Saliva plays a huge role in the digestion process - with its help, food softens and becomes easier to swallow. In addition, with the help of saliva, food is saturated with substances that promote its breakdown and digestion.
The secretion of saliva is called salivation, and increased salivation is called hypersalivation. This condition is also called “ptyalism”. But pet owners don't care anymore. medical term, why is the cat drooling, is he healthy, and if it is a disease, how can it be quickly cured.
There are many reasons why a cat drools, and not all of them are related to illness. It is important for cat owners to know when an animal drools without suffering from illness, and in what cases increased salivation is a sign of a serious disorder.
Causes of drooling in cats may include the following:
Physiological salivation in healthy cats appears as a reaction to food. This is a completely natural phenomenon common to all mammals; it is common for a very hungry animal to drool profusely. The same reaction is observed when a new food appears that is especially attractive to the cat.
Often a cat drools as a reaction to bad tastes, for example, various medications with a bitter or acrid aftertaste.
The most common reason why a cat's mouth drools is due to the owner's affection. Stroking relaxes the animal, and saliva literally drips from its mouth. At the same time, it is transparent, flows down in separate drops, like water, does not stink, and the cat is clearly happy, purrs and does not show signs of discomfort or illness.
There is only one psychological reason for active drooling - stress. It can be triggered by a strong sudden fright, transportation of an animal in a vehicle, contact with other animals, excessive activity and persistence of children when playing with a cat, a visit to a veterinary clinic, especially if the cat has already been here once and its life experience associated with pain and fear. This explains why a cat drools when nervous.
Animals, like people, are subject to many various diseases, many of which may end fatal. But, thank God, when a cat drools in clear drops like water, it can be easily cured. As a rule, clear drool is a symptom of a not very serious disease or even a common reaction to, for example, a change in food.
If you notice excessive saliva in your cat, do not immediately panic. Slightly more saliva may appear as a result of some natural reactions, for example:
But, if clear saliva drips from your mouth for more than 10-15 minutes and you have not found any of the above reasons, you should start worrying. It is necessary to immediately contact a veterinarian, as this may be one of the symptoms of illness or injury.
Drooling is a natural process that a cat needs for normal functioning. A liquid such as saliva performs a number of important functions: it protects the oral cavity (in particular teeth, gums and mucous membranes) from mechanical damage. Saliva is necessary to make it easier for your pet to eat - lubricate or glue it, make it easier to swallow. The main function of saliva is bactericidal. But if an animal’s transparent drool flows continuously throughout the day, this is bad.
Selection process large quantity saliva is called hypersalivation or ptyalism. This is the diagnosis that a veterinarian can make. As for symptoms, excessive salivation can be called a sign of some disease or injury oral cavity, stomach and gastrointestinal tract at the cat's.
Only a doctor can carry out full diagnostics your cat's body, examine him and make a diagnosis. Do not forget that in addition to the amount of saliva produced, other symptoms usually appear.
If you see that the fur around the cat’s mouth and neck is wet, this is a reason to worry. Take a close look at your pet - if you see one of the listed signs, you should immediately consult a doctor.
The reasons for salivation can be very diverse. The above lists natural irritants that will not cause any particular inconvenience to the cat and will not affect his health in any way. Otherwise, the release of clear saliva is a sign of improper functioning of the animal’s body, which can have unpleasant consequences.
The only good news is that a large amount of transparent saliva is not a sign of rabies. This disease has no cure and is fatal, and if your pet catches it, the saliva will look like foam. The cat will be afraid of the light, become more aggressive or, on the contrary, affectionate and behave unnaturally.
But, nevertheless, you should not relax - other reasons that cause excessive salivation are just as unpleasant. So, why can a cat experience intense salivation:
Naturally, the worst thing on the list is oncology. Therefore, if you want your pet to live as long as possible, carefully monitor its condition, and at the slightest suspicion, consult a doctor.
Excessive drooling is a sign of a wide range of disorders in the functioning of the body. If you notice anything, it is best to immediately consult a doctor rather than treat yourself, after reading “advice” on forums. Only a specialist will be able to assess the situation completely, prescribe a course of treatment and give useful tips and recommendations to help speed up the healing process.
All that is required of you is to be a good owner, recognize the presence of problems in time and do what the veterinarian says. During treatment, spend more time on your cat, it is just as important and necessary for him as proper care.
