Is A Slightly White Tongue Anything To Be Concerned About?

terestrife

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I happened to look at my cat, and noticed that her tongue is pink, with a bit of white in the middle.

Shes a very healthy, and active 15 lb cat. lol She eats all her food, and drinks lots of water. Should i be concerned? i read anemia or worms can cause it. would i notice any symptoms?

i uploaded a video of her cleaning herself. its 10pm so the lighting sucks.

 
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colbey

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i think her tongue looks fine. trying to go frame-by-frame at 1:14-1:17, there were frames with a large white/tan spot on the end of the tongue, but i think that was lighting or something because it didn't show up at normal speed.
my cat is sleeping in the closet right now, or i'd look at her tongue, but it seems like most times i've actually looked at a cat's tongue, it's mostly red but a bit whiter towards the middle. since she's eating and seems fine otherwise, i doubt it's anything to worry about.

BUT...as veronica00 said, if your instinct is telling you something is wrong, take her in to the vet and let them look. the price for a quick check of her tongue can't be too much--i'm thinking they'll mostly just hold her in a way where the vet and you can see her tongue for longer than half a second, and the vet will tell you it's fine, and you'll know what it should look like.
but, seriously, if your instinct is nagging at you--take her in. as veronica noted, 'better safe than sorry.'

your cat really is pretty!

(and to veronica--i'm sorry. from what you wrote, i think you carry a very heavy sorrow/burden, and i'm so sorry for you and your loved kitty.)
 
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terestrife

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It's not the tongue but the gums to look at and trust me if you are questioning enough to take a video, take her to the vet. I wish I had.
i think im just an overprotective cat mom, anything out of the ordinary worries me. but i'll take her soon just in case. i can tell from your words something must have happened with a pet family member, i am very sorry for whatever you went through. thank you for taking the time to respond.

i think her tongue looks fine. trying to go frame-by-frame at 1:14-1:17, there were frames with a large white/tan spot on the end of the tongue, but i think that was lighting or something because it didn't show up at normal speed.
my cat is sleeping in the closet right now, or i'd look at her tongue, but it seems like most times i've actually looked at a cat's tongue, it's mostly red but a bit whiter towards the middle. since she's eating and seems fine otherwise, i doubt it's anything to worry about.

BUT...as veronica00 said, if your instinct is telling you something is wrong, take her in to the vet and let them look. the price for a quick check of her tongue can't be too much--i'm thinking they'll mostly just hold her in a way where the vet and you can see her tongue for longer than half a second, and the vet will tell you it's fine, and you'll know what it should look like.
but, seriously, if your instinct is nagging at you--take her in. as veronica noted, 'better safe than sorry.'

your cat really is pretty!

(and to veronica--i'm sorry. from what you wrote, i think you carry a very heavy sorrow/burden, and i'm so sorry for you and your loved kitty.)
thank you for the compliments towards Kitty =) the only reason i started worrying was because of the internet. she yawned in front of me, and i happened to see her tongue. i googled out of curiosity and all the websites said its anemia. i really dont think anythings wrong, but her annual check up is coming up soon.
 

colbey

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ah, anemia. i think you're right that the gums would show that sooner than the tongue. but if her annual is coming up, i'm sure they'll double-check if you bring it up. (double-check because they probably normally check anyway.)
good luck to you both!
 

pushylady

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Shes looks OK to me too, but like you said, it's worth getting them to check at her annual.
I just woke my boys to look at their tongues, and they're both white in the middle. They were not amused! :)
 

weemomma

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I have seen a color difference in my girl's nose and gums between when she is asleep and awake. She can go from pale pink to dark pink. I think what you might be seeing on the tongue is the little hooks that make it rough! It's almost like velcro and looks pale. If the gums or tongue ever look white, please contact a vet!
 
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