Your Cat Might Suffer From Oral Disease
If you have a cat, particularly one that is advancing in years, oral disease is one of the most common things that can happen. There are lots of different specific dental conditions that your cat might have.
Some of these issues include the following:
- Gingivitis Gingivitis is a bacterial condition in the mouth that causes swelling and redness on the gumline.
- Periodontitis Periodontitis Is the advancement of gingivitis into a more serious tooth condition. The bacteria gets deeper into the gum line which can cause infection and an abscess.
- Tooth Resorption Tooth resorption happens inside of the tooth and works its way out. Thirty to 70% of house cats suffer from this condition and there is no known cause.
- Oral Tumors Oral tumors can develop anywhere on the inside of the mouth and can cause significant discomfort. Your cats might be licking their lips and access because of pain in their mouth. They arent able to comfort the feeling, so licking might help compensate or at least attempt to curb the pain.
Your veterinarian would be able to visually examine your cats mouth to determine if they have any dental or oral issues. Once they check things out, they can recommend how to move forward. It could be something as simple as starting a brushing routine or as complicated as dental surgery.
Can Vomiting Cause A Cat To Lick Lips
After vomiting, it is normal for cats to lick their lips since cats over-salivate when vomiting. Although licking lips is normal while getting sick, this can be painful if your cat is frequently licking their lips. The best way to stop your cats vomiting is to treat your cats nausea.
Vomiting leads to dribbling on their chin and excess salivation. Licking their lips at this time is their way of cleaning themselves up afterward.
How Do I Recognize Vomiting
Vomiting may begin with a stage of nausea, in which the cat appears restless, and possibly anxious. The cat may lick its lips, salivate, and repeatedly swallow. Vomiting itself involves forceful contractions of the abdominal muscles, leading to expulsion of fluid, froth, or food. The severe effort associated with vomiting may be distressing to the cat.
It is important to differentiate this from the abdominal contractions associated with coughing. Cats may cough up some froth or foamy material that they subsequently swallow. Cats usually crouch down on all four legs when coughing with the neck stretched out. It is helpful if you can show a video to your veterinarian of your cat exhibiting the behavior so they can help you distinguish coughing versus vomiting.
“It is also important to differentiate vomiting from regurgitation.”
It is also important to differentiate vomiting from regurgitation, which is usually associated with problems affecting the esophagus and is a more passive process. Features that help to differentiate vomiting from regurgitation include:
- vomiting typically involves abdominal contractions and effort
- regurgitation typically occurs quickly without abdominal contractions
- regurgitation often occurs right after eating or drinking
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Why Does My Cat Keep Licking Her Lips And Swallowing
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Could Grooming Cause Your Cat To Lick Its Lips
Grooming can cause your cat to lick its lips. The drier a cats mouth gets, the more they will lick their lips. They may also lick their lips more the more they salivate.
To have enough saliva for their grooming process, they will lick their lips. Excess saliva helps cats swallow loose fur, dirt, and foreign objects like leaves or pieces of litter.
When a cat grooms themselves, they will lick their lips because of the excess fur, dirt, and other things on their bodies. Anything that a cat hooks on its papillae while grooming will be swallowed. They will later throw it up as a hairball.
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Why Do Cats Smack Their Lips After Eating
It is common for cats to smack their lips after eating, it is usually not a problem as they are just tasting food remnants.Cats produce more saliva when they are eating to help aid ingestion and prevent dryness, this increase in saliva production can cause them to smack their lips after the meal too.
However, cats with dental issues may smack their lips more because of the tartar on their teeth, a quick look at the condition of their teeth can help you determine if the cause is dental issues.
Symptoms Of Dry Mouth In Cats
Since your cat cant tell you if he has a dry mouth, youll have to rely on outward signs. Here are a few secondary symptoms to look for:
- Dry, cracked tongue. Your cats tongue will look distinctly dry and shriveled when his mouth is too dry.
- Frequent licking of lips. This is your cat trying to wet his own mouth. If you notice him doing it a lot, dry mouth may be the culprit.
- Insatiable thirst. Its good for your cat to drink water. But if you notice an excessive reluctance to walk away from the bowl, dont take it lightly.
- Halitosis. While a little fishy odor is normal for a cats breath, overwhelming bad breath may indicate poor saliva production.
