My cat lost tongue bristles. Will they grow back? How to help her groom and eat?

I'm so sorry to hear if Miss Meow's accident! I'm glad you were able to take her in to be evaluated and treated. Without seeing a picture of the wound it is difficult to say how much, if any, deformity will remain in the long run. The tongue is a very rapidly healing organ though and I suspect that after a few days Meow will be feeling back to her old self again. You may need to offer her soft/canned foods for a week or so and your vet will likely prescribe some pain medications and antibiotics.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is normal for the tongue of a kitten and an adult cat to feel like sand paper. He will not grow out of it. There are numerous backwards barbs on the cat tongue that allow them to groom their fur and grasp dirt, debris and loose hair. Also in the wild it assist with eating the meat off the bones of prey. Have a great day!

Oh no that is awful! The cat will have to be sedated to remove the tongue and the tongue may need stitches to close the hole. The tongue is an amazing organ and actually heals quite quickly, so I expect it would be a great prognosis. This will be extremely painful to the cat and it's serious he can't eat or drink. This is a medical emergency and he has to see a vet now. Please take him into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website. Best of luck.

Unfortunately I don't know that theres going to be a safe, non messy way to feed her other than her tube. Without her tongue to help her pick up the food and channel the saliva, there just is not a way for her to do it without making a mess. You could try "containing" the mess by putting her in a bathroom or laundry room for feeding time, where the surfaces are easy to clean up. I'm sorry, there really just isn't another option, unfortunately. Thank you for taking such great care of her! She's lucky to have such a dedicated owner.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Thumbelina. She could hand injured her tongue. Since she can eat wet food, it’s not an emergency. Keep feeding her wet food over the weekend, and have her seen by a vet on Monday. If she stops eating or appears to be in significant pain, then take her into an emergency vet. Best of luck.

An Elizabethan (cone) collar to stop Lily from licking is a good first step as that will stop the irritation and spread of any bacteria from her tongue. Keeping the sore spot clean and dry with a washcloth or pet wipe can also help it to heal and clear up with less irritation. Hair coming back can take a bit longer if it's been licked bald. If the area doesn't heal even with home care, or worsens, a vet visit is best to check the spot, and treat it for any infection, etc.

Poor kitty. Do a really good check of kitties mouth and see if you can identify the source of the bleeding. If it is coming from the tongue and if it has stopped bleeding for the most part, but only starts again after kitten eats, then this may be manageable at home. Get kitty a pet friendly oral rinse from your local pet store and flush the mouth daily to keep things from getting infected. Then I would make sure that kitty eats soft canned food only to avoid friction on the tongue and hopefully keep the bleeding episodes to a minimal. The tongue heals relatively quickly in most cases (within a few days), so anything beyond that would concern me that there is potentially another source of the bleeding, at which point it may be best to have kitty seen by your vet for a thorough exam.