Conference misery::feline_v1

    My little Chauncey drools when he's very mellow, as does my neph-cat,
    Ashley VanGrayson.  I wouldn't say it's normal, but there certainly
    isn't anything wrong!
    
    Mary

    I remember somewhere in the notesfile there was something about
    drooling cats - but I couldn't find it again. But I recall that
    there were quite a few cats who drooled when relaxed - including
    one of mine. I had brought him in as a stray and thought he
    was frothing from some unknown disease the first time I saw 
    him drool. Dumb me!!! He was just one HAPPY fellow.  It does 
    look rather silly tho.

    As long as this drooling isn't something that just recently started
    happening, I wouldn't worry about it.  Oscar started drooling a
    while ago, and when we investigated further, we found that his tongue
    had been mutilated.  We brought him to the vet to be all fixed up,
    but since he is now missing part of his tongue, he still drools.
    
    So, as long as your cat has drooled all his life, it shouldn't be
    a problem, but if it just started happening recently, I might check
    to make sure he hasn't injured his mouth.

    Dosn't sound like anything to worry about.   My old cat always dribbled
    and drooled when she was very happy, normally when she was getting
    her own way, doing something she wasn't supposed to, like having
    dragged one of my jumpers into her cat basket and scrunched it up
    in a lump.  Then she would let me have back my moggy soggy jumper!!
    
    
    

Hmmmmm .. Pookie drools.. tee-hee.. please do not tell her I told you
    all that....she drools when she is being groomed, and when she
    is having her little throat rubbed.. I know it is  funny.. MISS
    REGAL, HER ROYAL HIGHNESS.. drooling.. when I first noticed
    it.. I called my vet ,I first thought she might have a bad tooth,
    but all was well. 
    regards
    kate

    Drooling is good stuff!  I just realized that Timothy drools -
    he will drool during a scratch session, then when he realizes
    he is really drippy, he jumps down - embarrassed.  He is a big
    boy (very manly, you know) - 14 lbs.  I think that he thinks
    that men don't drool!
    
    My friend's cat, Scotty Wanna Tissu, drools A LOT!  All we have
    to do is scratch his back and away he goes - drip, drip, drip!
    Then he rubs his mouth all over who ever is scratching him! YUKIE
    
    E.T.

    Tasha has been drooling since she was a kitten, so it sounds
    like its normal but embarassing behavior.
    (not to mention messy...)
    
    thanks for all the advice,
    dennis
    

      Be sure your kitty doesn't have a bad tooth. Tooth problems,
    things caught in the throat, abcesses , etc. can also cause
    drooling.
    
                                                    Denise

    This question is not on drooling but seeing some of you have mentioned
    a bad tooth a few times I thought I would ask this question here.
    Has anyone had their kitty's teeth cleaned/scaled, if so, could
    you tell me what it entails. The vet said my cat had a lot of plaque
    andshould have her teeth scaled.
    Thanks in advance,
    Jan
    

    Cleaning the teeth at the vet's usually entails putting them under
    anesthesia and scraping the teeth with a metal tool, just like with
    people.  Other than the normal dangers of anesthesia, it's not
    dangerous.  I think they will also give an antibiotic to the cat
    to prevent infection afterwards.
    
    We've had it done once to each cat.  I don't like unnecessary 
    anesthesia, so tried it myself one day.  I took my fingernail, and
    scraped the gunk off the side of their molars.  It took a couple
    of days because I didn't want to freak them out by trying to do
    it all at once, but it worked.  The vet said their teeth looked
    great at the next checkup.  You need a tolerant cat, though, and
    I wouldn't try it with dental tools.  It would be too easy to slip
    and really hurt them.
    
    Karen, Tristan and Tenzing.

    I was wondering about teeth cleaning, too.  Last time I took Nikki
    and Chauncey to the vet, he said it should be done at the next checkup.
    
    How much does it cost?  Is the cat in any pain afterward??
    

    				-<Drooling>-
    I'm not sure if I am replying to this note correctly but here goes.
    This drooling note prompted me to add my 2 cents worth.  I had a
    wonderful friend ("Bumble of Joy"....BUM for short) who had to be
    put to sleep last year....ever since she was a kitten she drooled
    when she was happy....so I didn't notice that anything was wrong.
    Anyway as it turned out she had a malignant tumor under her tongue
    which was not visible to the eye...(mine or the vets) until it was
    too late....what led to the discovery was that the drooling got
    worse....and that was my only indication that something was wrong..
    Her behavior never really changed until her final week when I knew
    that she had no possibility of recovering....anyway I just wanted
    to say to keep an eye on your pet....I still haven't recovered from
    the loss of mine.

