Cat acting scared of it's tail?

[milliesmom]

Hi there my cat Millie has been acting pretty scared of her tail the last couple days and chasing/running away from it. She's licked it a little bit but largely hasn't licked or bit at it. This is definitely a new occurrence and has seemed to been going on a fair amount the last couple days. She seems so anxious when she's doing it and it gives me an uneasy feeling. I was wondering if anyone has experienced this? It doesn't seem like an emergency so I didn't take her to the emergency vet but I was able to schedule an appointment for tomorrow, so that's good.

 

[Maria Bayote]

Maybe you can check with the vet and see if she has mites, parasites or anything microscopic on her tail? Just to be sure.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I agree with Maria Bayote . Have your vet check this, just to be sure there is no injury. I will tell you that I had, many years ago, a cat who would play-fight with her own tail. At one point, she bit her own tail rather badly. Being a cat, she did not quite get the "I bit my own tail and it hurt." In her mind, her tail hurt HER. It took a few weeks before she really trusted her tail again.

 

[mservant]

I agree milliesmom , it sounds like something about her tail is different. Having a vet see her would be best to check her out. If nothing found you can chat with them about what else might cause this behaviour.

 

[milliesmom]

Update:

Thanks everyone for your responses! The vet ruled out fleas/mites and said there was no sign of a fracture or anything. She also wasn't in pain when the vet tried moving her legs and tail around. The vet explained that there are of course many things that it could be related to, as it could be a response to something else, whether that's anxiety or a health condition. We left off the visit deciding to watch her for a few more days and if it persists then I can pick up a medication for anxiety. I think the medication may be related to feline hyperesthesia, as the vet mentioned it's often an anti-seizure medication but would still be appropriate in this case.

While at the vet, miss Millie also received a FVRCP/Rabies vaccine (two in one). This evening she began acting very lethargic and was hiding. When I was finally able to get her out from under my bed, she made some awful crying noises when I touched her. I took her to the emergency vet right away and turns out they believe she's having a reaction to the vaccine! She has a low grade fever and obviously is experiencing some pain. They gave her a Benadryl equivalent at the vet and when I got home I gave her a pain pill they prescribed.

It has been a looooong day. If anyone has any advice on the vaccine reaction side of things, I'd be more than happy to hear your thoughts. She's currently back under my bed at the moment but ate a big dinner when I first brought her home, so that's good.

 

[milliesmom]

Update:

Thanks everyone for your responses! The vet ruled out fleas/mites and said there was no sign of a fracture or anything. She also wasn't in pain when the vet tried moving her legs and tail around. The vet explained that there are of course many things that it could be related to, as it could be a response to something else, whether that's anxiety or a health condition. We left off the visit deciding to watch her for a few more days and if it persists then I can pick up a medication for anxiety. I think the medication may be related to feline hyperesthesia, as the vet mentioned it's often an anti-seizure medication but would still be appropriate in this case.

While at the vet, miss Millie also received a FVRCP/Rabies vaccine (two in one). This evening she began acting very lethargic and was hiding. When I was finally able to get her out from under my bed, she made some awful crying noises when I touched her. I took her to the emergency vet right away and turns out they believe she's having a reaction to the vaccine! She has a low grade fever and obviously is experiencing some pain. They gave her a Benadryl equivalent at the vet and when I got home I gave her a pain pill they prescribed.

It has been a looooong day. If anyone has any advice on the vaccine reaction side of things, I'd be more than happy to hear your thoughts. She's currently back under my bed at the moment but ate a big dinner when I first brought her home, so that's good.

It's already 2 am here and I'm nervous to go to sleep; I feel like I need to keep checking on her to make sure nothing is getting worse.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Hang in there, Darlin. Hekitty is always VERY lethargic and "hidey" after vaccinations. Thank goodness they don't have to be given annually anymore! Keep us posted!

 

[Nice Loki]

I have a cat who would play-chase her tail, or so I thought!

Turns out that she stopped that behaviour when I expressed her anal sacs. The left one had filled up and was irritating her.

Did the vet check her anal sacs? Apparently it's a fairly common symptom.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

How is Millie now?

 

[Maria Bayote]

My cats usually look off after vaccinations but get back to normal in a day or two.

How is your kitty doing now?

 

[milliesmom]

I have a cat who would play-chase her tail, or so I thought!

Turns out that she stopped that behaviour when I expressed her anal sacs. The left one had filled up and was irritating her.

Did the vet check her anal sacs? Apparently it's a fairly common symptom.

Thanks for your reply! The vet did check the anal sacs and said everything seemed fine on that end.

 

[milliesmom]

Update 1/31/22:

In terms of the vaccine reaction, Millie is a lot better -- basically back to normal. She was on Onsior for the three-day period and she vomited a couple times which I am guessing is from the pain pills. I'll keep an eye on that but I'm not too concerned because I believe that is a semi-common side effect of Onsior. I'm so glad she's not in pain anymore, it was so hard to see.

She's still acting scared of her tail. I was hoping she just hurt it and the pain pills would help but it seems like that is not the case. Her back sort of twitches and she licks the area while she's watching the tail, which really does make me wonder if it is hyperesthesia. I think I'll go ahead and pick up the anxiety meds the vet mentioned tomorrow and hope that works. I believe it is fluoxetine but I'm not 100% sure because the vet didn't put it in the notes they sent me home with.

As always, if anyone has more suggestions/experiences I'd love to hear them!

 

[suzeanna]

Could it be situational? I find that my cat only ever tries to catch her tail when she's hanging out in boxes, especially if it's a new box -- it's too exciting?

 

[milliesmom]

Could it be situational? I find that my cat only ever tries to catch her tail when she's hanging out in boxes, especially if it's a new box -- it's too exciting?

I wish -- it's not constant but it is often and is pretty random.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

It is sounding like hyperesthesia. Let us know how she does with the meds. Poor little girl!