What's causing my cat's painful tail inflammation near the anus?

This usually happens when there is something painful in the pelvis or lower spine. This can be due to arthritis in the area, nerve pinching, or infections around that area. In order to narrow-down the cause of this and get some good treatment, I recommend having her evaluated by a veterinarian sometime soon within the next week or so. I hope that helps and Askher gets better soon.

Poor Mini Marm! Given her hind end discomfort, wetness, and interest from your other cat, my main concern would be that Mini Marm is having problems with her anal glands. These are normal scent glands that typically empty with a bowel movement, but can become impacted, infected, or can rupture. Other possible causes include bite wounds, injury to her tail base or pelvis, among others. I strongly recommend taking her to the vet for evaluation, because it is quite likely that antibiotics and pain medication may be needed. Do not give her any over the counter human pain medicine, as none are safe for cats. Until you can get to the vet, put an e-collar (cone) on her to prevent further licking of the area, as this could make matters worse. You can also try using a warm compress on her hind end for 10 minutes 3-4 times per day if she will tolerate it. I hope this helps and that Mini Marm feels better soon!

Poor girl. So it seems that Lela has a moderate amount of colon inflammation and a little bit of the colon is actually prolapsed (pushing outward). She should be seen by your vet immediately to have this area evaluated in person and determine if she needs to have this surgically repaired. I hope that you get some resolve soon for Lela and I am hoping for a full and speedy recovery. It is amazing what cats can go through and not seem to be affected by. They are truly the masters at hiding discomfort and pain. But we have to not use that as a ticket to avoiding proper veterinary care. The vet may even want to prescribe an anti-inflammatory medication to see if they can get this to reduce in size. Best wishes at the vet. Take care.

That dark discoloration implies that top skin no longer has blood supply and it is not healthy tissue. This is likely an abscess from an injury or previous bite wound. Typically they can heal on their own, but the bacteria get trapped and cause this. She will need to see a vet for further treatment as that spot may have to be surgically removed and the area cleaned and flushed out. Antibiotics need to be given to maintain control of the infection so it can heal. These areas are very painful so any touching or straining is not recommend.

This looks like a moderate inflammation/infection of the skin surrounding the area. It could be due to urine scald, which means that there is some other problem causing the urine to collect there. This could also be due to Ace not being able to groom herself properly. It's difficult to tell with all the fluff, but Ace appears to be a big kitty. If Ace is obese, then she will not be able to properly groom herself back there and could explain why she's going after her tail - she can't reach the spot she needs to groom, so she grooms the nearest spot she can reach. I've provided a link below to some good information about cat obesity, so you can check if this is a problem and help correct it if needed. http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/Health_Information/obesity.cfm Unfortunately, this does need evaluation and treatment by a vet, because this problem can get much worse. If you can flush the area with cool water twice a day, then it will provide some relief and help prevent further damage to the skin. It's not an emergency, but it would be good to have her seen by a veterinarian at your next convenience. I hope that helps and Ace gets better soon.

She may have an anal sac abscess, or she could have a little bit of colitis and she just hasn’t had a bowel movement for you to see the full effect of what is going on. Look all around her rear end for any wounds . If it continues then she should be evaluated by a veterinarian soon. Best of luck and I hope she improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Thank you for the photo. Yes, it does look serious but I cannot give you a specific diagnosis just based on this photo and your description. She is licking back there either because something is hurting her (so she is in pain) or she has an infection of either the anal area and/or the vagina/uterus/bladder. I am glad she is otherwise acting normally but that does not mean there is no problem here. I suggest you have her to a vet for an exam.