    .12 makes me recollect that my neighbor's cat had a mouth tumor
    which resulted in drooling shortly before he was put to sleep.
    

    Our cat Land Shark only began to drool excessively after eating
    some salsa (medium spiciness) that was left on the countertop.  It
    went away after about an hour but all of her head-shaking and drooling 
    were quite unusual, to say the least.  Once we realized that it was
    the salsa (Yes, we were worried for a while until we located the cause of
    the problem), we realized how funny she looked trying to "run" from
    the spiciness.  No matter how hard and fast she ran, she just couldn't
    get away from it!!    Poor kitten!  Next time I'll offer nachos
    and a marquerita to help cut the bite!  :-)
    
    Jill

    
    Over the last few months I've noticed Ebony drooling but only
    when he's relaxed and happy (usually early in the morning while
    he's sleeping and purring on my pillow/head).  I didn't really 
    think twice about it until this note.  It does get quite gross when
    they're drooling and then they shake their head.....yuk
    
    Well, both the kids have their yearly checkups tomorrow - I'll see
    if my vet can provide any more information on this subject.
                                  
    Barbara (Ebony & Ivory's mum!) 
                                  

    Oh .12, last year just before thanksgiving my 15 year old buddy
    "hamden" started to drool all the time. He was an avid hunter, liked
    to be outside during the day while I was at work. Knowing his lifestyle
    I was sure that he had a cut or some object in his mouth. I made
    a full inspection of his mouth and throat, found no problem and
    dismissed the drooling as old age. Within to days the drooling turned
    into a constant flow! I rechecked him, still found nothing, went
    running to the vet. The vet found a small open sore at the base
    of his tongue. The Vet put Hamden 'out' and cleaned the sore. while
    he was at it he kept a tissue sample to have checked in case the
    sore didn't heal properly. I took him home along with a supply of
    medication, and orders to return in a week for a checkup.
    
    As the week wore on he started to look better, we went for our checkup
    and found that the sore looked clean, but no healing had taken place.
    The tissue sample was sent to the lab, and was found to contain
    cells of Squemus cell carcinoma (sp). The Vet said that there was
    no hope for cure, but it was a slow moving cancer, and with proper
    cleaning and care that Hamden should have minimum discomfort and
    live for 2 to 3 months. To make a long story short... the thing
    only took 3 weeks to get to the point where I had to have the poor
    guy put down. The vet was great about the way he took care of not
    only the cat that had been an important part of my life for so long,
    but he showed a lot of concideration for my feelings.
    
    Even now it is hard for me to talk about that whole nightmare. I
    have a new cat now, that helps.
    
    IF YOUR CAT STARTS TO DROOL... OR NORMAL DROOLING HABITS CHANGE
    IN ANY WAY GET TO THE VET FAST!!!!!
    
    Kirk

    
                            cleaning the toofers
    
         So far, we've been pretty lucky, in that our cats teeth haven't
    been to the point that they needed scraping.  Our vet complimented
    on how clean their toofers were!   Our cats really love that hard
    crunchy cat food (low ash).  It cleans the plaque right off, along
    with taking away that fishy cat breath they have after eating the
    soft food.    They should have a commercial for bad breath for cats..
    like they do dogs....  (I love that commercial where the dog is
    breathing on the bird in the cage...and the bird croaks!)  So they
    give the dog a milkbone.  works everytime.  they say that helps
    with the plaque on their teeth too! 
    
       To make a long story short...  Hard cat food does the trick for
    plaque!
    
           Donna
    
    
    

    shirl has been drooling since she was a kitten.  verne thinks its
    disqusting and won't talk with her if she starts.  of course now
    shirly doesn't let vern wash with her.  she is very upset about
    it. anyways...
    
    i just wanted to comment on .15 where your cat was on the pillow.
    well, verne usually sleeps with me on my pillow too.  and i took
    him off because his furr was getting into my mouth and i would wake
    up coughing up a storm.  but to make a long story short - (?)
    i recently had a friend over that told me that is the WORST place
    for the cat to be (on the pillow) because they have germs on the
    bottom of their paws that caused a pregnant woment to lose a child.
    anyone ever heard of such a thing?
    cj
    

    re: .17
    
    Hard food has never helped the plaque problem with our two.  We
    feed nothing but IAMs (Just switching to Science Diet Light).  
    They get absolutely no soft food or scraps, and they still get
    plaque.  My vet says that a predisposition to plaque is probably 
    genetic.  Ours seem to need cleaning about every two years.  Not
    too bad, but not perfect.
    
