What Oral Diseases Affect Cats?

1 Overview

Dogs visit for mouth issues more (they lick and grin), but cats rarely show the inside except when vocalizing. Since it’s hard to see, prevention matters most. Let’s look at what to watch.

A common, awkward issue—bad breath;

Cat bad breath has two causes:

1. Diet.

High-protein food, long-term soft food, coprophagy leave residues that ferment in the gut, producing foul byproducts exhaled from the mouth—smells only a cat lover tolerates. Note: a single high-protein food with balanced nutrition won’t cause excess protein or bad breath; but long-term single-source high protein, like all-meat, likely will.

2. Certain diseases.

Common disease causes: stomatitis, cheilitis, pharyngeal/nasal/dental/esophageal disease. Prevent via diet—avoid hard bones that pierce gums and cause stomatitis; avoid long-term liquid/soft food that leaves residue and breeds bacteria, causing inflammation;

Also water: cats prefer flavored or running water, so they often drink from taps or toilets—discourage these sources.

Even with good prevention (which greatly lowers risk), problems can still occur,

so when should you check the mouth:

trouble eating, difficulty swallowing, drooling, frequent mouth opening, strong reaction when the cheeks are touched—check the little mouth; treat early, since oral mucosa is extensive and secondary infection badly hurts eating and recovers slowly; delay may need IV fluids.