I’ve done many declaws and tail amputations and have found that it is much easier to remove bone in a younger cat as the bone tends to be a little softer. Therefore, usually less painful in younger cat than older cat. I won’t declaw anything over the age of 3 unless the owner has a medical condition that would make it necessary.
[QUOTE=beowulf;8504361]
hah! do you know small animal vets? no snark intended - i’ve just never gotten a conclusive answer ever from a small animal vet… interesting that the vet jumped to it being caused by someone in the house – i’ve had the same thing happen to me in ER clinics. no - the cat couldn’t have possibly raised hell itself :rolleyes:
OP jingling for your kitty - i have a special soft spot for the tailless critters![/QUOTE]
Well, technically my vet did not jump to that conclusion. He said it is “usually” caused by getting slammed in the door or stepped. He was asking if I know of anything like that recently happening. When I told him no but that he has a couple 8’ cat trees that he and his obese 4 year old step brother swing from like monkeys he kind of chuckled.
[QUOTE=sockmonkey;8504390]
I’ve done many declaws and tail amputations and have found that it is much easier to remove bone in a younger cat as the bone tends to be a little softer. Therefore, usually less painful in younger cat than older cat. I won’t declaw anything over the age of 3 unless the owner has a medical condition that would make it necessary.[/QUOTE]
Well, we aren’t going to be doing any declawing. But we may be amputating the tail of an 8 year old cat. Still no movement as of this morning.
Jingles & AO continue … for a swish of a tail TODAY !
Thanks ZuZu!!!
Poor kitty, jingles
Years ago we had a stray that would come by once in a while. He showed up on our deck one day with a tail that was just a big necrotic mess.
Took him into the vet, his tail was unable to be salvaged and was amputated about two inches from his body.
He was fine, and had no issues getting around. This was not something we had any choice over but he had no ill effects. He never seemed to be in distress beyond the forced quarantine because we didn’t know what happened to that tail.
He’s still with us. Very old boy now and probably not long for this world but he never seemed to miss the tail.
I’ve had at least four barn cats over the years with injured tails - usually from fighting with other cats/animals. Two had their tails amputated around two inches from the base as the injury was just beyond that. Another had her tail amputated about halfway down its length as her injury was a little further along.
The fourth had (we surmised) been hit by a car in his youth before we arrived at that barn and his tail was normal about half its length and then flopped over in a droop as it was paralyzed. Eventually, we had the vet remove the last two vertebrae from the very tip as it kept hitting the ground when he jumped down and opening the ever-present scab that was there, leaving him open to infection. That surgery was performed on top of a hay bale in the barn with the cat knocked out during the vet’s annual shots/worming visit. He went into a dog crate for recovery until the next morning and never looked back. (We eventually found out that he had some fusion in the lower spine when we x-rayed him later in life, and he did have an old scar on one hip.)
It’s not a complicated surgery, however I think I would have asked the vet about some sort of anti-inflammatory meds as well as antibiotics as the pain at the base of the tail might be due to a swelling pressing on nerves. One of my sister’s cats had an unusual reaction to her vaccines one year: the vet got a little too close to a nerve and the cat’s tail would twitch uncontrollably for short periods for about six months after receiving the shots.
Right now he is just on the Buprenorphine, and the other I forgot he got at the vets Tuesday.
I’m glad to read all of these successful amputated tail stories. My male cat has some type of lump on his tail. I’ve had 2 vets look at it and their answer has been that they don’t know what it is, but because of the location if it grows or starts to bother him his tail will need to be amputated.
Right now it is still small, but it fills with fluid and then drains and I’m worried that it is going to become infected. He’ll end up losing at least 1/2 of his tail if it has to be removed. I don’t mind the bob-tailed look, but I’ll miss the tail flick that he does when he’s not happy about something, lol.
[QUOTE=Stitch In Time;8506347]
I’m glad to read all of these successful amputated tail stories. My male cat has some type of lump on his tail. I’ve had 2 vets look at it and their answer has been that they don’t know what it is, but because of the location if it grows or starts to bother him his tail will need to be amputated.
Right now it is still small, but it fills with fluid and then drains and I’m worried that it is going to become infected. He’ll end up losing at least 1/2 of his tail if it has to be removed. I don’t mind the bob-tailed look, but I’ll miss the tail flick that he does when he’s not happy about something, lol.[/QUOTE]
I have a cat with only about an inch of tail (she came that way, so I assume it’s natural) and she is VERY expressive even with her little stump.
[QUOTE=Highflyer;8506354]
I have a cat with only about an inch of tail (she came that way, so I assume it’s natural) and she is VERY expressive even with her little stump.[/QUOTE]
Yep, my little amputee has a very active tail. It just “wags” more like a dog. It’s always in motion.
OMG you guys are making me laugh and cry all at once. I just love my boys happy little straight up curl at the end tail!
[QUOTE=TresGauche;8506552]
OMG you guys are making me laugh and cry all at once. I just love my boys happy little straight up curl at the end tail![/QUOTE]
yeah, I LOVED Bob’s nice long stripy tail.
But in the end I loved him more than his tail.
I think he’ll be fine if you amputate - Rascal was about 6 when he decided to make a mad dash through a door that was closing. Looked down to see the skin of his tail lying there, and found him under my desk with - well, let’s say I’d rather not see it again. His was amputated about halfway down; they stitched it over, kept him over the weekend, and he was fine. I have another that we think was grabbed by a dog or coyote; it was broken about halfway down, and we had it amputated. She’s fine. Psychotic, but fine. (She was psychotic before the amputation, I should point out . . .)
Sorry I’m late to this one! I just had part of my cat’s tail amputated in September. Feel free to PM with any questions. I also started a thread about it here if you do a search.
My cat is 15 years old and came through it beautifully.
She had a disgusting tumor that was eating her poor little tail.
It all went well and she healed just fine.
The only glitch was when she pulled her cone off and chewed out her stitches.
Bad kitty!
She still has a stumpy little tail left.
It is the cutest thing ever! 
Now she kind of resembles a terrier rather than a cat. :lol:
any update ? Jingles & AO !
He is doing pretty good! he got a second prescription for the pain killer, that runs out tomorrow. I think he will be fine, he is jumping and running around. He has been bossing me around like normal too :lol:
The tail though, no movement. He carries it to the side like a wry horse tail. He looks like one of those western pleasure Quarter Horses, all long and droopy with no movement. The vet is waiting, but if it does not improve we will amputate within the month.
Bumping for an update ~ are you back ? from the salon :winkgrin:
I am so sorry about your kitty’s tail. I stepped on one of my girls’ tails today – they get underfoot when I am getting their food! 
– thankfully I was only wearing socks and only got it with a toe.
I wonder if he would feel less traumatized with a “docked” tail than having his familiar tail not working right. I hope feeling and movement will come back to it, but if not, that he will be OK with a bobtail.
Jingles and prayers to you both.
