The Mystery of Mimi’s Missing Tail

When Animal Welfare Officer Libby Cannon went out to Trap, Neuter and Return feral and semi-feral cats living in a local colony, she was shocked to discover one young Tortie had a missing tail.

Although the wound did not appear to be fresh, there was old hair stuck to it, and the skin surrounding the stump looked dirty, dark and sore – we were concerned it could be necrotic.

• Libby brought Mimi straight into Mayhew’s community vet clinic, where she was assessed by our vet team.
• Mimi’s wound was discovered to be “several weeks old”, and although no further injuries were found, we quickly settled her into our Hospital Ward to be monitored.
• Steph also prescribed some pain relief for Mimi, and booked her in for a full tail amputation a few days later to remove the remaining stump and ensure that the surrounding skin could heal effectively.

Unusually for a cat trapped in a colony, Mimi was affectionate and friendly with both Libby and Steph, which led us to conclude she was likely to be an abandoned or lost pet rather than a feral cat herself.

Luckily, Mimi’s amputation surgery went smoothly, and we also neutered her whilst she was under the anaesthetic. Mimi was then settled back into her warm and cosy cabin in the Hospital Ward, where her recovery continued without a hitch.

Steph Panayiotou, one of Mayhew’s Vets, said “Mimi’s tail amputation was very successful. I had to amputate quite low down to ensure there was enough viable tissue for closure, as what was mostly remaining of her tail was ulcerated.

“She then recovered very well, and was very comfortable post-op, bouncing around and purring with no more signs of pain or discomfort.  I am happy she will now go on to lead a normal happy cat life.”

Two weeks later, Mimi was readmitted into theatre for some dental work – our vets had noticed that her upper right canine was fractured on intake, but hadn’t wanted to add to her distress by carrying out three different surgeries at once.

Fortunately, Mimi’s tooth extraction also went exactly according to plan, and she continued to recover quickly and was soon eating and drinking normally.

Once her gums and tail area had fully healed, Mimi was placed up for adoption – whilst we suspected she was indeed domesticated, she had no microchip or means of identification, so we were unable to locate any previous owners.

Thankfully, somebody fell in love with Mimi straight away, and although she is now missing a tail, she has found her very own forever home full of love, care and attention – just what she deserves.

It’s impossible to be sure exactly what happened to Mimi or her tail before she was brought to Mayhew, but luckily, she doesn’t seem to have suffered any lasting effects from her ordeal.

To find out more about our community vet clinic and the work of our vets and vet nurses, please visit our website here.