Hey everyone,

Saturday night/Sunday morning I noticed that our one cat was drooling excessively from her mouth. I cleaned her up, but she refused to let me look into her mouth. I gave her some wet cat food, and she ate a bit of it. We called the vet Monday morning and took her in where the vet said it was either a viral infection or oral cancer and to expect the worst. We were given some antibiotics and until Wednesday to see if it would clear up before the cat was put to sleep. She ate Saturday morning (I left to attend a wedding, so I have no idea what happened between then and when I got home). I just find it hard to believe that my healthy kitty Saturday morning developed oral cancer in 12 hours.

Her symptoms are excessive drooling, not eating or drinking (she did lick some juice off my finger last night), not cleaning, a foul odor from her mouth, and she has a red ulcer on the tip of her tongue. We just got a new kitten, and the vet said had it not been for that, they would have put her down yesterday.

I know most people on here aren't medically trained, and no one can be completely sure until it's biopsied, (which is supposed to happen before they put her down), but has anyone else had a cat that experienced these symptoms and what was causing it?

Any help is appreciated. This is absolutely devastating.

Hi my old cat had oral cancer the vet found it when she had to have a couple of teeth out she did'nt have any of the symptoms you have mentioned,infact it did'nt bother her for 4 months then she became very quite and pawed her mouth so I new it was time to have her PTS she was nearly 21,but it never smelt and she eat her food if it was soft

__________________

Sorry to hear about your cat. Firstly how old is she? Did the inappetence preceed the drooling?

Drooling can be caused by teeth and gum problems including mouth ulcers as well as cancer. Toxin ingestion can be another reason. Could this be possible? I'm assuming the vet carried out a full oral examination? The foul smell would make me suspect either teeth or infection or some sort. You need to make sure the vet has ruled outall of these things.

I'm a bit confused about the time element. Did all this start last Saturday? Have you noticed any improvement since the antibiotics started?

I would never considering PTS without a second opinion/biopsy at very least. You don't have to take this vets word for it.

I would also have a full blood panel done as well to see if an underlying medical condition ie renal problems could be causing it.

Oh! and welcome to PF though wish the circumstances were different.

She's ten. The vet only checked for feline leukemia which came back negative, and her teeth also seemed to be fine.

I first noticed it after returning home Saturday night, as in three days ago. She was fine Saturday morning (eating, no drool) and by midnight she was a completely different cat. We have given her a room to herself with food, water, and a litter pan away from the other cat. She still won't eat or drink, but she did use her litter pan last night sometime.

We were told if it's not cancer she'd eat or drink for us, but I don't understand why she'd want to do either after being taken to the vets, sedated, and having meds forced in her last night.

Did the vet say she would eat and drink if it was'nt cancer?if she has a mouth infection then she would be in pain when she eat which could put her off I would want her to drink though,could she have picked something up outside that has burnt her mouth?

__________________

The cat has never gone outside.

The vet said if she did not have cancer she would start eating and drinking last night. They pumped her full of fluids at the office, so we were told not to worry about her getting dehydrated.

I've just never heard of cancer appearing in 12 hours.

Sounds likely to me there's something else going on here in additon to the mouth problem which is causing the inappetence. Usually cats will try and eat something even if it painful unless appetite itself is affected. What your vet said is a bit strange considering this can be due to other concurrent conditions or ingestion of something which sounds very likely to me. You need to look at possibilities in the home.

I'm also wondering about a foreign body in the oesaphagus which would also cause the symptoms you describe-drooling and bad breath.

I think you need to rule this out so I would discuss with vet. It's so important she eats and drinks and I would suggest syringe feeding if I knew this had been excluded.

You mean the vet didn't run a full blood panel only leukaemia?

Crikey! I don't understand why the vet thinks it's oral cancer above all else! It sounds to me like it's something else. I'm no expert but it just seems like a rather drastic diagnosis based on very little. I think you need to ask another vet.

Really sorry to hear this, you must be worried sick. I hope you can get some positive news from elsewhere.

__________________
http://catscanjump.blogspot.com

Wendy, mum to:
Simba von Wurzbachtal, Turkish Van, born Austria, 5/9/10

RIP
Tarka, 1989 - 2008 my gentle Phileas Fogg
Bruno, 2008 - 2010 taken too soon my darling boy
Misi, 1993 - 25/3/2012 My brave, beautiful tabby

Hi,
I am no expert and it is just a thought but is there any chance that your cat may have licked something like a cleaning product or something? I only ask because a friend of mine has one of their cats in hospital at the moment as they found it drooling excessively and then became lethargic and not eating etc. When they took it to the vets they found it had some chemical burns in its mouth. They think that after my friends wife had cleaned the work surfaces in the kitchen (with flash spray), the cat must have laid down on the work surface and then licked the chemical off of itself.
I do hope that your cat starts to pick up soon.
Jane

Hi,
My cat had similar symptoms to yours last year. I thought he had had a stroke / fit as he had excessive drooling, no energy, off his food, bad breath. Took him straight to the vets who diagnosed mild stomatitis. He was given antibiotics and anti inflammatory jabs. Took a week or so to recover but never had it since?!
Just a thought....
All the best xx