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Bleeding From the Mouth in Cats
Written By hannah hollinger
Published: 06/01/2017Updated: 07/28/2021
Veterinary reviewed by Michele K.
What is Bleeding From the Mouth?
Bleeding from the mouth is a rare occurrence in cats, and while it is not always an emergency, it generally signifies a disorder that will require some form of medical treatment. While in many cases bleeding from the mouth is obvious, there are times where the indicators may be more subtle, such as blood found on the chest from drool or streaks of blood deposited on other areas of the fur from grooming.
- Cancer
- Dental abscess
- Foreign object lodged in mouth
- Gum disease
- Internal bleeding
- Kidney disease
- Stomatitis
- Trauma
Why Bleeding From the Mouth Occurs in Cats
While bleeding from the mouth may indicate internal bleeding or kidney disease, it is more often related to problems with the condition of the gums and teeth. Some of the reasons that you might see blood coming from your cat’s mouth include:
Cancer
The most common cancer that is characterized by bleeding from the mouth is oral squamous cell carcinoma, an invasive and malignant tumor that requires surgery and a combination of radiation and chemotherapy to treat. Bleeding due to cancer is frequently accompanied by weight loss, bad breath, and swelling in the area of the growth.
Dental Abscess
Frequently caused by broken teeth, dental abscesses also trigger drooling, difficulty eating, and scratching or pawing, particularly at one side of the mouth. Swelling due to abscesses will typically be warm to the touch and painful as well as being accompanied by a foul odor from the mouth.
Foreign Object Lodged in Mouth
Although it is less common for cats to get objects lodged into their mouths than dogs it does happen. Items like needles, splinters of bone, or thorns can not only cause pain and bleeding in the mouth but if the condition is untreated it can lead to the object moving down into the throat and causing additional damage, or it may cause dangerous oral infections.
Gum Disease
Gingivitis, the swelling and inflammation of the gums, is a common oral disorder for felines. Severe cases of gingivitis must be differentiated from stomatitis by the results of a blood test or a soft-tissue biopsy and can lead to bacterial and fungal infections if left untreated.
Internal Bleeding
If your cat is bleeding internally, you may also see blood coming out of other orifices, such as the nose or anus. Internal bleeding can cause a great deal of blood to be displaced from the circulatory system, leading to severe weakness, bruising, breathing issues, and eventually, if untreated, collapse and death. If you suspect your cat is bleeding internally, it should be treated as an emergency and the cat should be taken to the nearest veterinarian right away.
Kidney Disease
Dysfunction of the kidneys is often characterized by some unique oral symptoms due to high levels of urea that are released through the cat’s saliva. Along with ulcerated sores in the mouth, this disorder is accompanied by breath that smells strongly of either ammonia or urine.
Stomatitis
Stomatitis is an inflammation of the gums causing ulceration that is extremely painful for the cat. This disorder frequently triggers a reluctance to eat and sometimes it is so painful that it may instigate a reluctance even to drink or groom themselves. Bloody drool and a foul breath with a metallic tinge may be indicators of this challenging condition.
Trauma to the Mouth
Damage to the mouth through punctures, burns, or blows can also occur. Bleeding due to trauma generally has little to no odor unless it is left untreated, but if not treated may cause oral infections to develop.
What to do if your Cat is Bleeding From the Mouth
Bleeding from the mouth is uncommon in cats and should typically warrant a visit to the cat's veterinarian; if the bleeding mouth is accompanied by the smell of ammonia or urea from the mouth or if lethargy, weakness, or pale mucous membranes are also present, the situation should be treated as an emergency, and the animal should be taken to the nearest clinic right away. Visits related to bleeding from the mouth will generally start with a full physical examination. During this evaluation, the veterinarian that is evaluating the situation will assess the animal for any physical wounds or pain that may indicate that physical trauma has occurred, as well as checking for any foreign bodies or tumors that are visible in the oral cavity. The mouth area will be examined to check for signs of bacterial or viral infections, particularly around the teeth and gums, as well as checking the odor of the breath.
There are several tests that may be utilized along with the standard diagnostic tests of urinalysis, complete blood count and a biochemical profile in order to uncover the underlying cause of the blood issuing from the animal’s mouth. This may include steps such as imaging of the oral area and possibly the abdominal area using x-rays, CT scans, or MRIs, clotting tests, and tests designed to check the efficiency of the liver and kidneys.
Prevention of Bleeding From the Mouth
Bleeding from the mouth is triggered by a number of circumstances, some of which are easier to prevent than others. Food items that may splinter, such as chicken bones, should be avoided in order to prevent the possibility of getting it lodged in the oral cavity or throat as well as preventing gastrointestinal damage that may lead to internal bleeding.
Outdoor cats may have an increased chance of injury to the mouth due to cars, predatory animals, and even other cats, as well as a higher chance of ingesting poisons such as snail bait or plant fertilizers. Regular veterinary appointments are crucial for felines, particularly as they are experts at hiding discomfort, and these visits may be helpful in uncovering any systemic infections or organ dysfunction before any symptoms arise. Regular dental care is particularly important when addressing the issues that cause bleeding from the mouth in felines.