Keep in mind that dry mouth can cause issues on its own. Conditions like gingivitis or dental erosion can arise as a result of mouth dryness. Get to the bottom of it so your cat doesnt end up with health complications.
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What To Do About A Cat Licking His Lips
Pay attention to the circumstances surrounding a cat licking his lips. Is the behavior occurring only after meals? If so, theres probably no cause for concern. However, if you notice your cat licking his lips in other situations, its time to consult a professional.
Cats can experience stress and anxiety for a variety of reasons, including changes in the household, a switch of food or litter brands, other cats or loud noises. Pay attention to your cats body language and the other things that happen when your cat is licking his lips. You can alleviate these stressors by creating gradual changes and remaining aware of and doing your best to avoid stress triggers in your cat. You may decide to contact a cat behaviorist for a consultation tailored to your specific situation.
Because a cat licking his lips can be a sign of a potentially serious medical or dental issue, contact your veterinarian for a complete physical examination if youre concerned.
How Will My Veterinarian Decide What Type Of Testing And Treatment Is Necessary
Features that you may be able to identify that will help the veterinarian decide whether symptomatic treatment or further investigations are appropriate include:
- if your cat is depressed, lethargic, or has a fever
- if your cat is eating
- if there has been weight loss
- if there has been any blood in the vomit
- if there is any pain or distress, particularly affecting the abdomen
- whether normal feces are being passed, or if your cat has diarrhea or constipation
- what is the frequency and amount of vomiting
- what is the relationship of vomiting to feeding
- whether there is any offensive odor or abnormal color to the vomit
- what your cat has been fed and if there has been a recent change in diet
- whether your cat has any access to other foods or other substances
- whether any treatment or supplements have been given recently
- whether any other cats in the household are affected
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Cat Swallowing A Lot And Not Eating How To Treat It
If you notice your cat keeps swallowing a lot, gagging, or choking, rush them to the vet.
A trained vet will help rule out the main cause of frequent gagging, coughing, or choking.
Most vets know that any cat swallowing a lot and not eating could be suffering from the three aforementioned conditions.
What Can Cause Nausea
Nausea is caused by an upset stomach, which happens for many reasons. A common reason cats get upset stomachs is that their owners feed them food incompatible with their required diet. They may also ingest foreign substances or have a hairball.
Anything a cat swallows bad for their stomach will cause digestion issues.
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Your Cat Is Grooming Or Cleaning Up
Anyone who owns a feline knows just how clean they want to be. It might surprise you that cats spend over 5 hours a day grooming their bodies. They prefer their fur to be clean, debris-free, and sleek. Some cats may exhibit more or less of this behavior.
If you noticed that your cat is licking their lips excessively after eating, it could be that they are just trying to clean the outside of their mouth. Some cats might be more obsessive about cleaning than others but you need to look for other signs to point you in the right direction.
Start to pay attention to when your cat is licking its lips. If you find that it is directly after mealtime or once theyve had a drink, you might be able to conclude on your own that this is, in fact, the reason.
What Is The Difference Between Creams Ointments And Lotions
Creams are non-greasy. Ointments have an oily base. Lotions are liquid preparations. All are similar as far as application is concerned.
Creams, ointments, and lotions are for external use only. It is important to prevent your cat from licking and swallowing any of these external preparations as they may contain ingredients that could be harmful if swallowed. Many veterinary formulations are specially designed for rapid absorption to minimize this problem. Ask your veterinarian about any precautions with your pets ointment, cream, or lotion.
It is important to prevent your pet from licking and swallowing any of these external preparations as they may contain ingredients that could be harmful if swallowed.
Be sure to follow any directions concerning application of the product, e.g., using gloves, avoiding the eyes, etc. This is important since some veterinary preparations may be irritating to human skin or eyes. Most topical preparations work better if they are gently massaged in for a few moments after application.
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Ear Infections And Ear Mites
Cats, like dogs, can get ear infections. In fact, of all the possible causes of head shaking in cats, an ear infection is the most probable.
When you take your pet to the vet for head shaking, the vet can use an otoscope to imagine your cats ear canals.
This enables them to assess any possible canal infection as well as decide whether or not the tympanic membrane, also known as the ear drum, is intact.
Since certain ear drugs may be harmful to the inner ear, this phase is critical.
