What's the deal with cats biting their own tails?

The main reasons for cats biting their own tails can be divided into physiological and pathological causes. Physiological reasons mainly refer to the cat's habitual wagging of the tail, but with a low frequency, usually occurring during play. Pathological reasons mainly involve external injuries, fungal infections, or mite infections on the tail. These conditions cause discomfort in the tail, leading the cat to bite it.

When a cat bites its tail, the first consideration should be physiological reasons. This refers to the cat playing with itself, usually biting its tail during play. However, this occurs infrequently and does not present pathological symptoms such as redness, swelling, heat pain, scabbing, or hair loss on the tail.

Secondly, consider pathological causes for cats biting their tails, mainly including injuries, fungal infections, and mite infections. The cause of injuries to the cat's tail is usually due to being scratched by sharp or pointed objects. It is recommended that owners carefully inspect the cat's tail. If the wound is small, daily disinfection with iodine solution is sufficient; if the wound is deeper or larger, it is advised to bring the cat to a pet hospital for professional wound disinfection and treatment, along with the use of antibiotics and antifungal drugs.

Fungal infections can cause hair loss, scabbing, and itching on the tail. This severe discomfort usually leads cats to bite their tails frequently, and fungal infections are often systemic. It is recommended to carefully examine the cat's other areas. Among them, mite infections mainly include疥螨 and Demodex infections. The clinical symptoms of疥螨 infections are increased skin scales and severe itching, while Demodex infections are less likely to infect the tail but still possible. For these two causes, it is advised to bring the cat to a pet hospital for related checks and treatment in a timely manner.