Spina bifida with syringomyelia and meningocoele in a short-tailed cat

Spina bifida of the proximal coccygeal vertebral column with an associated meningocoele is described in a male, mixed breed, congenitally short-tailed cat. The meningocoele had opened onto the skin of the tail allowing periodic escape of cerebrospinal fluid. Other clinical signs exhibited by the animal were an abnormal hindquarter gait, paralysis of the tail and defective control of urination and defaecation.