Your veterinarian will take measurements of your cats ear discharge after they have determined the condition of his or her ear drums.
They would then examine these swabs under a microscope.
Your veterinarian can detect two types of bacteria on the scope: cocci or rod-shaped bacteria, budding yeast, or ear mites.
Ear mites are a type of ectoparasite that, while not universally found, are more common in cats than in dogs. They will cause severe scratching, which would almost certainly cause your cat to shake his head in relief.
Your doctor will decide what treatment to offer to cure the underlying infection or ear mite infestation based on what is observed under the microscope .
Cat Keeps Licking Lips Why Does My Cat Do This
Cats are regular and fastidious cleaners, always grooming themselves or others throughout the day. Yet, you may have started to notice something odd about your cat. Did they lick their lips as often as before? Why does your cat keep licking lips and behaving strangely? This isnt normal behavior and could mean that your cat is in distress or unwell.
There are several factors that might drive a cat to lick its lips all the time. Lets look at the reasons why a cat keeps licking lips and acting strange. Plus, you will learn some useful tips for what to do if your cat is displaying this behavior.
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What Treatment Is There For A Shortage Of Saliva
If your cat has a shortage of saliva, several treatments are available like increasing their water intake or giving them more dental care. It is important to keep an eye on their behavior because it can help identify the root of their problem.
For instance, if you notice your cat licks their lips after visiting a dry water bowl, this indicates they might be thirsty. There are plenty of other identifiers for other saliva shortages.
Cat Drooling Everywhere These Could Be The Reasons
In this blog we will discuss situations where it could be normal for your cat to drool, followed by some examples of when it may be more of a concern. If in doubt it is always best to get your pet checked by a vet.
It may be normal for your cat to drool when they are:
If your pets drooling is constant or other symptoms accompany it, there may be cause for concern.
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What Is The Treatment For Ptyalism
Ptyalism increases over time, so you should monitor it closely. There is no way to decrease or treat the spread of ptyalism. Work toward preventative measures instead, like dental care from your veterinarian.
Preventative measures ensure that your cat does not develop oral diseases like ptyalism.
Many veterinarians offer medical or insurance plans with dental treatments included. Find a plan that works for you and treat your cat for their dental needs. This plan might be as easy as feeding them a supportive dental diet or taking them to the diet more frequently.
Cat Licking Lips Find Out The Reasons Why
I have a three year old cat who keeps doing this weird thing where he licks or smacks his lips out of the blue. Although I took it lightly when it first happened, as time progressed, I got curious and just a little concerned as to why this was happening.
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Can A Shortage Of Saliva Cause Cats To Lick Their Lips
A shortage of saliva, also known as xerostomia, can cause your cat to lick their lips because they are trying to moisturize their lips. The lack of moisture on their lips from the saliva shortage causes them to lick their lips, often frantically.
If a cat already has a saliva shortage, over-grooming can cause a further shortage. Guarantee they do not over-groom, or they will deprive themselves of necessary moisture.
A Cat Licking His Lips Whats Normal And Whats Not
Were used to seeing a cat licking his lips. Its part of a cats meticulous grooming ritual and its pretty cute, right? Speaking of cute, that kitty lip-licking might also earn you some serious social media likes on #tongueouttuesday. But what about the serious side of a cat licking his lips?
While your cat licking his lips is definitely normal in some instances, it may be time to dig a little deeper to discover why this behavior is happening.
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His Teeth Have Grown Out Of Control
Some cats grow teeth early than others. However, if your cat keeps growing new teeth without stopping, then this could mean that he is suffering from tooth decay.
Tooth decay occurs when bacteria build up inside the gum line, causing tartar. Tartar buildup can irritate gums and eventually cause an infection that makes your cat often keep licking its lips
Signs Your Pet Is Feeling Nauseous And Needs Your Help
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When dogs or cats get into something theyre not supposed to, its likely that their stomachs will get upset and they will vomit. However, this isnt the only time pets can experience nausea and vomiting. Nausea can be caused by a wide range of health problems and can be quite serious.
Whats more, pets experiencing nausea might not always vomit. In order to determine whether your pet is experiencing nausea as a side effect of an illness, you might need to learn how to identify other signs that can seem innocent.
Look out for these 10 signs of nausea in your furry friend:
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