Ew - why is my cat drooling?

Cats are amazing groomers and keep themselves beautifully clean – so if your kitty is drooling, something is wrong. Call us to schedule an appointment, and read on for the possible causes.

1. Car-sickness: Anxiety combined with motion sickness in a car can cause some cats to drool profusely. Anti-nausea medications before a car-ride can help make the ride more pleasant for your cat.
2. Dental disease: Drooling can be a sign of oral pain caused by bad teeth. Many cats suffer from resorptive dental disease, which is seen as a red line where the gums meet the teeth. This painful condition can only be cured by extracting the affected teeth.
3. Trauma: Injury to your cat’s face or jaw can cause fractures, which lead to drooling if your cat can’t close his or her mouth properly.
4. Foreign objects: Our curious felines like to investigate their world with their mouths, so they commonly get fish hooks or sewing needles stuck in their mouths. Sudden drooling can be a sign of a trapped object.
5. Toxin exposure: Cats are sensitive to a number of plants and household chemicals. They can get ulcers in their mouths when exposed to these substances, which then causes drooling. If there’s any chance of exposure, call Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435. Try to coax your cat to drink water or diluted chicken broth or tuna juice to flush out his or her mouth if the exposure was recent, and seek veterinary care. 
6. Kidney failure: Kidney disease affects 1 in 3 cats, usually later in life. As the disease progresses, the kidneys can no longer keep up with normal body metabolism and toxins build up in the blood. These can cause ulcers in the mouth, which cause drooling. Kidney disease can also make your cat feel nauseous, which can sometimes manifest as drooling.
7. Cancer: Cats can grow tumors in their mouths that change their shape and ability to chew. Bad breath, drooling, and changes to eating habits are all signs of oral tumors. 

As you can see, there are many reasons why your cat might be drooling. The first step is a thorough veterinary exam. Before the appointment, look around carefully for any possible toxins (cleaners, household chemicals, plants) that your cat may have ingested. Labwork, x-rays, dental procedures, or biopsies may be needed depending each individual case. Drooling in cats is never normal – let us help your feline friend.

Photo credit: Rocky Mountain Feline Rescue www.flickr.com