My cat is drooling a lot – is this normal?
Have you noticed your cat drooling? If so, is it something to worry about?
While a certain amount of drooling is common and considered normal – your cat may do this while relaxing or in a stressful situation, for a short time – excessive drooling could be an indication of a health problem.
If your cat is drooling a lot, you should consult your veterinarian. Excessive drooling in cats is often referred to as hypersalivation.
Why do cats drool?
We tend to think of dogs drooling more often than cats; it’s not uncommon to see a dog drooling in the presence of tasty food, for example! Cats might drool because their anticipation of their next meal is overwhelming, but it’s less likely compared to a food-obsessed canine.
Normal causes for a cat drooling can vary – from being stressed out to super relaxed! These include:
Stress — such as during a car journey, or a visit to the vets
Stress — such as during a car journey, or a visit to the vets
Relaxing — such as purring, sleeping or kneading
Fear — from loud and unexpected noises, such as fireworks
These are all typically harmless and temporary situations – though if your cat is, like many pets, scared of fireworks, you should manage that and try to minimize exposure to loud noises as much as possible. Read our tips to keeping your pet calm around fireworks here.
These are all typically harmless and temporary situations – though if your cat is, like many pets, scared of fireworks, you should manage that and try to minimize exposure to loud noises as much as possible. Read our tips to keeping your pet calm around fireworks here.
If you witness your cat drooling excessively and can’t put it down to some of those situations we’ve detailed here, a health issue could be the cause.
My cat is foaming at the mouth! What does this mean?
If your cat is foaming at the mouth, it may be nothing to be concerned about — but there’s also a risk there’s something wrong.
Fear and anxiety can cause your cat to foam at the mouth, but this symptom could also be an indication of dental disease, a viral infection or — perhaps most alarming – a toxic ingestion; poisoning, in other words. In all instances of suspected poisoning, treatment needs to be urgent – don’t wait around!
Read more about why a cat could be foaming at the mouth here.
Symptoms of a cat drooling excessively
It might be difficult to understand the distinction between normal drooling and a cat drooling excessively. While most signs of drooling are associated with the mouth, many underlying issues will create multiple signs throughout the body.
All of these secondary signs should be noted, as they can make identifying the health problem easier. Some signs of excessive drooling in cats are as follows:
All of these secondary signs should be noted, as they can make identifying the health problem easier. Some signs of excessive drooling in cats are as follows:
- Excessive drooling (sometimes lasting for hours)
- Blood in the saliva
- Bad breath
- Inability to eat or drink, or a loss of appetite
- Swelling or masses in the mouth
- Vomiting
- Pawing at the mouth
- Weakness
- Lethargy
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Labored breathing/breathing difficulties
Why is my cat drooling excessively?
There are many causes of hypersalivation in cats – your cat drooling a lot. The cause could be directly linked to a problem in the mouth, or it might be a sign of an internal problem. If your cat is drooling excessively suddenly, it could be an indication of a serious issue.
As we’ve already covered, your cat might be drooling because of excitement, nervousness or simply being near to appealing food. In which case, there’s nothing to worry about. But, more serious causes can lead to excessive drooling in cats – including:
As we’ve already covered, your cat might be drooling because of excitement, nervousness or simply being near to appealing food. In which case, there’s nothing to worry about. But, more serious causes can lead to excessive drooling in cats – including:
- Poisoning (from a variety of sources)
- Medication side effects
- Foreign body stuck in mouth tissue
- Teething (in kittens)
- Injury to the tongue or mouth
- Insect stings
- Gingivitis and other gum disease
- Abscessed tooth
- Stomatitis (inflammation of the mouth and lips)
- Acid reflux
- Rabies
- Pseudorabies
- Cancer of the mouth
- Nausea/motion sickness
- Upper respiratory infection
- Liver shunt
- Chronic kidney failure
- Heat stroke
- Viruses (such as feline immunodeficiency virus, feline leukemia virus or feline herpesvirus)
How is excessive drooling in cats diagnosed?
With lots of potential causes of excessive drooling in cats, your veterinarian is — as always — best placed to examine your pet and provide a diagnosis, which will help to identify the correct course of treatment to resolve the problem.
When taking your cat to the veterinarian, be sure to provide the cat’s full medical history to help sort out potential underlying causes of excessive drooling. The veterinarian will perform a complete physical and oral examination — be aware that the cat may need to be sedated for the oral examination to be successful.
All signs will be noted to see how they match with possible health problems. The veterinarian will look for obvious injuries, abscesses, foreign objects, or masses within the mouth.
All signs will be noted to see how they match with possible health problems. The veterinarian will look for obvious injuries, abscesses, foreign objects, or masses within the mouth.
Full blood work is likely to be recommended, including a complete blood count to help detect anemia or the presence of cancer, and a biochemical profile to find signs of metabolic disease.
