have any other cats who could have bitten him at the base of his tail?

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Nope, Reggie is an indoor cat and there are no cats or dogs or anything (besides humans) around.

Originally Posted by Momofmany

The last thing I want to do is scare you!! A lot of cats have heart murmors and live a very long life. I lost another 8 year old male to cardiomyopathy years ago and I get the sense that if it is the bad version of the disease, they go quickly with little warning. And yes, both cats were 18 pounds and overweight which clearly added to the problem. It is good that you are already aware of his condition and he's been doing great for years. As hard as it is, keep him on a diet and don't let him stay overweight. I'll keep positive vibes coming your way that this is a simple problem and again, I didn't want to scare you!!

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They told my Grandmother that Reggie had slight heart murmor years ago (maybe 6) but it was nothing to worry about and that was when he was at his heaviest. Like I said since then he has dropped several pounds on a perfect schedule and his diet is right on target. He gets the exact amount of Purina OM diet food daily, and 1-2 tiny treats at the MAX a day. He has been very content on this diet since January.

Again Reggie seems to be acting completely normal besides the tail last night and this morning. He hung out with me all last night and ate, drank, and went to the bathroom just like usual. This morning he was up and following me around, meowing for his food first thing as always. But it's certainly silly to not bring him to the vet if anything changes given what you have said. If I see him begin to act differently at ALL from this point out I will make a vet appointment immediately.

I will keep this thread updated. Thanks for all the help!