Whether you are a cat owner in Orange County or elsewhere in the world you have learned the language of your cat. They use their tail to communicate the same as their voice, and the rest of their body. Yet there is still a question about whether or not removing the tail is an option.
There has always been controversy about bobbing, also known as docking, a cat’s tail. Docking is the removal of part of or all of the tail. Docking a cat’s tail for other purposes other than medically necessary removal is uncalled for.
Tail docking became a common practice for breeders to conform cats to the rest of a litter born without tails for certain breeds. There are occasions that docking a tail is necessary, which then becomes an amputation. There are times when amputation is required after injury or to prevent the spread of disease that has affected the tail.
The docking of tails can be painful to any animal. Many groups argue that there is minimal pain to the animal if done properly and within days after birth. The argument is as to whether or not they feel the pain. Nervous systems in cats are fully developed and it is proven they can feel the pain.
Many breeders dock the tails of cats for appearance. However, it is not the practice of most veterinarians to participate in the docking of tails without a valid medical reason.