Cat Biting Tail And Making Horrible Fighting Sound

fionasmom

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Chelsea was worse in that she would just not let up on the tail which apparently was not attached to her body, in her mind. But the body language with your cat does resemble FH to me.
 
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SteveJohn

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Chelsea was worse in that she would just not let up on the tail which apparently was not attached to her body, in her mind. But the body language with your cat does resemble FH to me.

She does it in the mornings sometimes, let her out at like 6am and she doesn’t come in until 5pm. She will then eat and go sleep until about 8pm. Walk around a little and then moan and then start with her tail. The medication the vet gave me doesn’t seem to be helping at all. She will then sleep like 9pm until 6am straight through.

Taking her back the vets tomorrow, not sure whether to get an X-ray to check for damage or ask the vet what else there is to give her to try. She has scabs on her tail now but I presume they are from her biting.
 

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I think that you are certainly right to go back if the gabapentin has failed that miserably.
 
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I think that you are certainly right to go back if the gabapentin has failed that miserably.
Went back last night, checked her over again and she has no problem any touching her tail, no pain and it doesn’t drop etc. She gave me some anti inflammatory medication to try and if no improvement after that then she will have a xray which I doubt will show anything broken etc because she runs about, jumps over fences and lets anyone touch it fine without showing any pain but you never know. If the X-ray doesn’t show anything then she will be put on anti depressants: anxiety medication which was a last resort for the vet she said, and if that doesn’t help I might have to go down the route of removing her tail because she is biting it constantly and drawing blood now. That’s obviously the last of last resorts.
 

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Well, to start at the last part, I did have to remove a dog's tail once for completely different reasons and also had to remove the tail of a feral who had been in a huge fight....animals can live without them although there might be an adjustment period. The feral is still around and still comes for food, so he must have gotten over it. I also think that there will not be anything on the xray as your cat is too active, but I am not saying you should not have one. Are the vets you saw at completely different clinics or at the same one?
 
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Yeah I kind of agree with the X-ray, she is too active and lets me touch her tail anywhere no problem. She only bites it when she sees it moving like she can’t help herself. Personally think she needs to go on some other medication proven to help with feline Hyperesthesia but I’ll get the X-ray done I think rule any issues out.

It’s the same vet I’m seeing at the same place. I’ve brought a feliway plug in to try and calm her down a touch and can’t really notice the difference.
 

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Some cats respond to Feliway and some do not. I have not used them for years, but others might have suggestions.
 
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Still waiting to go for an X-ray, noticed a scab/bump on the top of her head now aswell. I really hope the vets haven’t missed anything like flea issues.

Still attacking her tail, turning into a nightmare now. Feel sorry for her
 
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UPDATE: Luna had an X-ray today and broken bones have been ruled out it was fine.

She has a huge lump at the base of her tail but we don’t know if she caused this or if it was an injury which has then made her attack her tail all the time but I don’t think it was an injury from another cat.

She has been put on steroids, antibiotics and Prozac for her behavioural issues. She will also need to wear a collar for a few days to stop hear licking the wounds and obviously biting and attacking her tail.
 

fionasmom

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That tail does look raw and sore. You are definitely fighting the good fight for her. Who knows, maybe if the sores heal she will leave it alone, maybe she does need the Prozac to help her....you will find out. She is lucky that you have taken this so seriously and tried to help her.
 
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That tail does look raw and sore. You are definitely fighting the good fight for her. Who knows, maybe if the sores heal she will leave it alone, maybe she does need the Prozac to help her....you will find out. She is lucky that you have taken this so seriously and tried to help her.
Thanks Fiona for all you input, she is not a happy cat at the minute having to wear a plastic collar so amazon are delivering one today a more comfy one which she will be wearing for 4-5 days and also keeping her in for that long aswell so her wounds heal.
 

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Those newer and more comfortable collars are usually quite successful. Those old plastic ones were a mess and I never used one on any animal who did not absolutely need it. In her case, it is probably most important that she allow the tail to heal, so it is probably not an option.
 
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Those newer and more comfortable collars are usually quite successful. Those old plastic ones were a mess and I never used one on any animal who did not absolutely need it. In her case, it is probably most important that she allow the tail to heal, so it is probably not an option.
C9078CDF-0A15-45B3-B969-D6AF2A1906B5.jpeg


Not happy about being kept in and having a collar on but she is gonna have to manage for the next 3 or 4 days
 

fionasmom

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That is a pretty darn nice collar and really looks like a pillow. From the position in which she is sleeping, it really does not seem like it is a huge bother to her, although cats will insist otherwise. She can put her head down and sleep in that one, unlike the big plastic thing. You are doing a great job and I hope it is appreciated.
 
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