Saliva plays a critical role in the digestion process in cats. With its help, food is broken down and further promoted. Salivation is a normal physiological process in an animal. But if it becomes excessive, they talk about such a pathology as hypersalivation, or ptyalism. What causes pathology and how to cope with it is the topic of this article.
How can one be detected?
Faced with excessive salivation in the cat, many owners do not know what to do with it. Signs of such a pathology are the following:
- the pet swallows saliva;
- the cat rubs his face on furniture and other things;
- the animal is often washed;
- the wool is knocked into icicles and looks untidy, despite the care of it;
- the tongue often falls out of the oral cavity;
- wet spots remain at the place where the beast slept.
Physiological causes of pathology
Worried pet owners often ask the veterinarian a question: why does a cat drool out of its mouth? The reasons may be different. The physiological ones include:
- Reaction to feed. It is caused by the approaching lunch time, the smell of food. Ptialism in this case is explained by increased appetite. Some foods contain additives that cause a similar reaction of pets. In this case, the cat's drooling is almost invisible, so there is no reason for concern. Sometimes veterinarians advise changing the feed, especially if the pet, in addition to salivation, began to show persistent meow. Often the cause of this behavior is the tempestuous temperament of the animal.
- Change of teeth. Sometimes this process is accompanied by inflammation in the oral cavity, as well as an unpleasant odor and increased salivation. But in order to distinguish between teething from pathologies of the oral cavity that have similar symptoms, you need to show the animal to the veterinarian.
- Female estrus or reaction to affection. In some breeds, for example, sphinxes, long-faced cats, a similar phenomenon is observed. If they are scratched behind the ears, they literally drool over their pleasure.
- The consequences of taking certain medications. For example, anthelmintics, “No-shpa”, antibiotics are very unpleasant for animals, so it is not surprising that the cat is drooling like water after taking drugs. In addition, taking any medication causes stress in the animal, so salivation can increase immediately before or after consumption. Pet owners begin to worry, but in this case there is nothing to worry about - this is a normal reflex.
Psychological reasons
In a cat, drooling from the mouth can be caused by some animal conditions:
- Nervous tension. If the cat is stressed, he often licks to calm down. This process causes increased salivation.
- Motion sickness during transport, stress experienced during the trip. The vestibular apparatus in cats is rather weak, so the onset of an unpleasant condition is understandable.
- Active communication with children can cause stress in the cat.
Identify Causes of Stress
If the pet does not have obvious health problems, the owner should analyze the events that preceded the problem. Perhaps the animal was stressed, and not noticeable to the owner.
Rough bathing, a change of owner, moving to a new place of residence, meeting with dogs can lead to psychological trauma. Whatever the reason, the owner should make contact with the pet in order to reassure him.
Pathological factors
Cat drooling can be caused by diseases - contagious and non-contagious. Hypersalivation accompanies damage to the nervous system in some serious pathologies. Infectious are:
- Rabies. This is a dangerous disease, it can be transmitted to humans and other animals. Symptoms of pathology: aggressiveness, inadequacy, fear of water and light. Foamy viscous saliva is released from the mouth. In other diseases of the cat, drooling transparent. With rabies, the prognosis is unfavorable.
- Viral leukemia is an infectious disease that affects the immune and hematopoietic systems. Symptoms are stomatitis, gingivitis, tooth loss, with leukemia, lymph nodes increase, drooling in the cat. If the process is running, the pet may develop tumors and develop severe anemia. In this case, it is impossible to cure the disease, and therapy is aimed at alleviating the condition of the cat and prolonging its life. The doctor prescribes antibiotics and anti-cancer drugs.
- Tetanus is a disease that manifests itself in tension and impaired muscle mobility, difficulty in moving, cramping, and cramping. The cat can not eat, as it is having difficulty during this process, can not open its mouth, drooling.
- Respiratory tract infections. In various diseases, there may be symptoms such as salivation, sneezing, fever, discharge from the eyes and nose, mouth ulcers.
Non-transmitted diseases
In some non-communicable diseases, the cat also drools. The causes of the condition are:
- Portosystemic shunt. This is a circulatory pathology, during which part of the blood rushes into a large circle of blood circulation without entering the liver. Because of this, hepatic encephalopathy occurs, disorders of the central nervous system, hypersalivation.
- Digestive system diseases - tumors, hernias, inflammation of the esophagus, ulcers, flatulence.
- Diseases of the oral cavity - stomatitis, caries, gingivitis, tartar.
- Diabetes.
- Renal failure.
- Traumatic brain injuries.
- Pathology of the salivary glands. Often, cats have inflammations of these organs - sialadenitis, mumps. The animal becomes lethargic, the gland swells, drooling with particles of pus, blood, flakes.
Other conditions
As you can see, it is not so rare for a cat to drool. The reasons may also be as follows:
- Household chemicals came into the pet's mouth.
- Antiparasitic drugs were used incorrectly, and therefore substances penetrated the animal’s mouth during washing.