Urinalysis can help to assess how well the kidneys are functioning. A bile acid blood test will indicate the function of the liver. Cultures of the urine may identify bacterial infections present in the body. X-rays or ultrasounds may be used to assess organ health or to locate tumors or lesions in the mouth or body. A biopsy may need to be collected from any masses found.
Urinalysis can help to assess how well the kidneys are functioning. A bile acid blood test will indicate the function of the liver. Cultures of the urine may identify bacterial infections present in the body. X-rays or ultrasounds may be used to assess organ health or to locate tumors or lesions in the mouth or body. A biopsy may need to be collected from any masses found.
Treating excessive drooling and hypersalivation in cats
The best course of treatment for a cat drooling abnormally will be based on the underlying issue identified. Treatment is only necessary if a health problem is present. Some potential treatment pathways for common causes are as follows:
Poisoning
If your cat is foaming at the mouth, he or she may have been poisoned. If so, the stomach may need to be emptied, depending on the timing. Certain medications may be administered to counteract the effects of the poison and activated charcoal may be given to stop toxin absorption in the body.
Dental Issues
Dental surgery may be necessary if abscesses or cavities are found. Singular or multiple tooth extractions may also be needed. Any wounds should be cleaned, and antibiotics may be prescribed to eliminate infection.
Cancer
If malignant tumors have been found as a cause for your cat drooling excessively, surgical removal may be attempted. This is only possible in certain locations of tumor growth. Both radiation therapy and chemotherapy may be used to fight cancer on a microscopic level.
Upper Respiratory Infection
Many URIs are the result of viral infections, which have no curative treatment. Supportive care can greatly assist in recovery. This includes intravenous fluid administration, medications, humidifier use and appetite stimulants.
Kidney or Liver Issues
These complications may require ongoing care and medication application for the remainder of the cat’s life. Special diets may need to be followed to help alleviate these organ problems.
Foreign Body Presence
To remove a foreign body causing salivation, the cat may need to be sedated. Certain cases may require surgery.
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Will my cat recover from excessive drooling?
Recovery from hypersalivation is, of course, achievable — though how long it takes for your cat to recover depends mainly on the treatment involved. The prognosis for recovery greatly depends on the type of health issue that has been diagnosed.
If surgery has been part of your cat’s treatment, recovery may take weeks — and you’ll need to follow all at-home care guidelines provided by the veterinarian. This will include monitoring your cat for signs of infection near the incision site.
Painkillers, medication or antibiotics may need to be administered daily. Your veterinarian will have you return for follow-up appointments to see how the surgery site is healing and to assess the overall health of the cat.
If surgery has been part of your cat’s treatment, recovery may take weeks — and you’ll need to follow all at-home care guidelines provided by the veterinarian. This will include monitoring your cat for signs of infection near the incision site.
Painkillers, medication or antibiotics may need to be administered daily. Your veterinarian will have you return for follow-up appointments to see how the surgery site is healing and to assess the overall health of the cat.
Dental issues generally resolve with surgical repair, cleaning, and a good oral health routine. Recovery from being poisoned greatly depends on how quickly the poisoning was identified and what substance has been consumed.
Kidney and liver disease prognoses are guarded, and often require lifelong treatment. Most cats will typically recover from an upper respiratory infection.
If the underlying cause of the infection is a virus, it may stay in the cat’s system permanently. Cancer prognosis depends on how soon it is treated and how aggressive the cancer is. If your cat is suspected of having rabies, it will need to be quarantined. Vaccines to prevent rabies should be a part of your annual veterinary visit.
Kidney and liver disease prognoses are guarded, and often require lifelong treatment. Most cats will typically recover from an upper respiratory infection.
If the underlying cause of the infection is a virus, it may stay in the cat’s system permanently. Cancer prognosis depends on how soon it is treated and how aggressive the cancer is. If your cat is suspected of having rabies, it will need to be quarantined. Vaccines to prevent rabies should be a part of your annual veterinary visit.
Hypersalivation Questions and Advice from Veterinary Professionals
Tabby
Nine Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Drooling
My cat started drooling a couple of days ago. She won’t eat or drink much. Spends most of her time outside or hiding underneath the couch
Sept. 25, 2020
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
0 Recommendations
Thank you for your question. I apologize for the delay, this venue is not set up for urgent emails.
I hope that your pet is okay. If they are still having any problems, It would be best to have your pet seen by a veterinarian, as they can examine them, see what might be going on, and get any testing or treatment taken care of that might be needed.