Greetings, dear blog readers, today I answer the question: “Why does a cat drool from its mouth?” current problem for many pet owners. I will list the most common reasons drooling in cats and I will try to give some recommendations.
A healthy animal secretes saliva constantly; it increases during meals - this is normal. It is necessary to protect the mucous membranes of the mouth and esophagus from mechanical injuries, from negative impact microorganisms. When everything is normal with a cat, you don't even think about the existence of saliva until she starts licking your hand.
And if something goes wrong, then drool flows from the mouth, the cat rubs its muzzle on objects, swallows more often, its chin and paws become wet. Detecting drooling is not a problem, it is visible right away, we won’t dwell on the symptoms for long, let’s move on to the causes.
Changing teeth. At the age of 3-7 months, kittens change their milk teeth to permanent ones. During a shift, your gums become inflamed. Often grows permanent tooth, and the neighboring milk tooth has not yet fallen out, then food and various foreign small things are easily retained between these teeth. Remember how you feel when you have something stuck between your teeth; your kitten experiences the same thing.
IN this period often observed advanced education saliva, unpleasant odor from the mouth, refusal to feed.
You need to make sure that the shift goes without complications, look into the mouth, maybe the tooth is kept on your word of honor and you can easily remove it yourself.
Stress, fear. Try to mentally force your salivary glands to secrete more saliva, it’s not so easy to do, but if you imagine a lemon, then with a good imagination, drooling will immediately begin to flow. What am I talking about?
The formation of saliva in us and in our animals is controlled by the vegetative nervous system. Simply put, the cat raises its paw or twitches its tail at will, and desire alone is not enough to enhance the production of saliva.
But when finding itself in an unfamiliar environment, experiencing severe stress, the cat may begin to drool or, on the contrary, dry out its mouth. This process is uncontrollable; it depends on the body’s reaction to stimuli.
Therefore, if you go on a trip with your cat, who has never left the apartment, then be prepared for drastic changes in the animal’s behavior. Read more about how to prepare for unfamiliar conditions.
Various diseases. Infectious diseases, for example, cause changes in the mucous membranes of the mouth and often lead to drooling in cats.
If your cat begins to drool, put on rubber gloves, restrain the cat to prevent scratching, and carefully inspect the mouth. It is more convenient to carry out the inspection with an assistant and in good lighting. You can use a flashlight (Captain Obvious 🙂).
We carefully examine the mouth, tongue, look under the tongue, teeth. Purpose of search: ulcers, swelling, blackened tooth, stones, foreign object. It is clear that even if you find an ulcer or caries, you will not help the cat on your own, but you will know in which direction to move.
And it is quite possible to remove a bone or thread stuck between the teeth. When our Samych was a kitten, he often got stuck with a piece of food that he could not get out on his own, drooled and scratched his face with his paw. I had to help.
In case of sudden drooling, after an insect bite, treatment with flea drops, after new food. And in other situations, when events develop quickly, allergy medications are used. Read on the topic of allergies in animals, and about the remedy emergency assistance.
Friends, it is impossible to list absolutely all the causes of drooling in the format of one article, so if you have something to add on the topic, write in the comments. Personal experience will help me and our readers.
Until we meet again on the blog pages, veterinarian Sergey Savchenko was with you.
Salivation in mammals it is part of the digestive process. Saliva in the animal's body is necessary to soften food in the oral cavity. Saliva protects the delicate mucous membrane from the mechanical effects of rough or hard food. Saliva stimulates the taste buds of the tongue.
Sometimes in animals, in particular, in cats there is a disruption in the process of salivation. In veterinary medicine, a condition in which there is increased production of saliva is called hypersalivation. It can be caused by something like clinical reasons, and do not pose a danger to others.
If you pet observed elevated department saliva, the reasons should be analyzed. Special attention should be addressed if the condition occurs as a result of exposure to the following factors:
Normally, salivation can be observed in a cat:
Conventionally, the causes can be divided into physiological and pathological. TO physiological reasons refer to the body's reaction to food.
Increased salivation can cause medicines with an unpleasant bitter or specific taste.
Salivation can be caused by contact with strangers or a trip to public transport. It can also be the result of stress resulting from nervous tension.
Pathological causes should be considered in conjunction with a veterinarian, since in this situation, increased salivation may be the result of quite serious illness of infectious origin.
Increased salivation may be caused by poisoning.