- The cat choked on something, something got into his mouth - for example, a bone. Due to the structure of the teeth, a feed particle may become stuck in the oral cavity. The animal cannot independently remove a foreign object, therefore saliva is secreted. At the same time, the pet does not eat or drink; it sits with its head bowed.
- The cat was poisoned by eating poor-quality products or those that are not intended to feed animals - for example, chocolate. In addition to salivation, there are vomiting convulsions, diarrhea, lethargy, fever. The condition is dangerous in the event of severe poisoning by hazardous substances.
- Trichobezoaras are lumps of wool that enter the cat’s intestines and cause vomiting. Cats are clean animals, when they lick wool, a small part of it is swallowed by a pet. There, the hairs are collected in a lump of considerable size, and therefore the animal has a desire to burp. This requires a large amount of saliva. With trichobesoaras, constipation can occur. When probing the intestine, its bloating is felt. The animal loses its appetite and constantly drinks. The condition is dangerous because bowel obstruction may occur.
- Dislocation of the jaw, in which the cat can not close his mouth.
- Heat stroke is a condition that occurs in hot weather.
- Eating toads, frogs, lizards, insects. Studying the world around him, a cat can swallow a spider or some insect, etc. The bitter taste and toxicity of the victim irritate the oral mucosa and provoke increased salivation.
- Insect bites.
- Allergy. The reaction can occur to any irritants, including a new food.
- Worms - in such cases, one of the signs is increased salivation, bad breath, restless behavior of the animal.
In what cases should I go to the clinic?
The following signs should alert the owner:
- if severe salivation is not associated with environmental influences;
- if the saliva flows involuntarily, and their volume then increases, then decreases;
- the amount of saliva increases day by day;
- salivation continuously for more than 1.5 hours;
- in addition to hypersalivation, there are other disturbing symptoms.
Diagnostics
If it is found that the cat is drooling, the owner needs to show the animal to the veterinarian. The doctor will conduct the following diagnostic tests:
- analysis of blood, urine and feces;
- Ultrasound
- examination of the oral cavity, throat and teeth;
- X-ray
- tissue biopsy - if necessary.
Veterinarian consultation
The owner should tell the doctor in detail about how the cat spent the last few days. It is important what the pet’s appetite was, whether its behavior or appearance changed.
The veterinarian will ask about the vaccination, the drugs used, and possible toxins.
After that, the doctor will determine where and how the pet will be treated. Depending on the diagnosis, therapy is possible at home or in the hospital.
Hypersalivation Treatment
Drooling, arising for physiological or psychological reasons, usually goes away without prescribing drugs. After the transferred loads, stress, the pet should be allowed to rest.
In other cases, the veterinarian may prescribe antibacterial and antiviral drugs, a special diet, vitamins, and more.
If the cat is drooling, what should the owner do? First of all, you should examine the pet. There may be a foreign object in his mouth. It is necessary to remove it from there - manually or with tweezers. Then the mucous membrane should be treated with “Miramistin” or “Chlorhexidine”.
If excessive salivation occurs after interaction with frogs or insects, the oral cavity must be thoroughly rinsed. In any case, the reaction will stop after a couple of days, when the irritation disappears.
If hypersalivation occurs due to pathological reasons, the animal should be shown to the veterinarian. He will see that the cat is drooling. What to do will depend on the diagnosis.
Worms are treated with anthelmintic drugs. With pathologies of the kidneys and liver, drug therapy is prescribed. Diseases of the oral cavity are treated with external agents - drops, ointments with antiseptic properties, feed the animal with soft pastes.
If neoplasms are found, surgery may be required. When rabies is detected, the animal is euthanized.
With pathologies of the salivary glands, drug therapy, physiotherapy, sometimes surgical manipulations, and traditional medicine are used.
In case of poisoning, droppers are used to help remove all toxins from the body. Hypersalivation ceases after the animal has been removed from a life-threatening condition.
With diseases of the digestive organs, a special diet, medications are prescribed, sometimes an operation is required.
Prevention
To prevent the occurrence of hypersalivation, preventive measures are taken:
- Regular brushing of the animal’s mouth, including teeth and tongue.
- Antiparasitic drugs are applied to places that the cat cannot reach. Or use a protective collar.
- Conduct quarterly deworming.
- The animal is vaccinated in time against rabies and viral diseases.
- Provide a healthy, boneless diet.
- Pointed out toys that can injure the pet’s mouth are excluded.
- Household chemicals, medicines, building mixtures are stored in places inaccessible to animals.
- Limit access to indoor plants.
At home, it is important to keep the bin closed so that the cat cannot take away food waste and poison itself. You can’t also feed your pet food from the master’s table - smoked meats, pickles, sweets.
It is important to show the animal to the veterinarian for regular examinations. Timely prevention will not allow the animal to get sick.
So, now it’s clear why the cat is drooling from his mouth and how the owner should behave in this case.