Oct. 20, 2020
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Domestic short hair cat
Nine Years
14 found this helpful
14 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Drooling
My cat has started drooling. It mostly seems to be when she’s happy — coming to sit on me to get pets. But, she has never done this before. She has been on chlorambucil and prednisolone for almost a year, after being diagnosed with small cell lymphoma in her small intestine last August. Her cancer is well managed and at her last oncologist visit, her numbers were good (just 2 weeks ago). I’m tempted to write it off as officially now being a senior cat, or even as being on prednisolone for a year. Do you think that’s reasonable?
Aug. 10, 2020
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
14 Recommendations
Thank you for your question.
Cats will drool sometimes if they are nervous, nauseous, painful, or have dental disease. Sometimes, some cats will also drool if they are really content. If she recently got a checkup and seems to be doing well, and does not have any dental disease or infected teeth, and is not nauseous., this may be something she's doing because she's happy. If you notice any kind of odor from her mouth, or her appetite seems down or less than normal, or she is vomiting, then it would be best to have her seen by your veterinarian to make sure that things are okay. Otherwise, this may be something that she is doing because she is feeling good.
I hope that all goes well for her.
Aug. 11, 2020
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Domestic Cat
Fifteen Years
6 found this helpful
6 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Vomiting And Drooling
My 15yr old cat has thrown up white foam 4 separate times today, he is only drinking, drooling, and has low energy. There was a little hair of his in the foam. He is a shorthair. Should I be concerned?
Aug. 3, 2020
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
6 Recommendations
Thank you for your question. I think that I would be concerned, yes. That is definitely not normal, and your cat may be sick. It would be best to have him seen by a veterinarian, if they can examine him, see what might be going on, and get treatment for him. I would probably have him seen sooner rather than later. I hope that he is okay.
Aug. 3, 2020
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Norwegian Forest Cat
Seven Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Drooling, Weak, Breathing Hard
Our cat was treated for tapeworms a few months ago, since then he has moments where we find him sitting/laying in the same spot for a couple hours breathing hard and salivating excessively and has happened more frequently. Diagnosed with a heart murmur so we are not sure if that is related. We found out that we have been buying lilies which happen to be poisonous to cats. we removed them immediately, he immediately felt better but just had another episode. Two videos of him during an episode are shown in the link below
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1eWNx6fmnF96dmUmkzfectKWpf3AFwQDm
July 28, 2020
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
0 Recommendations
Thank you for your question.
From your description, it seems that the signs you are noticing are probably related to his heart condition, and it would be best to have him seen by your veterinarian as this is a change from his previous behavior. They can assess him and see what might be going on and get treatment for him. If you are able to show your veterinarian the video, that will help them with what is going on.
I hope that he is okay.
July 28, 2020
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Domestic Shorthair
8 weeks
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Drooling, Weak, High Blood Pressure, Not Eating Or Drinking
My kitten woke up and seemed oddly tired and weak. He had to rest his head on my arm, that's when I noticed the drooling and he started crying. The night before I noticed he wasn't eating or drinking.
July 22, 2020
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
0 Recommendations
Thank you for your question.
Young kittens are prone to problems with parasites and infectious diseases. From your description, your kitten sounds like she needs medical attention, and the best thing to do would be to take her to a veterinarian to have an exam and see what treatment options are available for her so that she feels better. I hope that all goes well for her.
July 22, 2020
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I don't know
Mr Grey
3 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Death
Hypersalivation
Scared Wild Behaivour
Mouth Paralysis
Seizure Like Behavior
A stray cat started living with us. He recited the rabies vaccine a month ago. He was diagnose with feline Hiv and leukemia. He was eating and drinking water fine until yesterday. This morning suddenly he started acting differently. He started running around in circles wildly and salivating excessively. It was as if he was choking. His mouth wasn't closing and he was staring around afraid. Before we could get him to the vet, he died. He was such a loving cat but in those last minutes he was afraid of us and sitting under the table and jumping about. Please tell me what could have happened to him
Orange domestic
Pussnboots
1 Year
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Not Eating Lethargy Weak Drooling
My kitty boots was outside and didnt come when I called so I went to the shed where their beds are and he was just laying in one he always comes when I call him no matter what so I picked him up and brought him inside the house. I noticed his fur looked funny and examined him and noticed he had a fever and his breath smelled like dead animal or something along those lines and this was around 8pm after vet hours. I had him sleep with me all night and then took him to the vet at 11 am the next day. They ran the normal virus test came back negative.. it's been 12 hours since then and I have to give him an antibiotic once a day but he still has stinky breath he hasn't eaten or drank anything since a few hours or more be4 we went to the vet. He walks sometimes but it's slow he went to jump on the bed and made it but barely he had to climb rest of the way I didnt make it in time to help him up. I'm worried he might've been poisoned or something as I have another cat that recently dissapeared and another cat that started drooling about an hour and a half ago. I'm thinking about taking boots back tomorrow if he isnt better to get him on an iv and get some overnight care.
