Cat Biting And Injurying Her Tail

[Marieg]

Hello,
My cat has 3 times bitten her tail until it bleeds and ripped the hair out about 3 inches to the tip.
X-ray show a calcification. She has also had clogged anal glands and we thought that was the problem but she repeated the behavior yesterday.
Has anyone had a cat ho harmed it's tail?

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. I've never had a cat bite their tail, so I don't have any advice or comments from personal experience.

TCS does have this article Health Issues In Tails which might be helpful.

 

[LTS3]

Possible food sensitivity? Cats who have food sensitivities scratch and bite at the bothersome itchy, annoying spot sometimes to the point where there is bleeding and severe trauma. Eliminating the food culprit will solve the problem but it can be long process to figure out what ingredient that is in commercial cat food is the cause. A sensitivity to chicken, grains, or fillers are common. What are you feeding your cat? A vet could do food allergy testing but it's not always accurate.

 

[Daisy6]

Welcome to TCS. This is a good question. What is your cat's name?

There is a health issue that causes cats to lick and bite their tails too much It also affects the lower back in many cats.

 

[Marieg]

Hi,
We have changed her food to Hills z/d for skin and food sensitivities.
So far other tests have come up negative. Hopefully this food will work. She is wearing a cone so she can't re-injure her tail. She looks at her tail like it isn't hers (the part with the hair ripped out). It's almost like she thinks it's a rat's tail.

 

[Marieg]

Welcome to TCS. This is a good question. What is your cat's name?

There is a health issue that causes cats to lick and bite their tails too much It also affects the lower back in many cats.

Her name is Rory.

 

[vyger]

Just a wild guess, but if it's hurting in some way she might think the pain is coming from some unseen thing and is trying to get at the pain giver. If you step on a tail they instantly turn and fight back. It might be the same kind of reaction. Getting a mild pain reliever could solve the mystery. If it stops the attacks then you know its pain related.
Of course you could also just have a psycho kitty that needs to be on Prozac.

 

[rubysmama]

I hope the food change helps. How is she dealing with the cone?

 

[Daisy6]

Vyger, no cat needs to be a Prozac. Other people complained it makes their kitties act weird in a bad way.

 

[AbbysMom]

Vyger, no cat needs to be a Prozac. Other people complained it makes their kitties act weird in a bad way.

There are quite a few members that feel Prozac has saved their cat. Every cat is different.

Marieg, my cat will pull fur from her lower back due to food allergies and when she is stressed.

 

[LTS3]

If it is a food sensitivity, it will take at least a couple of weeks to see any improvement. It's important to feed only the Z/D and nothing else. If you can, eliminate all treats from the diet during the duration of the food trial. If you can't do that, at least give a single protein treat such as freeze died 100% meat treats like PureBites. Chicken is often a cause of food sensitives so try rabbit or duck or other meats.

BTW, there are commercial limited ingredient diets that you can feed instead of the expensive poor quality Z/D. Just something to keep in mind if it turns out to be a food sensitivity and the vet insists on your cat eating Z/D for life.