Content
- Does a cat's tail have bones?
- Why are there tailless cats?
- Types of tails on cats
- My cat does not lift its tail, why and what to do?
- How to cure a broken tail of a cat?
We can often see cats that do not have a tail or that have a short, crooked tail. This is normal since there are mutations in some cat breeds, such as the Manx cat or the Bobtai cat. Also, when normal-tailed cats are bred to cats with this mutation, their kittens can exhibit this appearance.
The tail is important as it expresses emotions and is an area that has good blood and nerve circulation. At the same time, problems in the cat's tail can arise because it is a very susceptible to injury that can produce unpleasant consequences for our cats and worry their caregivers a lot.
In this article cat with broken tail - causes and what to do, PeritoAnimal will tell you everything you need to know about the anatomy of this part of the feline's body, with curiosities and also solutions. Good reading.
Does a cat's tail have bones?
Yes, the cat's tail is composed of about 22 caudal or coccygeal vertebrae, which are small, rectangular bones that decrease in size from the base to the tip. The feline tail is a spine continuation, so that the sacrum bone around the hip separates the lumbar vertebrae from the tail vertebrae, and so problems in the cat's tail such as fractures can arise.
The spine of cats is more flexible than that of dogs, especially the tail area which allows them a lot of mobility and flexibility, as well as serving as a axis of rotation when they fall to readjust their posture and intervene in the gravity center.
Why are there tailless cats?
The absence of a tail in a cat is considered a mutation (changes in the DNA sequence). These days, we can see more and more cats without a tail, with little tail or with a twisted tail. This is simply because many people have decided to select such cats and breed them so that said mutation would perpetuate. It is possible to find two types of mutated genes that produce cat tail changes:
- Gene M of Manx Cats: this gene has a dominant inheritance, because the cat that has one or both of the dominant alleles for the gene (Mm or MM, respectively), will not have a tail. Those with the two dominant alleles (MM) die before birth due to severe damage to the nervous system. Heterozygous cats (Mm) are those that can be seen to have a very short tail or not at all. In addition, some Manx cats have defects in their hip bones and organs and die before their first year of life. For this reason, cats should be prevented from being MM by breeding Manx cats to other breeds that are recessive for the (mm) gene, such as the British Shortair or long-tailed Manx, which are homozygous for the recessive gene ( which do not produce disease, that is, they are mm), to avoid the fatal outcome that go far beyond problems in the cat's tail.
- Japanese Bobtail Gene B: inheritance is dominant as in the previous case. Cats heterozygous and homozygous for this gene (Bb and BB) have short tails and are crooked-tail cats, being more apparent in cats with the two dominant alleles for the gene (BB homozygous). This gene, unlike M in manse cats, is not fatal and has no associated skeletal disorders.
Types of tails on cats
There are other cats that have shortened tails and are indistinguishable from Bobtail or Manx cat mutations and can appear in any cat, regardless of your race. Perhaps some are mutations that have not yet been investigated. It is also possible to see crosses between normal and mutated cats. In general, cats can be named after their tail length as follows:
- Rumpy: tailless cats.
- riser: cats with tails of less than three vertebrae.
- Stumpy: cats with a tail with more than three vertebrae, but not reaching the normal length.
- longy: Cats with tails with several vertebrae, but which narrowly fall short of the normal average.
- Tailed: cats with a normal-length tail.
My cat does not lift its tail, why and what to do?
When we see that our cat does not lift its tail, if it is loose and even immobile, we must imagine that something has happened to its caudal nerves. Fractures, dislocations or subluxations of the caudal vertebrae can produce spinal cord damage with flaccid paralysis, which prevents the cat from lifting its paralyzed tail.
However, problems exclusively in the cat's tail are not very frequent. The most common is that damage is caused to the tail along the medullary segments of the sacrum, causing a sacrococcygeal lesion (sacrum and tail). In this case, more symptoms will occur as the nerves of these segments are injured, such as the pudendal nerve and the pelvic nerves, which innervate the sphincters of the urethra, bladder and anus, causing urinary and fecal incontinence.
In addition, they also intervene in the sensitivity of the perineum and genitals, which are accompanied by damage to the caudal nerves, resulting in a loss of sensation in the cat's tail or sagging. If the blood supply is also affected, necrosis or gangrene (death of tissue due to lack of blood supply) of the affected area will be seen.
So if you notice problems with the cat's tail or if the cat doesn't lift its tail, take it to a center. veterinarian as soon as possible so that your condition is evaluated and the best treatment applied.
How to cure a broken tail of a cat?
The tail is a relatively common place for bone fractures in cats, due to being run over, falling, getting their tail stuck, or fighting bites from other animals. If the injury is too superficial, you can refer to this other cat wound article to learn more about first aid.
Treatment for a cat with a broken tail will depend on the severity of the fracture and its location, as those located closer to the tip usually heal well without going through the operating room by placing a splint or bandage with anti-inflammatory and antibiotics. However, when a cat has a broken tail near the base and there has been damage to the nerves mentioned in the previous section or the damage to the tail is unrecoverable, the solution is amputate the tail of the cat, in whole or in part.
Amputation is the best solution for a cat with a severely damaged tail and nerve. After the operation, he should take anti-inflammatory medications and antibiotics to prevent secondary bacterial infections, as well as to prevent them from damaging the area by not scratching or licking the wound. If the treatment is followed and the evolution is favorable, stitches are usually removed after a week and a half and later scarring will occur and your cat can be as lively as a tailed one and maintain a good quality of life.
And if you're having trouble giving your cat medication, we encourage you to read this other article on giving a cat pill.
And now that you know all about cat tail problems, you will certainly be interested in this video with the language of cats: how to understand their signals and postures:
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to Broken Tail Cat - Causes and What to Do, we recommend that you enter our Other health problems section.