I haven't been actually posting on here lately, but just yesterday Barney (litter mate to Betty & Bam-Bam, baby brofur to Weeble, Ernie, Mimi & Moe) had to have a couple of inches amputated from his tail. He had always had a 'bent' tip to his tail, but recently it had become bothersome to him (I think it might have gotten stepped on, causing it to become painful) and he had always taken some times, at least once a week, to, erm, punish it. Really biting it hard sometimes.

A few weeks ago, shortly before his yearly checkup, we noticed that he a) had 'licked' all the fur off the tip and b) there was a sore on it. We got a cone to put on him and thought maybe it would heal.

NOT.

He would somehow get to his tail (I think in an effort to get to the tail, he was scraping it with the edge of the cone)....He was becoming OCD about killing the tip of his tail ... TED thought it would *never* heal to a point where he wouldn't bother it... recommended amputating a couple inches... well, that's what we decided to do one day when we were checking it and we could *see the bone* through the center of the sore.

I will miss the white tip he had on his stripey tail

It's been about 28 hours since we brought him home, they used internal sutures, but sutures *and* glue on the skin, and the last 6 inches of his tail are securely wrapped in bandages (how they remain on, I dunno, in my mind I just keep seeing him walking away and leaving the empty bandages where he was sitting), and he took a nap on my lap for a couple hours this afternoon, cone free, and again this evening while watching TV, and while he did *look* at his tail as if to say "why is this all wrapped up?" but then I distracted him and he forgot about it, and then continued bathing himself (including a good butt-licking) and then went back to purring himself to sleep. I think that his tail has finally stopped bothering him!

He will have to have the cone on until his tail is fully healed, but he does get reprieves when on either mine or DH's lap - and he really does appreciate that time cone-free

Barney is becoming the most.expensive.cat.ever. UTI.... then a urinary blockage on a holiday weekend when most vets are closed, so a trip to Indianapolis & an e-vet service racked up to close to $3,000... and now his tail obsession (fortunately, surgery done by our vet, at a reasonable rate) sigh

I just wanted to tell *someone* about this, as I have very few local real people whom will understand the efforts going in to what they would call "just a cat"
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