Hi there,
My 8 yr old cat Mika has been visciously attacking his own tail for the last few weeks now. I have taken him to our local vets 3 times, as it was getting so bad. The first time we took him they said it was probably just a phase, but after that he ripped the end of his tail open and had blood everywhere.
The second time we took him they gave him some metacam, which made no difference whatsoever.
The last time we took him was after he'd ripped it open again, and they just keep saying that they want to cut off part of his tail to stop him attacking it. The problem i have is that i'm pretty sure its not something irritating him and that it is a psychological issue, as when he starts to have a go at it, if we for example put a magazine over it and he can't see it he completely forgets about it.
He has always been very prone to snapping and being suddenly aggressive for no reason, but only recently to himself. I read on the internet about feline hyperesthesia, and mentioned to our vets but they totally dismissed it. I asked what would happen if we did have part of his tail amputated only to find he was still doing it lower down, and they pretty much said that wouldnt happen. In the end because i was so against having his tail cut they gave us some steroid tabs and a buster collar for him, but he's still trying to attack his tail.
I'd be grateful for any advice as to what we should do next. I'm thinking referral to another vet.