Cat Daddy and I have spent a disturbing amount of time monitoring Louis Catorze to try and understand his tail-chasing habit. And, yes, this has been just as dull as it sounds, with the exception of the unsettling moment when he actually HISSED at his own tail.
The strange thing is that Catorze doesn’t appear to be going for his tail in response to anything physical. It seems that the SIGHT of the white bony bit – which stands out against his black fur – is what triggers him, perhaps because he thinks something is stuck to his tail, or because he thinks the white blob is a worm or a bug. And this is most odd as he’d surely have had to go for the tail a few times in the first place, in order to thin the fur and expose the white bony bit?
“Which do you think came first: the tail-chasing or the white bony bit?” I asked Cat Daddy.
“I don’t know,” he replied curtly, not even looking up from his laptop, “but I bet historians and scientists the world over are agonising over it.”
Sigh.
“It’s right up there with all the other ‘Which came first?’ debates: the chicken or the egg, life on earth or a habitable environment …” Cat Daddy’s voice trailed off, his eyes remaining down.
I thanked him for his insightful comment and bade him good day – although I couldn’t resist Googling both the chicken and the egg and the life on earth thing, as soon as I left the room.
The question now is: what do we do about it? Short of colouring the white bony bit with black marker pen – Cat Daddy’s idea, and he wasn’t joking – we can’t think of a single feasible solution.
Are there any historians or scientists out there? A little help, s’il vous plaît?
jesuisleroisoleil 
Maybe a little bit of hypoallergenic black mascara might make a difference? Don’t want to use anything that might make him ill, though I’m sure on the mascara box or tube there’s the warning “Do Not Eat” but that’s just so they won’t get sued when someone does eat it.
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He might think it’s a little furry black mouse…
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Ooh, that’s a good idea. I only use cruelty-free make-up which has a tendency, as a rule, not to contain nasty crud, doesn’t it?
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That sounds like a good idea to me. When I first saw the photo I thought it was a blood sucking insect. I would imagine a cats instinct would be very strong to remove such an intruder on their body so it is quite possible that it’s what is causing the chasing.
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A blood-sucking insect! Oh my, poor Le Roi! 😧
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I’d try the colouring it with safe colouring as suggested. Might be worth asking a vet for recommendation.
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Is le Roi still getting his steroid injections? Allergies could be responsible for his tail issues. Or could be psychological warfare. One or the other, for sure. Purrs, Quicksilver et al
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He hasn’t had a steroid shot since May, because he hasn’t needed them – & the vet has been ok with this. I just wish I could work out whether he’s just playing or is genuinely aggravated. Either way, my worry is that he will accidentally bite too hard & break the skin …
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How old is le Roi, if we may ask such an indiscreet question? Purrs, Quicksilver et al
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He was found as a stray so it’s hard to know, but the rescue estimated about 3 at the time, so 6.5 now.
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Pauvre Roi! Has anything changed in his environment that could be stressing him out?
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Nothing whatsoever. He’s happy, purry, going out, eating & drinking fine. 😊
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😅 well, I’m an historian, but honestly don’t have the answer here … This is more philosofical, I’m afraid. But Barry’s sugestion doesn’t seem so odd though 😊
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Pourrait-il être qu’il essaie de vous rendrer folle? Il est tres marrant, votre petit roi. Je le trouve tres intelligent. Mais il est un peu sournois aussi, non? Je crois qu’il veut vivre dans le chateau avec son amis et il pense que la façon de rendre cela possible est comme dans le filme “Gaslight” (Avec vous dans le rol de Ingrid Bergman) 😋 New to your blog, love it! You are wonderful parents to your furry overlord…Thank you for sharing him.
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Merci! Je suis ravie que Le Blog vous plaît. Je n’ai jamais vu ce film mais j’ai envie de le voir maintenant. 😊
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Is the skin at the tip of his tail dry? It could just be annoyingly itchy at which point I would put coconut oit on it. That will help with the itch but will not harm him if he licks it off. Otherwise there is a condition that causes cats to attack their own tails as if they were a seperate entity. It’s called feline hyperesthesia. I hope he is not afflicted with that!
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Yes, totally dry, not weepy or bloody. I hope you are right about it being itchy. Feline hyperesthesia sounds absolutely awful! 😧
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Maybe a furry tail “toupee” is in order? not that I have any idea how you would find such a thing.
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A TAIL TOUPEE!!!! Cannot … stop … laughing …!
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