What Happens If You Pull a Cat’s Tail?

What happens if you pull a cat’s tail? You probably are thinking that pulling a cat’s tail is a very harmful thing to do. But actually this isn’t the fact at all. This could lead to a very consequence. 

Uses of the tail

A cat’s tail helps them to balance running after or jumping on prey. Never pull on a cat’s tail. Motivate your children not to do it anymore. Cats can live without tails. Some of them are born without tails. A domestic cat usually holds its tail in a vertical position while walking build cats hold their tails horizontally.

The cat uses their tails to communicate with others through body language which is a great indicator of your cat’s mood. If cats put their tail in the air, it is an invite for the other cat to smell them.

Contents of the tail

The cat’s tail is more than only fur and that  contains muscle, fat, skin, and extension of the spinal cord. Couples of vertebrae belong there. It goes from cats back to all the way to the tail that carries signals to the brain. 2 main problems happen with the tail: 

• A dislocated tail
• Paralysis

Dislocation

This is one of the common problems when a cat’s tail is pulled on is that it becomes dislocated in the tail side. It is very painful for cats and it can’t fix itself.

If a cat’s tail is dislocated, it will hang limply. It depends on the place where the dislocation happened. Swelling and painful to touch is also possible. Get a vet to prevent the tail from getting worse.

Paralysis

Hardly pulling on a cat’s tail may paralyze your cat. It leads to rear paralysis in the body or sometimes the whole body. The brain can’t send signals from the tail to the brain. A pet parent or vet manually helps the cat to go slowly everyday.

Further Reading

• What Happens if Cat Eats Cockroach?