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Ask the Veterinarian/Long Thin Scab on My Cat's Tail

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Expert: - 4/6/2011


Question
I noticed a thin neutral toned string hanging from my cat's tail the other morning.  I thought that she had found some twine or got over excited with her scratching post (made from hemp).  I've owned the cat for 5 years, she was a shelter cat - who I later found out was a ferrel cat.  She still wont let anyone pick her up, so it's a challenge to catch her and bring her to the vet.  I cut the string off her tail but then noticed that there was a scab leading to her tail.  So, I thought maybe the stiff string got lodged in her tail.  When I pulled the string it completely opened up her tail, like it was a sliced scab around an inch or two in length.  Could this be a parasite?  She didn't seem to be in pain when I pulled the scab and in fact was purring.  She doesn't go out doors and has a sister cat that was adopted at the same time.  I definitely saw blood oozing out when I pulled at the string/scab.  Any idea what this could be?

Answer
Not a parasite but cats can easily get twine, string etc wrapped around their tails. Once this happens it can get so tight that it digs into the skin and then scabs over effectively leaving the twine still there.

In severe cases it can lead to tail death by cutting off the blood supply to the tail.

You need to investigate this closer and make sure that no other twine or fibers are wrapped around her tail.

Now some scabs alone will look like what you described, so she could have just scrapped her tail on something, or licked it raw then it healed.

In any case, look really carefully at it and make sure there is no string wrapped around the tail. Enlist a friend to hold her while you look down there.
If all else fails, take her into the vets. She hasn't been a feral cat for 5 yrs...!!

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

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Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

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Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

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Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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