    Karen, Tristan and Tenzing.

    re:19
    
    That's what my vet says also.  If they are going to have
    plaque, they are going to have plaque.  No matter what
    you feed, it makes not much difference.  Some of my 15 
    kids have a little and some of them have none.  I feed
    both wet and crunchie - all most all of them eat both
    every day.  Actually, with both wet and dry available
    24 hours a day, I guess it's fairly safe to say that
    all of them during the course of a day nibble on both
    types.
    
    E.T.

    re .12
    Tasha's drooling is only a few drops and only when she's
    really happy and has remain unchanged for 3 years since
    she was a kitten.  I'll ask the vet about drooling next time.
    
    Re .19,.20
    This is the first of heard of plaque on cats.  I've heard
    of flossing and brushing your cat's teeth (takes a real mellow cat),
    but never heard of scraping them with tools.
    I've never tried any of those.  I'd prefer to have some skin left
    on my hands 8^).
    
    dennis

    Dry cat food might help a little with the plaque on Amelia's teeth 
    if I could get her to chew the food instead of swallowing it whole.
    
    She never chews anything...just moves it around in her mouth a little
    then swallows it.  I don't understand it.  Is it possible momma never 
    taught her how?  She did have a somewhat difficult kittenhood before 
    adopting me.

                        DROOLING
    
    Dillan had always drooled as a kitten but suddenly it got worse...I
    am talking pouring from his mouth...That's when I knew something
    was wrong.  Normally he only drooled when I was cuddling and stroking
    him but this was when he was sat in the kitchen window.
    
    The cause in his case was Key Gaskell syndrome!!!  Apparently they
    loose all their saliva at once and as the disease takes hold they
    can't salivate at all....just be careful.
    
    Sharon
    

RE: Germs on their feet causing pregnant woman to lose her child

There is a disease called toxoplasmosis (spelling may be bad) that can
make you sick and can lead to natural miscarriages....it can be carried
into your environment by your cat's feet IF your cat goes outdoors.  It
is a parasitic infestation that breeds in dirt that has been used as
a kitty box.  If your cat is healthy and does not go outside, there is
no danger....if your cat goes outside it can be a very big danger to
adults and children (in particular) as the infestation affects the lungs
and can lead to permanent disability.  The southern U.S. and the western
U.S. are most commonly affected, but the disease is universal and that
means no country or area of a country may be considered completely safe.
If you have a cat that goes outdoors, you should restrict the cat's access
to your bed, kitchen counters, tables, etc. and be aware that any cronic
cough that does not respond to normal treatment may be a symptom.  In
the case of the cough, inform your doctor you have an indoor-outdoor cat
and should be tested for the disease.    

    I'll have to check my book "Diseases of the Cat", but I
    don't believe .-1 is accurate.  Cats do not carry toxo-
    plasmosis in on their feet.  It's to be found in their
    feces.  If those feces happen to be in the dirt outside
    and you are working (gardening) in the dirt, then you
    could possibly be exposed this way.  On the other hand,
    if those feces are to be found in the litterbox and you
    handle it, you are exposed this way.
    
    Toxoplasmosis is also, more frequently I might add,
    transmitted by eating raw or undercooked meat.  The 
    reason cats carry this parasite is because they eat
    raw meat, e.g. mice.  It's the mouse that gives it
    to the cat who then excretes it via feces. I don't 
    know how long it stayes viable in feces.
    
    The simple way to avoid all this is to assign litter
    box duties to someone else while your pregnant.  Or,
    simply use plastic gloves when cleaning out your box.
    It's exposure in the first trimester of pregnancy 
    that causes all the trouble.  Infection during the
    first trimester *usually* will cause miscarriage but
    not always.  If miscarriage does not occur then there
    is a chance that the baby would have mental retardation
    or some other things that escape me right now.  This
    is only if an initial infection occurs during first
    trimester of pregnancy.    There's a simple blood
    test that can be given to you to determine if you've
    been exposed to toxo already, which many people have.
    If it shows that you have already been exposed sometime
    in the past then you need not worry about toxoplasmosis.
    
    This is a very sparse description of toxoplasmosis.  In
    the chapter on parasites in "Diseases of the Cat", the
    section on toxo is the largest and it's quite a few pages
    long.  
    
    As always, you should get the best and most accurate
    information from your vet or obstetrician.