Issue With Cats Tail

[Grant Sachs]

Hi everyone

i from time to time feed the feral cats in the alley behind my house a few treats while on a walk.

one of my “regulars” surprised me today by coming right up to me, normally very afraid and stays far away.

then I noticed something clearly wrong with their tail. I was wondering if anyone could give me insight on this issue? Thanks!

suddenly curled tightly at the tip, looks flattened (as if ran over) and there’s abnormal gray hairs in that area

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Is this cat really a feral/stray - as in no one is taking care of it? You may want to reach out to neighbors and ask, and/or even put up flyers for people to see.

I would suspect its tail is broken. Is there any break in the skin, e.g.; wounds? Does this cat act normal - other than coming up to you when it didn't used to? It is possible that it is looking to you to help it. It probably is in pain.

Do you deal with a vet who would be wiling to look at a feral cat? Or, perhaps a rescue center/shelter as they deal with ferals/strays a lot. If at all possible, it really should be looked at.

 

[Grant Sachs]

Hi. Is this cat really a feral/stray - as in no one is taking care of it? You may want to reach out to neighbors and ask, and/or even put up flyers for people to see.

I would suspect its tail is broken. Is there any break in the skin, e.g.; wounds? Does this cat act normal - other than coming up to you when it didn't used to? It is possible that it is looking to you to help it. It probably is in pain.

Do you deal with a vet who would be wiling to look at a feral cat? Or, perhaps a rescue center/shelter as they deal with ferals/strays a lot. If at all possible, it really should be looked at.

I really do think it is a feral, as it is extremely skittish and still won’t let me near it, i went back to feed it more (since it looks sick) and it wouldn’t come near me.

It also looks like a male version of the female colony in the alley, I think I’ve seen them together.

speaking of, I found a 6 kitten litter today!! Just wow! Going to have to TNR them, they’re so youngthat I don’t think it’s safe for them to be in the winter Michigan cold this young(seemed to be about 6 weeks old?)

 

[neely]

Thank you for looking after the feral cats in the alley and litter of six kittens today. I thought this Article about health issues in cat tails might have some helpful information for you - scroll down to tail injuries:
Health Issues In Tails – TheCatSite Articles

 

[fionasmom]

Thank you for helping all these cats. The tail on the stray looks broken to me as well. If there is a skin wound that you cannot see, it could worsen. I have had ferals whose tails developed gangrene and had to be amputated...not as big a deal as it sounds and one boy with no tail has been around now for about 10 years. But keep an eye on it.

 

[Grant Sachs]

Thank you for helping all these cats. The tail on the stray looks broken to me as well. If there is a skin wound that you cannot see, it could worsen. I have had ferals whose tails developed gangrene and had to be amputated...not as big a deal as it sounds and one boy with no tail has been around now for about 10 years. But keep an eye on it.

Thanks for the tips everyone! I'll call my vet tomorrow. i need to figure out what to do for the broken tail as well as the young kittens. Seems they are about 4-6 weeks old and there are about 6 of them