My cat lost part of its tail. Is this an emergency? What to do?

Hi. Poor thing! Yes, they can die from infection or blood loss or shock. I'm not sure if you mean she had it surgically removed today, or trauma removed it? Either way, I'd get her to the ER Right away.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Bushita. Oh no, this is bad. This will be painful to her, and there are no OTC pain medications you can give her. Many human ones are toxic to cats, and are fatal if given. You absolutely have to take her into a vet now, this cannot wait until the morning. Please have her seen by a vet immediately. Best of luck.

There is a wound on the tail tip and the tail itself (bone muscles and skin) is necrotic and slowly falling. I would recommend an immediate check up as wound curettage and antibiotic treatment are needed as soon as possible.

Amputation is strongly recommended. With no blood supply, the affected ​area will die and begin to necrose (rot). This opens the door for infection. Serious systemic infection can develop if it spreads to the bone.

Hello. I am so sorry that your kitty was injured. Technically, this is an emergency because if an infection gets started in the bone, it can have serious consequences for her. It is very unlikely the tail will heal on its own, but I have seen this injury in feral cats & the tail tip can eventually just slough off. Keep cleaning the wound but do make an appointment with your veterinarian at your earliest convenience to have this taken care of properly. All the best & thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

You can try applying Neosporin and giving it time. Unfortunately, tip of the tail injuries like this can be very difficult to heal since there is not much tissue or a very good blood supply to the very tip of a cat's tail. Sometimes they are licking it to clean even when you don't see, which will significantly slow healing. If it doesn't appear to be healing in a few days, then your kitty should get checked out by a vet. Sometimes we need to amputate the tip of the tail so that we can close healthy tissue over the bone to aid with healing.

I would be concerned if the area is painful or she cannot hold the tail in a normal position as it may be injured or broken. It would be best to bring your cat to a vet ASAP to have the area examined, X-rayed for any breaks, and checked for any nerve or other injuries causing it.