Cat uneven mouth opening when meowing

[mrsequence]

Hi all
My cat had dental surgery last month. He drooled excessively and got a round of antibiotics but he was fine the last time we saw the vet. He lost 6 teeth in total. One lower canine on the right side and the rest were molars & pre-molars.

About a week/week and a half ago, when he would meow loud, his face becomes uneven. Please see image below. You can see that he is able to move the left side of his face but not the right.

My parents have a cat that also got his teeth pulled a couple of yours ago and his resting face changed because he also lost a canine. I wouldn’t be too concerned with my cat’s case but it’s when he makes that face. His face movement didn’t change even after the first few days of his surgery.

He is eating fine and he does poop and pee normal. He walks normal and both of his pupils are the same size so I don’t think he had a stroke. I looked in his gums and nothing look redder than a different spot. I spoke with the vet’s clinic this morning & am waiting to hear back from them tomorrow.
Thank you

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi and welcome to TCS. I suppose the removal of certain teeth could impact how a cat opens their mouth. I suppose it is also possible that there might be a bit of nerve damage from the removal too. In your cat's case it would seem it may be nothing more than aesthetics. Given how well he is doing otherwise, I would not be overly concerned at this time.

Good that you contacted the vet clinic just to see what they have to say. They may take another look-see. There may be something brewing under the visible gum related to a nearby tooth. I don't know how old your cat is, or why those teeth needed removed. But, some of these cats need repeated tooth removals due to things like stomatitis, often brought on by a viral condition that they contracted at an early age. Not saying that is your cat's case, but just using it as an example.

Let us know what they say!