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She's been doing it for a few months now. Pic related, other side looks worse but it's kinda hard to get a good picture.

We've tried nothing and we're out of ideas ;) We haven't been to the vet, due to circumstances beyond my control, don't ask.

She seems Ok otherwise but I'd really appreciate any good advice. Thanks, frens.

She's been doing it for a few months now. Pic related, other side looks worse but it's kinda hard to get a good picture. We've tried nothing and we're out of ideas ;) We haven't been to the vet, due to circumstances beyond my control, don't ask. She seems Ok otherwise but I'd really appreciate any good advice. Thanks, frens.

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[–] • 1 pt

That makes me sad. That seems like your wife essentially took her from having free roam of the entire outdoors and everything she was familiar with and then locked her up in a 'tiny' prison (comparable to the outdoors she previously roamed) where nothing inside was anything like what it was familiar with, and she was locked in there for 3 months, then she was introduced again into your greater house space. I'm not surprised that she's neurotically tearing her tail fur out.

[–] • 1 pt

The way to hell is plastered with good intentions. Don't know what else to say. Today is her seventh round of Chemo. Some would say "I'll kill the doctor that spiked her."

[–] • 1 pt (edited )

That also makes me sad, for you and your wife.

To clarify what I mentioned, 3 months to a person doesn't seem very long due to our lifespan. However, a cat generally has a lifespan that is 1/5th of a human's. Depending on race/genetics/breed, if an average human lives to ~80 (+/-), and an average cat to ~16(+/-), 3 months for a cat is about a year and a quarter human-equivalent of its life.

It may just be me, but I liken going from open outdoors and freedom to being transplanted into a relatively-small, square room with some strangers (one or more other cats) for a long period of time before being permitted into the larger house as not being all that different from a person being put into a prison for over a year (a cushy, toy-filled prison, but still a confined space unlike any that she was familiar with and some cellmate/stranger cat that might be an asshole).

I'm probably just over-thinking and anthropomorphizing.

Regardless, I suspect that your cat is/was grooming her tail excessively as a means of comfort to dispell anxiety.

However, now the over-grooming caused sores. The anxiety may be gone and she may have adapted to the new house surroundings already, but the sores being present can cause her to give that area attention now simply to try to clean the wound, which is making the wound worse and causing even more loss of fur.

Hopefully, if you can address the sores caused by the over-grooming through means suggested by others, she won't need to give that area attention due to the sores. If her anxiety is gone as well, she may no longer over-groom that area for that reason either.

[–] • 1 pt

I'm probably just over-thinking and anthropomorphizing. Maybe not. Can we ever know? ;)

Tend to think you might be on the right track there. Nervous habit. Humans have it too. This human is off to bed now. Thanks for the deep thought.