Cat Fell - Tail Limp!!!!!!

[REBA Deba Doo]

Morning everyone.

Can you help please!

My new cat Miss Dottie (whom we got after the unexpected death of dear RebaDebaDoo in Jun 2019) - fell off her perch last nite.

She seems fine in all other ways - except her tail is limp and hangs down.

Previously she carried her tail forward over her back.
___________________________

Has she broken her tail?

If yes, will this be a safety issue?

It could have been worse for sure - but I hope this is temporary.

Would appreciate your assessment.

Thank you kindly.

 

[Krienze]

She might have sprained it. Does she yowl or act like shes in pain if you touch it?

Either way,you should probably take her to the vet to be sure. How did she fall? That's fairly uncommon for cats. Maybe a check up would do her well?

Hope she's okay! Fingers crossed!

 

[REBA Deba Doo]

Hi Krienze!

No pain - I have handled Miss Dottie's tails, it just seems limp. She is stalking her brother Hunter and playing and eating and wrangling with her brother.

We think she was asleep and fell from the top of the armoire - we heard a thump. The blanket she was sleeping on was on the floor.

 

[kittenmittens84]

I think a vet visit is a good idea for sure, even if it doesn’t seem to hurt her it’s a good idea to make sure it’s not broken or kinked in some way.

My cat Larry fractured his tail near-ish to the base a few years ago trying to jump from my porch to my neighbors’ (rowhouses - it was only about a 12” gap but somehow he missed!). His tail was hanging limp and he couldn’t move it. We took him to the vet, got x-rays, if I’m remembering correctly (this was a decade ago) he had a very small hairline fracture and had sprained some of the soft tissue in the area. The vet mentioned that sometimes in more serious tail fractures they’ll have to amputate past the fracture but his looked like it would heal well if he didn’t hurt it more.

Larry got sent home with some kitty opiates and a soft cone to wear for the first day or two so he wouldn’t mess with the injured bit, and I was supposed to apply a compress occasionally for the first 48 hours (can’t remember if it was hot or cold tbh) so it didn’t swell up. He went back to the vet a month later and the fracture was basically healed, but his tail still hung down all the time and he couldn’t move it. The vet said nerve damage is common with tail injuries and that it might take longer to regain movement, and we should watch him closely to make sure the tail wasn’t painful for him.

Over the next 6 months his tail slowly went back to normal, it went from hanging down between his legs all the time to going up halfway when he got his meals and then eventually he regained full tail swishing abilities. It didn’t seem painful or sore for him after the first week or so.

 

[REBA Deba Doo]

kittenmittens84!

Thank you so much!

Will take Miss Dottie to our vet tomorrow am.

She is eating, grooming and playing (but not as energetic).

Her dear tail hangs down - and if I handle it, no real response from the tail or from Miss Dottie.

Sigh, hopefully her case follows yours.

Miss Dottie's tail was in the 10% of cats who carried it forward across the back - so the loss of this is very, very pronounced.

Thanks to you and everyone.

Gosh it is hard to love!

 

[REBA Deba Doo]

This is so hard.

I feel responsible that Miss Dottie jumped up atop the armoire and then she fell asleep and fell off.
Now Miss Dottie is injured and It is all my fault.

I just can not stand it - Miss Dottie is the most wonderful cat - I have cried for 2 hrs!

 

[KarenKat]

Our cat Gohan had a similar injury - we came home one night and his tail was limp and he had trouble walking and was in obvious pain. We rushed him to the emergency vet. He was x-rayed and they saw he has some arthritis at the base of his spine near his tail and the theory is it was pinched in some fall or movement.

The good news is he is totally fine now, they gave him some pain meds and he was on crate rest while his pinched nerve or whatever healed (crate rest for us was spare room rest but it seemed to work).

The less good news is his limp tail has never quite gone back to normal since his injury almost 2 years ago. He went from limp dragging on the ground tail to what we refer to as “half mast” where it makes a U-shape. He also was super expressive with his tail and would get “happy tail” where it would vibrate when he was pleased and he’d always have it vertically up when he was confident. Rarely when he’s super happy he will be able to get the tail vertical again, but it’s never been 100% the same.

Don’t beat yourself up so much, accidents happen.

 

[kittenmittens84]

I mean, she’s a cat. She jumps on things! You can’t stop her from doing that, it’s not your fault. Accidents happen, and as long as you’re caring for her (which it sounds like you are) there’s no blame involved here.

 

[Krienze]

This is so hard.

I feel responsible that Miss Dottie jumped up atop the armoire and then she fell asleep and fell off.
Now Miss Dottie is injured and It is all my fault.

I just can not stand it - Miss Dottie is the most wonderful cat - I have cried for 2 hrs!

100% NOT your fault! Cats jump. They do silly things and sometimes they get hurt. I know how easy it is to feel guilty, but her injuring herself was an accident and there is no blame to be had =) Don't be hard on yourself.

Keep us updated on how the visit goes!

 

[MissClouseau]

It's not your fault. Cats sometimes jump on walls to catch a fly or a shadow and fall. Happened to mine. We can't protect them from everything.

 

[REBA Deba Doo]

Hi everyone!

Miss Dottie is improving! Saw this morning that her tail is up a bit and she has more energy.

Our vet said that she bruised her tailbone. There is no heat, nor swelling anywhere in her hips, tailbone, tail - so no X Rays.
Miss Dottie is on Metacam - anti inflammatory for next 5 days. The vet said it will take over 2 weeks for her tail to go back to normal (she is in the 10% of cats who carry their tail over their back - it is spectacular and unique).

The vet also said she likely scared herself by falling cause she has been rather hyper/skittish since it happened - Miss Dottie seems more relaxed today!

I can not thank you all enough for taking the time to post your experiences and knowledge.

OMG - when our fur babies are not well - it is a total crisis.

I was raised with an old farm saying "Many hands make light work"

It is true.

Thanks and Blessings to you All!!!!!!!!!!