broken tail on a cat can be serious
I didn’t know how serious a broken tail on a cat can be until I came upon this column from Dr. Vallard Forsythe, a vet in Somona, CA.
Tale of a Broken Tail, by Vallard C. Forsythe, DVM
Dear Dr. Forsythe: I recently heard about a cat whose tail got pulled really hard and it caused him all sorts of problems. Since my friend mentioned you were the vet taking care of that cat, could you please tell me a little about how serious that problem is? I hope it never happens to my cat.
Robert, Sonoma
Dear Robert: Thanks for your interest. The problem you are inquiring about is called “pulled tail syndrome” and it can happen whenever a cat’s tail is pulled very hard or for a prolonged period of time. Commonly it is caused by traction on the tail in a road traffic accident, but other causes are accidents in sliding glass and garage doors. Such tragic traumatic injuries result in serious and painful injury and a guarded prognosis depending on how serious the injury is when they present to the doctor.
Kitties with this problem that are brought to the veterinarian usually have a flaccid, paralyzed tail. Depending on how severe the injury is, they may also have urinary and fecal incontinence along with loss of sciatic nerve function. Often times the owner thinks that the cat has a “broken tail,” but X-rays and a thorough physical exam reveal a deeper problem with more damage. In more severe cases, cats are unable to use their hind legs and can only move around by crawling with their front ones. If their bladder is affected, they don’t have “tone” in it and cannot actively urinate, so as the bladder fills up the poor kitty simply dribbles urine when its totally full.
Needless to say, this is a stressful and serious problem for both cat and owner alike. If the bladder and anus lack tone, it is necessary to “express” the cat several times a day to assist them in elimination. Manual expression of the urinary bladder is essential to prevent infections from setting in and encouraging the bladder to regain tone as the pet hopefully heals. Reportedly, 60 percent of cats will regain sensation within a month of injury, provided they get the proper rest and nursing they need. Cats who are still unable to urinate on their own after 30 days usually never do.
For pets with a less serious injury or those who are lucky enough to regain urinary function but still have a flaccid, lifeless tail, amputation is necessary to prevent further injury. The “dead” tail is a hazard hanging off the pet and should be removed surgically when the pet is in good enough condition to withstand anesthesia. The tail is docked where the dislocation occurred, leaving a “bobbed” appearance and an otherwise normal, healthy kitty cat.
The patient I have that suffered this terrible injury is a wonderful black kitty who we think might have been hit by a car. He spent a lot of time in the hospital, but now he is recovering well and gets stronger every day. While he was a patient here, he stole our hearts and used his meows to remind us that we were all part of his recovery team and his personal staff.
Last week, he was well enough to go home to his human, and reports are that he very happy to be the king of his castle again. At last check, this most impressive feline was preparing a long Christmas list for his doting father to fill in its entirety. Thanks for your question!
– published in the Sonoma Valley Sun newspaper.
This is helpful information if we ever have or see an injured cat; at least now I know a broken tail is potentially much more serious than I thought. Thank you, Dr. Forsythe.
