As a cat owner, you may have thought, ‘my cat is drooling a lot these days; I wonder why?’. A cat drools for many reasons. Your cat may be happy, sad, or hungry.
It is also a common misconception that cats drool at the sight of food. While this may be true in certain cases, it is most likely that your cat is drooling for another reason.
Why Is My Cat Drooling?
Cats drool for many reasons. Below, we have discussed the most common reasons why a cat drools. Determining the correct reason for why your specific cat is drooling can only be done through the experience of being with your cat and understanding the environment your cat is in, so you can make an informed decision.
Drooling Out of Contentment
This is a good thing – it means your cat is happy and has no complaints. Thus you have nothing to worry about. Many kittens drool when they knead on their mother’s belly because kneading stimulates milk flow, so the kitten can easily feed.
When cats grow older, they start relating kneading to a feeling of contentment (like the one they felt as kittens feeding off of their mother), which may result in them drooling. So, to put things simply, many cats drool because they are happy you may be petting them, happy to be sitting near you or on you, or happy after a delicious meal.
A cute and happy cat playing
Many cats also purr along when they are drooling. So, if your cat drools while purring or kneading, this is nothing to be worried about. This is completely natural and means your cat is having a pretty good time.
A Stressful Situation
Is your cat drooling a lot? She may be stressed out. A common cause for cat drool is a stressful situation. Your cat may have fought with another animal, or they may feel trapped inside the carrier while you take them to the vet.
However, this cat drool often does not last very long and will probably be over as quickly as it started. The only thing is you must calm your cat down. Cat drool in stressful situations is not anything to worry about, but how do you determine if they are stressed?
Look around you and notice anything in the environment that may be causing your cat’s stress and thus drool. Try to calm your cat down, and the cat drool should eventually stop.
Shocked cat with open mouth
Abnormal Drooling
Have you noticed your cat drooling but acting normal? If this is excessive drooling, you may want to take a closer look. Cats are prone to developing mouth diseases that may go unnoticed for a long time because the inside of a cat’s mouth is not very accessible nor visible at most times.
Your cat may have developed a dental issue or an oral one, such as mouth ulcers. This can cause extreme pain to your cat, so it is best to get it checked out by a veterinarian. Your cat’s doctor will do a full oral exam and tell you what the issue is, as well as how to resolve it. Once this issue is resolved, you may notice that your cat drools a lot less now, if at all.
Veterinarian examining a cat’s mouth and teeth
Nausea
If you have noticed your cat drools a lot these days, it may be experiencing headaches or feeling queasy. There can be a lot of reasons for this. It may be throwing up a lot as well, which can also lead to cat drools. If your cat has been vomiting a lot and is drooling excessively after this, or it is not eating and seems to have lost its appetite, it is a good idea to get it checked.
This may be a sign for much more serious health issues, such as kidney disease. Your cat may also have parasites in its gut or elsewhere, which is the cause of your cat’s drools. Your cat’s doctor may want samples of your cat’s blood and urine. This is normal; it will allow them to understand better what is wrong with your cat and how it can be fixed.
A Foreign Body
If you have noticed your cat recently drools a lot, you may want to check her mouth. It is common for cats to have something stuck inside their mouth, which is why they drool so much. This can be anything from a bone they were chewing on to a toy or even grass at times. This can be very painful for your cat, and since they cannot close their mouth properly, they may start drooling.
This is not fatal, but since it is likely to be uncomfortable, it is best to take swift action and get it looked at. You can also do this at home. Pry open your cat’s mouth and wipe the cat drool with tissue paper so that you can see inside more clearly. Use a pair of tweezers to extract the foreign body.
Domestic cat staring with open mouth
However, be very careful so that you do not cut or hurt your cat. However, as you examine your cat, if you see a string hanging out from its mouth, do not pull on it. The string may be wrapped around your cat’s intestines. So, it is best to take your cat to the nearest vet and get it checked out professionally unless you are a professional.
Conclusion
A cat’s drool is often nothing to worry about too much, as it may not be fatal. However, keep a check on your cat’s emotions and how they are acting.
If they are drooling excessively and all the time instead of just in stressful situations, it is best to get that checked out by a professional who can offer more insight on what exactly is wrong with your cat, if anything at all.
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