Odd cat

[WildBergamot]

We have recently re-homed a stray cat. We know nothing about him except he had been picked up under nourished and full of worms. He is terribly affectionate and has obviously been well loved in his past life.

I'm glad to say he is the picture of health now and has a beautiful glossy coat.

However there are a few of odd things about him. He "clicks" when he walks. He has a kinky tail, a bit like a corkscrew, which he flicks back along the length of his back when you stroke him. He also has a small slit on the side of his tongue. He walks perfectly well and jumps probably no more than about 3 feet.

Obviously we'll never know what happened to him, but I'd love to hear the opinion of all you cat experts. Do you think he was ever in an accident or was he born a bit of an oddball?

[mandimoo]

i once looked after a neighbours cat while they were holidaying. after id been a couple of times and knew the cat was ok, i was disturbed on the next visit, to see him kinda staggering when he walked, his tail kinked in the was you describe, basically 'wrong'. i called them in the middle of their holiday, cos i thought he had been in an accident. it turns out that they said he has sort of fits and goes a bit like that sometimes and that it would pass in a couple of hours and not to worry and sorry they forgot to tell me! im assuming that this is what their vet told them.

[umm]

rough guess,i would say he has probably been run over at some point.his tail bone would have fused back together at a different angle . because he was a stray the injuries would be unchecked and have heeled over time..that`s my theory anyway...

[Kimmiebear]

Some cats are born with tail malformation, or it can be damaged in the birth canal. Other times a badly timed car door or falling accident may cause the break. The click when he walks is also an indication of some form of trama. We had a cat that was mauled by a coyote and broke his leg. He sometimes clicked when he walked and it was just something that occasionally happened. It wouldn't be his long nails on hardwood floor? We had a client complain about clicking and that was what it turned out to be. The folding over of the tail is most likely just his own particular pose for "I like that". The slit in his tongue is most likely from trama as i have never heard of a cat being born with that.

[WildBergamot]

Thanks for that.
I cant help thinking that he may have had an accident at some time as he seems particularly wary of the road. He runs back to the house if a bus or lorry goes past, and rarely strays far from the door.
The clicking noise is definitely coming from inside the cat. Most of our floors are carpeted and he still makes the noise.