Some cats begin to drool profusely when exposed to certain dental diseases or the presence of foreign bodies in the cat's mouth. In this case, salivation is accompanied by bad breath and slow chewing of food. Then the cat constantly sticks out its tongue and feels putrid smell from her mouth.
Allergic reactions are sometimes also accompanied by hypersalivation.
In kittens, hypersalivation indicates untimely replacement of baby teeth.
Increased salivation in a cat accompanies this fatal dangerous disease like madness. If, in addition to drooling, the cat’s mood constantly changes, appetite often disappears, and the animal sticks out its tongue. In this case, the animal should be isolated and consult a veterinarian, since rabies is an incurable disease.
Drooling can be caused by triobezoars- balls of hair that accumulate in the cat’s stomach. When washing, the cat diligently licks the fur, and some of the hairs end up in the stomach. This condition may be accompanied by a decrease in the animal’s appetite, thirst, bloating and bowel dysfunction.
Cyst salivary gland may interfere with saliva swallowing.
The separation of saliva from the mouth can accompany some diseases of the cat's gastrointestinal tract - gastritis or ulcerative lesion intestinal mucosa. At the same time, the cat constantly feels thirsty.
Development cancerous tumor the cat is diagnosed with last stage when treatment fails positive result. It will also be accompanied by increased flow of saliva from the mouth. Increased drooling often accompanies lymphoma caused by the leukemia virus.
At chronic diseases kidney problems in older cats may also drool profusely, even when the animal is sleeping.
This sign may indicate the development of diseases such as tetanus or botulism in the animal.
Very often, cats suffer from the bites of wasps and spiders, which they swallow while outdoors. As a result of toxins, your pet may develop allergic reaction which will be accompanied by hypersalivation.
Excessive salivation for no reason is quite rare. If you notice this symptom, you should immediately contact veterinary clinic to establish the cause and begin timely treatment.
Your veterinarian will tell you why your cat has increased salivation after an examination.. To determine the cause increased salivation You should seek help from a veterinarian who will carefully examine the animal for the presence of foreign objects And inflammatory processes in the area of the gums and tongue and will determine the reason why the cat is drooling profusely. He will also appoint competent treatment and will tell the owner what needs to be done.
After accurately identifying the cause of this condition, effective treatment will be prescribed.
Depends on the cause of the pathology in the animal. Used for oral injuries various solutions and drops that are applied to damaged areas.
If helminths are detected, anthelmintics are used.
When it comes to the health of pets, the prevention of many diseases comes first. What should a pet owner do if a cat is drooling profusely:
Probably, in every home there is a special place for a close and beloved animal that has become a member of the family - a cat. This pet pleases you with its grateful purring song in the mornings and evenings, helps you relax when you take it in your arms and stroke its soft fur, feeling the response warmth, tenderness and affection. A cat feels and looks amazingly harmonious near your home.
Once during a meeting, my friend shared her problem. She noticed that the cat was drooling. Once upon a time she slept in the same bed with her, but now it is unpleasant and, perhaps, dangerous to do so. If the cat sat in one place, then a small puddle gradually formed at her feet. This caused anxiety and made us think about the health of our beloved animal. It soon became noticeable that the cat very often began to lick or splash saliva during active movements. It became clear that without certain measures the cat could die.
First I had to catch it and take a good look at it. The owners examined it but found no visual changes. As a result, my friend and her husband took their pet to the veterinarian and in a short period of time, by correctly following the specialist’s instructions, they cured their beloved cat. This situation had a positive impact on the knowledge and skills of owners who conscientiously treat the health of their animals. After all, they had to wonder why the cat is drooling? And they did not ignore this; they learned a lot about health features pet and took the necessary measures.
The same unpleasant reason, like all of the above, your pet may have stomatitis. Animal stomatitis is an injury and subsequently If a cat is drooling, then this reason is no exception. Let's look at this variant of the disease.
There may be wounds in the oral cavity caused by bites from other cats or cats during a fight or play, when animals eat hot or cold, spicy food, any chemical poisons or drugs that are intended for small rodents or insects. Another reason, oddly enough, is the treatment of cats with special ointments, but not in moderation, but with a large overdose. This is why a cat drools.
If you ever have to ask such a question, why, this article will tell you how to understand the situation that worries you, to understand what is wrong with the animal. And once again we strongly recommend: do not delay and do not self-medicate, but show your cat to a doctor.
