Cat Has Trouble Holding Things In Her Mouth

[sheelalu]

Hello!
My 1 year old female cat has always had a problem holding onto things (toys & food) in her mouth but it’s become more apparent to me recently as we got a new kitten who is very agile and constantly carrying toys around in her mouth. My 1 year old (Sheela) doesn’t seem to be in pain, just can’t latch her teeth onto anything for long enough to carry it around. The only toy she’ll carry in her mouth is a hair tie. She’ll sometimes bite a toy but then immediately release it, sometimes it even looks like she’s kind of spitting it out. She also has trouble picking up pieces of her wet food (although she still manages to do so, she just struggles a little bit). Has anyone seen these issues before? Is it urgent/should I get her to a vet asap? We’ve had a bunch of tests done on her in the past year since we got her (complete blood analysis, xrays, urinalysis, etc.) because she has allergies/digestive issues that took a while to diagnose, but nothing abnormal ever came up on bloodwork in the past. My concern is that she may have some dental disease that might not show up on bloodwork.
Thanks in advance!

 

[Azazel]

Can you lift up her lips to look at her teeth and gums? Do you see redness along the gumline or yellow/brown spots on her teeth? You can post a pic here if you want.

It could possibly be dental pain. Cats are really good at hiding their pain and it often only shows in subtle ways such as when they're eating or carrying things in their mouth. It may be a good idea to have a vet look at it.

By the way, I would stop letting her carry hair ties in her mouth. They are known to get swallowed accidentally by cats and cause life-threatening obstructions. They are dangerous toys. Same with yarn and string.

 

[LTS3]

Sounds like dental issues. Many vets don't think to check teeth along with everything else Many also don't know much about dental health either. You can look for a veterinary dentist.

 

[sheelalu]

Can you lift up her lips to look at her teeth and gums? Do you see redness along the gumline or yellow/brown spots on her teeth? You can post a pic here if you want.

It could possibly be dental pain. Cats are really good at hiding their pain and it often only shows in subtle ways such as when they're eating or carrying things in their mouth. It may be a good idea to have a vet look at it.

By the way, I would stop letting her carry hair ties in her mouth. They are known to get swallowed accidentally by cats and cause life-threatening obstructions. They are dangerous toys. Same with yarn and string.

Can you lift up her lips to look at her teeth and gums? Do you see redness along the gumline or yellow/brown spots on her teeth? You can post a pic here if you want.

It could possibly be dental pain. Cats are really good at hiding their pain and it often only shows in subtle ways such as when they're eating or carrying things in their mouth. It may be a good idea to have a vet look at it.

By the way, I would stop letting her carry hair ties in her mouth. They are known to get swallowed accidentally by cats and cause life-threatening obstructions. They are dangerous toys. Same with yarn and string.

Thanks so much for your response. Here’s a pic I was able to get, it doesn’t show much but she really fought me lol. The redness on her teeth has always been there and the vet hasn’t ever said anything about it. But of course it could have been overlooked. About the hair ties, I don’t let her have the thin ones I normally use in my hair. I buy super thick ones just for her. Hopefully that’s better... I’ll have to look into it. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[Azazel]

It’s hard to see from the picture. I don’t see any redness. I would just ask the vet to check her teeth next time you go for a checkup.

Sometimes cats just drop things, especially food, out of their mouth. It may not even signify anything.

 

[MissClouseau]

If you can't open her mouth wider (I can't either with my Hima) pay attention when she yawns. If you still don't see the gum but see tartar buildup on her back teeth, it's more likely she has gum issues too.

Do you brush her teeth? There are also some no-brush products like ProDen Plaque Off.