Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 3/12/2006

Question
please if you can't answer would you give me to someone that can?this may sound very stange,..my 8year old cat(not fixed)is all the sudden attacking(very noisy and violent!)her own tail.bitting and everything!i really haven't ever seen this kind of behavior in anything.i also have noticed it is getting worse.it started about 2 weeks ago.i'm sure she would normally be in heat about now.se isn't fixed.yes,i know she has had to many babies.every time i take her in they(the mobil clinic)has a different reason for asking me to pick her back up.4x's now.i love my cat and don't want to see anything happen to her,but i'm also afraid for my children.she is really scarry.first she will be fine,then her tail will start to twitch(like she is mad)thenshe starts to groweland then she attacks like there is another cat there.this will go one for sometimes 15 minutes or so.she is alot more tired than normal.is she crazy...or me?what can i do?is there anything that can be done by me?

Answer
Often this behavior is associated with itching or pain.  I would first have the cat examined to see if there is any allergies or sensitivity to the tail.  The treatment for these usually is a shot of a steroid.  If it is a behavior, then you can ask the vet to try either Bupar or Elavil to calm down this violent behavior.