emmy has started to drool as of last night. she is drooling a lot. she has never done this before, not even when i pet her. she is an inside cat. she has been sleeping most of the morning and is usually a hyper cat in the morning. she has always drank a lot of water and has always had a healthy appetite. she has eaten this morning but i am uncertain how much. she has also drank a lot of water this morning as well. i do not know if she has gone in her litter box. i checked her mouth and can find nothing unhealthy or strange looking. what could cause her to drool like this?
Dr. Marie replied:
Hi and thanks for your question! Just so you know, this month we are donating 100% of our profits to the Ottawa Humane Society so thanks for helping us to support this worthy cause!
This is definitely unusual behavior for a cat. While I can't say for sure what is going on without seeing Emmy I can give you a few of my thoughts.
Some cats will drool because of eating something that tastes bad. However, as she does not go outside this is less likely.
Has she recently been treated with a flea product at all? Some topical flea products can cause a cat to hypersalivate. If you think this is the case, let me know by responding to this answer and we can talk more about this.
Do you have a dog in the house who was recently treated for fleas? If so, again, let me know and I will go into more detail.
It is also possible that she has an infection in a tooth or somewhere else in her mouth. Often these can be hard to see. If the drooling keeps up you may need to have your vet do an exam of her mouth.
Do you see any red ulcerated spots on her tongue at all? We are seeing some cats with calicivirus occasionally and this can cause drooling and lethargy.
Another possible cause for drooling is nausea (even if she is not actively vomiting). There are lots of things that can cause a cat to be nauseous.
If you think she is drinking an excessive amount I may be a little worried about her kidneys. Do you have any new plants in the house? Some plants such as Easter Lilies can be toxic to kidneys. There are other plants that are not toxic but can cause nausea or just drooling.
Well, this is a lot of info to go through! If none of the above seem to apply then I think as long as Emmy is eating some food it is ok to wait it out until tomorrow morning to see how she does. If she is still drooling tomorrow you should have your vet check her out. Or, if your gut is just telling you that something is wrong, a vet visit today is not a bad idea.
Let me know if you have more questions!
Dr. Marie.
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Disclaimer: Although Dr. Marie is a qualified veterinarian, the information found on this site is not meant to replace the advice of your own veterinarian. AskAVetQuestion.com and Dr. Marie do not accept any responsibility for any loss, damage, injury, death, or disease which may arise from reliance on information contained on this site. Do not use information found on this site for diagnosing or treating your pet. Anything you read here is for information only.
Customer reply:
thank you for your quick responce. she seems to be a little more active right now and has just drank a lot of water. we do have two new house plants and one is a peace lily. i looked it up on-line and it is toxic to animals. is there any thing i can do at home for her? is there any thing can do to flush her system? i have very little money and would like to try to avoid the vet but if it is necessary to take her in i will do so.
Dr. Marie replied:
Ah, it is likely the lily that is causing the problem. If we are absolutely sure that it is peace lily and not easter lily then you should be able to avoid a vet visit. Peace lily causes mouth and stomach irritation but is not life threatening.
If this is the cause there really isn't much you can do at home other than encourage her to eat. You can try heating up some canned food or making a liquid soup out of some canned food to encourage her appetite.
And again, if she is not better by tomorrow then a vet visit is a good idea.
Hope all goes well!
Dr. Marie.
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Dr. Marie is a veterinarian who practices in a busy animal hospital in Ottawa, Ontario. She created Ask A Vet Question as a resource for good, accurate veterinary advice online. Dr. Marie treats dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, and rats. She has been a vet since 1999.
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