Cost of Bleeding From the Mouth
In most cases, bleeding from the mouth is caused by dental disorders, which will run you on average around $850 to $900 to treat. Bleeding that is caused by other issues may be considerably more expensive to treat, including averages for kidney disease and abdominal bleeding in the $2000 range.
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Bleeding From the Mouth Questions and Advice from Veterinary Professionals
American Shorthair
Stormy
6 Months
1 found this helpful
1 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Bleeding From Mouth, Smell From Mouth
Found a stray kitten, guessing maybe 6 months. He seems to be acting like he is choking when he eats, and now just saw blood when he yawned. Smell is coming from his mouth also. But cant get him into a cat carrier.
Aug. 30, 2018
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Calico
Goggles
12 Months
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Blood In Mouth,Ear ,Wont Eat
My female calico has a open wound in ear from itching, blood in mouth and a couple of hard crusty bite size spots around same ear as open wound.respitory 24 in 1min
Aug. 14, 2018
0 Recommendations
If Goggles has an open wound on the ear and is bleeding from the mouth it is probable that she sustained a head injury or was attacked; due to the severity of injury you should visit your Veterinarian for an examination and to check for any signs of brain injury. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
Aug. 14, 2018
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mixed
Elvis
5 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Bleeding
Seizures
My cat was out side he was running up against me and wanted to be pet. He came back from what ever he did 15 mins later with a bloody mouth and has been having seizures for the past 5 hours since... I live on am income and can't really take him to the vet. The more stimulated he gets the worse It get but calms down and still has small ones.
Aug. 9, 2018
0 Recommendations
Bleeding from the mouth and seizures may be attributable to severe trauma to the head or poisoning (among other causes), without examining Elvis I cannot give you any specific advice to help in this case. I understand that money can be tight but not everything can or should be managed at home; you should find a charity clinic or similar organisation to examine him. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
Aug. 9, 2018
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Pure Breed Persian
Tootsie
16 Weeks
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Bleeding From Mouth When Eating
We have a 16-week old pure breed Persian. Several days ago noticed she is bleeding quite a bit from the mouth when trying to eat. To the point dripping a lot of blood back into her food, over her coat and onto the floor. Took her to Vet today and was unable to open her mouth and never experienced this before. Nurses did quick Google search and did find 3-cases of this before. Noted a rotten smell from mouth and thru examination could tell her baby teeth not falling out.
Noted her tongue has been hanging out for past week and Vet Dr said was probably from jaw not working properly and being stuck. She acts perfectly normal and "thought" she was eating like a horse but always making big mess.
Now know that eating was somehow causing trauma elsewhere that caused the bleeding. Put her on a/d soft food with water and actually really eating a lot with just little blood.
Taking her to medical internist tomorrow. Our Vet shared this condition is not sustainable.
Hoping for best but value any insight might have with this condition.
Barry
July 31, 2018
0 Recommendations
Normally we see more of the opposite where the jaw is hanging open. However, there are a few different things which may be going on here and it would be useful to have an x-ray of the head with both temporomandibular joints visible to see what the specific underlying cause is. Without examining Tootsie myself I cannot say what the cause is for certain but the Internal Medicine Specialist will be able to shed more light on it for you. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
Aug. 1, 2018
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cymeric
Majesty
3 Months
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Not Eating
Hiding
Not Using Litter Box
Fur Falling Out
Shaking All The Time
Mouth And Neck Bleeding
My cat Majesty is not even a year old yet. We rescued her from outside. For the first few days she seemed fine and would always purr and love on my mother and I. We gave her a bath a week ago and since then there seems to be a lot wrong. She has not been eating for the past week but she has been drinking a whole lot of water, her fur is falling out, her mouth is bleeding, she hasn't been using the litter box ( which she was doing very well at doing). I am very worried about her and think she is going to die. She won't love on us anymore and she hides most of the day. We don't have money to take her to the vet. Is there anything i could do. I am so sad, I don't want this poor kitten to die.
July 31, 2018
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
0 Recommendations
Without seeing her, I'm unfortunately not able to see what might be going on with her, but she does sound like she needs veterinary care. Many clinics do offer free or discounted first visits that may allow you to at least find out more what you might be able to do for Majesty. I hope that she is okay.
July 31, 2018
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tabby
Otis
5 Years
1 found this helpful
1 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Lethargy
No Appetite
Foul Breath
No Appetit
Otis has been not eating only drinking for almost 2 weeks and recently, he started spitting up blood and saliva clots with a foul odor. He also growls upon passing them up. Need help.
Unsure
Midnight
15 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Sneezing
Loss Of Appetite
Foul Odor
Constant Bloody Drool
I have a strictly indoor cat who is almost 15/16 years old. He has been sneezing off and on for a while but only in the past month I have noticed that he is drooling a lot with blood in the drool, he doesn’t act like his is in pain but the bloody drool is constant, and has a foul smell to it. I am completely lost as to what to do as I can’t afford to take him the the vet but I don’t want him to be sick and or in pain. He has also stopped eating the dry food that is out, so I started feeding him wet food which he eats but not a whole lot at once. He is drinking a lot of water as well, Are there any type of herbal or homeopathic remedies that I could try?
