Weigh In - Cat Tail Opinions

[Kris107]

My kitten has a kinked tail. The vet we saw said it was likely due to trauma. She said that most kittens born with a shortened tail are either bob tailed or manx (very short stub or almost no tail). I'm not completely sure I agree. We adopted her at 9 weeks and her tail showed no sign of trauma. I know that it could have occurred when she was tiny or something, but still feel like we'd see some evidence? The tail is maybe 1/3 of "full length", maybe a couple inches long at this point. The tip kinks sharply. The tip doesn't feel like it has vertebrae in it - more like cartilage. Of course, haven't done an xray, so don't know for sure. Of course none of this really matters in the long run, but thought I'd ask the collective thoughts of TCS folks! Made a poll if easier!

 

[Babypaws]

What does the tail itself look like under the fur?

 

[Alldara]

It can happen that mother cats accidentally harm the tail.

 

[Kris107]

Babypaws Hard to tell - really thick fur over it!

 

[ReginaldElton]

I picked other, because I don't have a clue. But it's a super cute tail!

 

[iPappy]

K Kris107 I have only seen one cat with a tail like that and it was amputated like that because the cat had a near brush with a coyote, but, she didn't have that kink. I'd guess she was born that way, especially with the lack of vertebrae. Whatever the case, I'm sure she's very cute!

 

[ladytimedramon]

My Fancy has a kinked tail. If you feel it, there is almost a curl at the kink. The vet thinks she was born that way. she either holds her tail in sort of a 7 shape, or almost doubled over. it doesn't seem to bother her. I've noticed that on the half closer to the body, it's sort fur while the other end is almost a fluffy plume. I'll have to find a picture, but I'm not on my cell phone right now.