HELP! Kitty advice!

[Evelynn]

This is hasty, as I am not quite sure what to do...

We have a 2yr old mixed breed male cat. He has suddenly become a drool-o-monster. I mean, its dribbling out of his mouth. He hasn''t drank water, so its not from the water dish. And he isn''t one of those cats that drools when you pet him. I''m trying to finish up some last minute laundry, and over trhe course of an hr or so, he has started to drool non-stop. He''s acting pretty normal from what I can see, but this drooling thing is freaking me out!

Anyone else have this happen or have heard of this?

What should I do? I''m really close to dragging him to the vet, and I just woke DH up about it and he is very uninterested - says he will be fine tomorrow. Problem is, the closest 24-hr vet is 30 mins away, AND its an emergency vet, so $100 as soon as you walk in the door, plus whatever it takes to fix whats wrong, or run tests......

what can/should I do????

 

[strmrdr]

vet and right now
minor - something caught in its throat or teeth or an allergic reaction.
Major - rabies.
Carefull not to get bit.

 

[strmrdr]

http://www.cathealth.com/drooling.htm

 

[Hera]

One time my cat was drooling incessantly from the mouth and it turned out he had a major hairball. The vet gave him a laxative to pass the hairball.

I would take him to the vet immediately also. You never know, it could be serious.

 

[Catmom]

I had this happen with one of my cats one time. It was non stop drooling and she was leaving puddles on the floor. According to my vet she had eaten one of my indoor plants and was reacting to it. Sure enough, we searched all the plants and found one that had an "eaten" area. I can't remember what he gave her, if anything, but I know it took a day or two for it to stop. Now even though it is one of the top 25 decorating mistakes, I now have fake plants.

ETA: definitely get your cat to the vet!

 

[isaku5]

We''ve had kitties who drooled occasionally, but usually only while they were being cuddled.

Any updates on your kitty, Evelynn??

 

[AmberGretchen]

I would definitely worry about what catmom said - so many substances and plants can be toxic to kitties. Take him to the vet ASAP, and tell your DH to check and see if there are any plants in your house with chew marks, or bottles of cleaners or medications or anything like that that kitty could have gotten into - it will help the vet if there is an obvious cause.

 

[poshpepper]

That much drooling out of the blue is not normal. I would take him to the vet ASAP.
Please let us know what happens and I hope your kitty is okay

 

[FireGoddess]

Ditto...please take him to the vet, ASAP. And let us know how he''s doing.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 11/1/2007 12:40:40 PM
Author: FireGoddess
Ditto...please take him to the vet, ASAP. And let us know how he''s doing.

AND thritto - vet right now as an emergency. Again certain plants, flowers and household substances can be highly poisonous to cats so you need to get him there. Please keep us posted.

 

[Evelynn]

Thank you all very much for the advice!

I called the Emergency vet last night around 3:30 this am. My poor Rascal was leaving P-U-D-D-L-E-S of drool everywhere.

They asked me many of the same questioned posted: Do we have any chemicals lying around within reach, do we have plants (thank goodness I happen to be the WORST at keeping plants alive...we just have a small Aloe plant in one of the guest bedrooms, which is off limits to pets) and is he vomiting, etc. They were really very helpful and patient with me! He was/is actiing VERY normal, chasing his big sister around, rolling balls down the stairs, and pestering the dogs which is a very good sign. The vet I spoke to last night said to just keep an eye on him, and if the excessive drooling continues till morning then to bring him in. Apparently there are many causes: something from licking one of those plug-in air fresheners or chewing an envelope with the "sticky goo" on it, to chewing on something the wrong way that would lightly injur their gums that would cause an animal to drool, all the way to something as serious as liver/kidney disease.

Well, I woke up this morning and poor kitten had drooled everywhere on our bed, so I made an appointment and we saw the vet at 5:00 this evening. She performed a full oral check-up, and ran a few basic tests. Apparently he has some "slight inflamation of the gums" waaaay in the back of his mouth, which indicates that it was NOT something that he licked/ate since that would obviously cause irritation along the gumline/mouth towards the front. Vet prescribed some 7-day long antibiotics to help fight any bacterial issues in his mouth (I guess it is normal for animals to get oral bacteria which would cause mild/moderate irritation) and told us to keep an eye on him for a week. She also gave us some chicken-flavored toothpaste and a scrubbing finger thing to clean his teeth, even though she said he has excellent gums and pearly whites! If things worsen, then they will have to do some bloodwork to determine whats going on.

I am *hoping* that its just some mouth funkiness and he will be ok. Last year we had to put down our very first pet together.

It was a horrible experience! Mis''r Kitt''n kept having urinary tract issues (SEVERAL blockages, two of which were 90% blocked, infections...) we did everything virtally available for him, the prescription foods, the meds none which seemed to stop the madness, all being extremely expensive! After the sixth midnight emergency vet visit in 2 months, we finally decided it was best he go over the rainbow bridge. The vets we saw reassured us we did everything we could and that with his track history, he was probably re-blocking himself the moment he was unblocked at each vet stay. He was an excellent pet, and I had never had to put a beloved pet down before, our family dog passed away on his own at the ripe old age of 16!

Anyway, I don''t mean to be "Debbie Downer" on my own post!

For the time being, my big boy is doing ok! I will keep you posted on the progress!

 

[Evelynn]

He''s such a handsome boy!

 

[AmberGretchen]

Aww...I''m glad to hear kitty is OK for now. He certainly is very handsome - what a sweetie pie

I''ll keep my fingers crossed that it turns out to be nothing more serious than minor irritation and that he is as good as new soon.

I''m sorry to hear about your other kitty - it is so hard to lose a beloved pet, but it sounds like you guys did everything you could and in the end you made the compassionate decision. As much as I know I will be nervous, depressed wreck when the time comes (hopefully not for many years) for my babies, I truly believe that a peaceful end in the presence of those they love and trust is the greatest gift we can give our animals.

 

[Lynn B]

Thank you for the report. Please keep us posted, we are definitely CAT PEOPLE here!

And oh, he IS a handsome boy, and a dead ringer for my DD''s kitty, Buster, who will always be my first (kitty!) love!

Look, couldn''t they be TWINS?!!

And AG... your last post literally brought tears to my eyes. I agree, and feel exactly the same way... but oh... when that time comes (hopefully many, many years from now) and sweet little Boo is very, very old and gray and it''s his time... well, I''ll warn you all now -- you guys are gonna have to talk me down off the LEDGE!

 

[AmberGretchen]

Oh Lynn that picture of baby Buster is too cute for words

I agree that he and Evelynn''s cat could be twins - and both so handsome!!

I''m right there with you on when the time comes for my babies. I am so incredibly attached to them (and so is DH), that I''m sure it will be a horrible and traumatic time in our lives. I will say, based on my experience with my childhood cats (who stayed at home when I went to college and now to grad school so I wasn''t *quite* as attached, they do let you know when its time. Like you, I am hoping it is many many many years away and that my three all get to become old and grey first.

OK, I better think about something else now, otherwise I''ll be depressed all day!

Evelynn - sorry for the threadjack. I''ll keep sending good thoughts your kitty''s way - please let us know how he is doing when you get a chance or have an update.