Feline owners know how to determine most of the diseases of their beloved pet - a description of the characteristic signs can be found both in the mass of specialized literature, and in various forums on the Internet. But sometimes in animals there are symptoms that will lead to a dead end by the most experienced cat owner. We will dwell on one such incomprehensible manifestation. If the cat's lower lip is swollen, the reasons for this can be very diverse.
First, remember what the pet has been doing recently, examine it. Pay most attention to the tumor, its color and shape, it is advisable to tactilely examine this place to determine its density. See how the animal behaves when it touches the swelling: it hurts him or it almost does not respond to your actions. At the end of the inspection, it is necessary to measure his temperature.
Now let's move on to the main thing - we’ll try to determine the reason why the cat’s lower lip is swollen. What to do in order to help the beast?
Allergic reaction
No matter how unexpected it may sound, but among animals there are also allergies. Like humans, animals can have allergic reactions to anything: food, plant pollen, perfumes and household chemicals, to skin parasites - ticks, fleas, and much more. But in this case, swelling of the lower lip will not be the only symptom. The first step is to try to identify the cause of the allergy, and then eliminate it. The treatment of such an ailment is to identify the allergen and limit the cat’s contact with him.
Change feed
It may be that you decided to diversify your cat’s menu and added dry food to its diet. From the transition to this new type of food, an animal can form a callus on the lip: due to the fact that unusually hard particles of food begin to rub the animal’s lip, it swells. If your case is just like this, you will have to exclude solid food from the animal’s diet and transfer it to softer foods.
Injury
This is the most common reason, especially if your cat or cat is a very active creature by nature. The animal could very well get such an injury when falling or when hitting a solid object. Try to remember whether such incidents happened to your pet, perhaps here you will find the answer to the question of why the cat's lower lip is swollen. Treatment in this case should be symptomatic. If the injury is not serious, it is enough to treat the injury site with an antiseptic substance to prevent the development of infections. If the cat’s lower lip is swollen as a result of a serious injury, the trip to the veterinarian should not be postponed, as suturing of the wound may be necessary.
Bite
If the cat has complete freedom of movement on the street or if you keep several animals, then it is likely that another animal injured it. Inspect the swelling carefully: if it has abrasions, traces of teeth or other wounds, then treat the affected area with an antiseptic carried by the animal. Swelling of the lips can be a reaction to a bee sting, wasp, horsefly and the like. In this case, you must carefully remove the sting, apply a compress with vinegar diluted with water, and then hold a cold object for several minutes at the site of the bite.
Viral infection
When a cat's lower lip is swollen, the causes of this misfortune may be due to infection. Such a symptom can be caused in an animal and a viral disease. It is very likely that the cat was infected with calcivirosis, which, unfortunately, is easily transmitted from animal to animal.
The most obvious symptom will be the appearance of small, 4-8 millimeters in size, vesicles on the oral mucosa. The animal loses its appetite, lethargy appears, serous formations stand out from the eyes and nose. If, along with these symptoms, the cat has a lower lip swollen - how to treat? Take your pet to the vet clinic immediately! The veterinarian should take tests to identify the source of the virus, and then prescribe treatment. In such cases, antibiotics are prescribed. The most common of them, which have a wide spectrum of action, are Fosprenil and Maksidin.
Salivary gland tumor and cyst
If the animal received a lip injury and was not provided with medical attention on time, it can lead to damage to the salivary glands and the subsequent formation of a cyst and tumor. At the same time, thick secrets begin to form in the ducts of the glands, and the ducts themselves are often covered with food debris. Then the fluid begins to accumulate in the ducts, which causes the formation of a cyst. In this case, swelling often occurs on the lower lip, since the submandibular salivary glands are located next to it. The tumor site is very noticeable and smooth to the touch, has a rounded shape. In some cases, it occurs only on one side, under the tongue, but there are cases of the formation of swelling on the walls of the pharynx. Please note that the cyst can greatly increase and begin to interfere with the cat's swallowing and breathing processes.
If in the described case the cat's lower lip is swollen, then mandatory surgical intervention is necessary here. Namely, to make a puncture in order to remove the substance filling the cyst cavity. If this also does not bring effect, then the salivary gland is surgically removed.
Cancer tumor
If the cat's lower lip is swollen in old age, then this tumor may be cancerous. It does not appear suddenly, but gradually, to the touch it is very dense, like a bump. The method of treatment is only surgical. If the disease is detected at an early stage, then the chance to completely cure it is great. The animal quickly regains consciousness after the operation, so you should not postpone the visit to the veterinarian.
Acne
If the swelling has small black dots, it means that you are faced with acne. Normally, this appears once and then passes, without affecting the condition of the pet in any way. But if acne appears chronically, then this is a good reason to deal with its treatment. In this case, in addition to the lower lip, the chin area is also affected. Such an ailment can occur in animals of various ages. Pimples on their lips, similar to crusts, sometimes swelling or inflammation mature.
If you do not treat the cat, then there is a good chance that the acne will grow into an abscess and begin to cause pain to the animal. Contact your veterinarian for help. First, drugs are prescribed that will slow down the infection process, and then drugs for local topical use. Treatment in this case is usually determined by a three-week course. The exception is when the state of the animal is completely running, then he will need constant treatment and constant monitoring of his health.
If it is not possible to consult a veterinarian, then you can cure cat acne at home. To do this, create sterility conditions at the site of the lesion: maintain hygiene using shampoos with tar, treat pimples with peroxide and salicylic acid. After disinfection procedures, the lesion site must be moistened with conventional antibacterial creams (for example, Sanoderm or Espri).
A number of other diseases, such as acute renal failure or diabetes mellitus, can serve as the less manifest causes of swelling of the lip in a cat.
The main advice: if you find a pet has a swelling on the lower lip, it is best to seek help at the veterinarian as soon as possible, especially if the animal is uncomfortable and is clearly anxious.