Tail chasing is "normal" in cats. the degree of this chasing may be considered abnormal and may be indicative of some other underlying disorder. Behavior in animals is difficult to understand since we can not talk with them like we do with another person. Researches have been working on learning more about the emotional and thought aspect of many species. It has been concluded that cats and dogs can and do suffer from many similar maladies of the mind and heart as humans, such as depression, manic depressive disorder, etc. Many vets now understand these conditions and know the tell tail signs and can and do prescribe anti-depressants and mood levelers to animals. Of course the diagnosis process is different from talking to a human, the vet has to work not only with the human in the mix but to one extent or another "test" out different medications to see how the behavior is affected in the animal. It is highly possible that this is not a "problem" for your cat. Again cats and dogs do chase their own tails, however most usually figure out that if the bite or claw the tail they are hurting themselves thus they will temper their tail chase with a little more caution. Your cat may need a few more experiences to learn this lesson ;)

My cat is doing that too. He gets to the point of behaving like he is possessed. He will cut his eyes and watch behind him. The slightest movement from his tail and he will run around in circles growling and hissing as he chases it. He was biting his tail so much that we came home from work and found him in a puddle of blood with blood all over our walls and floors from the lacerations on his tail. We had to eventually put a funnel/collar around his neck to try to distract him from his tail movement. I have taken him to the vet several times and he was placed on antibiotics and a form of kitty Prozac. He has been on that for approx. 2 weeks and I don't see any change in him. He's off to the vets tomorrow. I was reading something on the net about Feline Hyperesthesia. My cat has alot of the symptoms and I am going to have him tested for other issues. You might want to ask your vet about that too. Several comments about this condition states that the kitties can die so I am a bit concerned about this.

I would definitely get your cat to the vet. This could be a sign of a medical and/or mental problem.

Liselle2 - my cat is demonstrating the exact same behavior right now. What happened with your cat? What did the vet do? My cat has been chasing her tail for the last week or so which I thought was cute, until she'd catch it and yelp out of pain. I thought she'd learn, but yesterday I came home from school and the last inch of her tail was on the floor - she actually bit it off, and blood was sprayed all over the walls. It was horrible. The vet gave her a shot for allergy relief, because since it is springtime he thought maybe there is something external bothering her. I'm curious about the Feline Hyperesthesia though, so if you can update me on how your kitty is doing I'd certainly appreciate it. She gets to the point where she acts possessed and even though her tail quite obviously hurts now, she is still attacking it. It's quite scary and would appreciate any insight!

My two-year-old kitty just started behaving this way with his tail a couple of years ago. It's like he just discovered that he has a tail! He hisses, growls, and seems extremely aggitated with it (his tail)! No blood...yet. For now, I will keep watching him...kitty prozac would be my last resort. :(

You did not indicate how old your cat is. If he was spraying prior to being neutered it can then become a learned behavior. In many cases cats go to the same area to spray so you may be inclined to put somethig there to prevent his return, you can keep a water pistol handy or a covered can with coins in it that you can toss near him but definitely not at him.

I wrote in in May about my cat having the same problem. Because she essentially bit the end of her tail off and the bone was exposed, we knew we had to cut the end of her tail off. Not knowing why she did it though, we elected to amputate her whole tail so she wouldn't do it again. While she was at the vets, they checked and noticed her anal glands needed to be supressed, and thought that perhaps this might be the reason for localizing an attack on that end of her body. (Those glands are supposed to empty on their own but sometimes they don't which I guess is quite painful if they are full). The vet said to especially keep watch and see if cats drag their butt's along the floor (like dogs do when they have worms). Ever since then, no concern at all (but now she just has no tail!!). I hope your cat doesn't do the same, but do keep watch and make sure your cat's litter box is normal and that he's not showing any other uncomfort, since that might be why he's chasing his tail. Good luck!

psycho kitty, que'st que c'est... if he also bites and licks himself near the base of his tail, i would say fleas could be contributing to his angst. but from all the other signs (hissing, fighting with tail, etc.). i think its a mental thing. one of my kitties is a total loon, he attacks his tail too. btw a lot of fixed male cats spray, your cat isnt the only one. i empathize on the stink factor! i wouldnt be too alarmed by his behavior. it may seem erratic to you, but its probably very normal to him. plenty of cats do what yours does. if i were to take a guess, i would say your cat may be stressed out about something. has there been any major changes in your household or neighborhood? is he left alone a lot? he may just be having some existential angst, experiencing boredom, or is upset about something. if youre worried, take him to a vet. but id think twice before feeding your cat a bunch of kitty prozac if the vet recommends it. it seems nowadays vets and doctors are good at pushing drugs! they make a lot of money doing it!! you should seriously evaluate the spaz attacks and determine if they are frequent or severe enough to warrant spending a ton of money on treatment, and weigh the limited benefits of drug therapy against the side effects.

we're dealing w/our 10 week old kitten doing this...tonight was worst...blood everywhere in the laundry room this afternoon/evening...went to take to overnight vet and turned around when we found out it would be $130 just to see vet!...trying tomorrow w/daily doc...but you all have helped...depending on if he quits or what the doc says, we'd rather do the amp one time than drugs for life...let you know!

My cat is fine in the Summer months - soon as october hits - he hiss', growls and screams - like he is being a spoiled brat. He does this every fricken year - he lays on the bed and screams at the top of his lungs waking us up in sheer terror we cant get back to sleep. - Frankly Im thinking of getting him put to sleep - makes my heart jump out of my skin as his screams are just random... right now he is out in the kitchen attacking his tail -

My cat is fine in the Summer months - soon as october hits - he hiss', growls and screams - like he is being a spoiled brat. H does this every fricken year - he lays on the bed and screams at the top of his lungs waking us up in sheer terror we cant get back to sleep. - Frankly Im thinking of getting him put to sleep - makes my heart jump out of my skin as his screams are just random... He wont go to sleep - thinks he gonna miss something, wants tuna, someone bumped the bed and woke his highness up.... endless reasons for him to wake up and bite his tail... Completely fine in the Summer- Sleeps every summer away - and then says - DUH - now its cold and crappy and i'm angry... Wheres my warm sunshine to warm my fat lazy ass... He's nuthin but a user - just like all spoiled cats - jump on the counter until they get some kippers or tuna - go take a dump in the litter box (cause they know you will cover it up for them) and go plop thier lazy ass somewhere until you are needed again...

http://www.swiftcreekvet.com/resource/Behave/cats/fel_compulsive.htm this might help.