CAT TAIL ACCIDENT

Hi there. My cat got his tail caught in the door this weekend. He has to have the top inch of his tail amputated today. The vet says it happens all the time and it won't
even be noticeable. I am wondering how he will be during his healing period and if the shorter tail may effect his balance for a while. Anyone with experience in this area?

UPDATE ON 6/27/00: Buster is home now and he seems fine. He just hates his collar. I have to give him pain pills every 6 hours, so he is kind of dopey. He won't eat with the collar on -- even if I hand feed him. So, I have to watch him to make sure he does not try to get at his bandage. His tail is definitely shorter, but he is still beautiful. Thanks for all the replies!
SHERRY

[This message has been edited by learlaw (edited June 27, 2000).]

Hi,
Sorry to hear of your cat's misfortune, but
at least the surgery isn't a serious one.
He should bounce back in no time. He may be
sluggish for a day, but it's nothing to worry about.
I've had several cats that have had surgery and and depending on the seriousness
of it, they were sluggish from a few hours
to a couple of days.

I've never had a cat lose part of his tail, but my friend did and it didn't seem to bother him at all. He was still able to jump
onto of the fridge with no problem!
Good luck to you and your kitty!

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Sam

Hi!

I'm sorry to hear that your cat has had an accident, but I'm sure the surgery will be minor and he'll get over it quickly. My cats have had various operations, and have always got back to their normal lively selves very soon after the surgery.

I'm sure your cat will not be troubled by a slightly shorter tail. Cats are so adaptable. One of my cats - Mulder - has no tail at all [and she isn't a manx] but she can run, jump and climb faster and higher than all the others, who do have tails! Your cat might have a short period of adjustment, but I'm sure he'll get his balance and everything right very quickly!

Give him a stroke for me...

Love

Wendy
http://homepages.poptel.org.uk/wendywoo/cats.htm

[This message has been edited by wendywoo (edited 06-26-2000).]

My cats get their tails wacked off all the time. I live on a Dairy farm and they like to sit up on the milking machine because it's warm. There's a belt that spins around to make it run, and their tails sometimes drift over and get caught in it. We tried covering it up with chicken wire, but they sat on top of it anyway, and smushed the wire down so it would be caught in the belt. :0

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If Barbie is so popular, why do we have to buy all her friends serparately?

Dear Cat Tail,

My cat Squiggy had the same accident! My daughter slammed his tail in her bedroom door. She was very upset(he is her cat and she's only 7 yrs. old). He had to wear that stupid collar for 2 weeks and I had to put a regular collar around it to keep it on him. He did everything he could to get it off! Although this accident was quite traumatic at the time he sure did look funny in that collar with his tale bandaged up! After the surgery his tail looks great and nobody can tell the difference.

P.S. I had to keep the dry food & water bowls filled to the top so he could reach them, he did have some trouble eating too.

Glad to hear your kitty is home and is doing
ok. You might want to try this to make eating
a little easier for him. Put his water and
food bowls on a box (about the size of a
shoe box) to raise them off the floor and
make them easier for him to reach.
Good luck! http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif

------------------
Sam

UPDATE ON 7/2/2000: My baby, Buster, got his bandage taken off yesterday. His tail sure looks ugly, but the vet says it is doing great. He has to wear his collar another week for the final healing to take place. He has been sleeping on my pillow every night, not leaving much room for me. He won't eat with the collar on, so we have to take it off and watch him while he eats. Needless to say, he has lost a couple of pounds over the last week or so. He seems to be doing fine and is sure taking advantage of his injury to get extra attention from his mom and dad. The funniest thing was when he fell behind the couch and got caught by his "satellite dish." He was dangling between the couch and the wall. Dad rescued him, of course!! We love our baby. http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif Sherry