Eating Issues- dental/mouth?

[franklinsmother]

Sorry for another post! Franklin is not sneezing as much anymore, yay! However, the eating has not increased to where it use to be. I am starting to think they aren’t connected at all. Franklin has always been sneezy and the decreased appetite only happened a week or two ago. What causes decreased appetite in cats? He has been checked multiple times so maybe it’s stress or anxiety? I’m not sure though because he’s still playing and all that. Anyway, i’ve also noticed he licks his mouth a lot after eating (like open and closing his mouth then licking his mouth) and seems to lick food instead of bite? He does bite sometimes though. He also drops his food (wet and dry) sometimes but not all the time. He still is eating more dry than wet food which is why I’m not so sure it’s mouth related. He used to down his food with no breaths lol so I am just confused why he takes 3 bites and walks away. I am attempting to try and peek inside his mouth but he barely likes being held. Does this sound mouth related?

Sneezing and Decreased Appetite

 

[Furballsmom]

Does this sound mouth related?

Yes, it does. I've read that cats sometimes find the kibble pieces easier to manipulate in their mouth away from the sore spots. You said he's been checked multiple times - do you have the opportunity to find a different vet?

Find a cat friendly veterinarian

 

[Biomehanika]

How old is he and has he ever had a dental? And when was his last thorough mouth exam from a vet? In 2022 ish (I think, maybe late 2021 but no earlier than that) when she was 10-ish my old vet said Bitsy’s mouth looked good and she didn’t need a dental (was during COVID protocols so I didn’t actually see them look at her). My new vet inspected her mouth really thoroughly earlier this month and showed me a cracked back tooth and some other issues! She thinks she has some resorptive lesions too and she’s going in for a dental/extractions next month. I highly doubt all this happened over this two-ish year period, some vets are just better than others at detecting certain issues. She’s never showed any real signs of dental issues, eats wet and some dry, but they are indeed there… cats are so good at hiding stuff, so that’s definitely a possibility. Bitsy also tends to “lick” her wetfood instead of bite at it, usually eats over a couple visits instead of all in one go, and she does lick her lips a lot after eating as well. If you current vet thinks there’s no mouth issue maybe get a second opinion?

 

[franklinsmother]

Yes, it does. I've read that cats sometimes find the kibble pieces easier to manipulate in their mouth away from the sore spots. You said he's been checked multiple times - do you have the opportunity to find a different vet?

Find a cat friendly veterinarian

I never brought up the dental issues to them because I just started noticing it. I have been debating going to a new vet though and have started researching cat friendly vets near me!

 

[franklinsmother]

How old is he and has he ever had a dental? And when was his last thorough mouth exam from a vet? In 2022 ish (I think, maybe late 2021 but no earlier than that) when she was 10-ish my old vet said Bitsy’s mouth looked good and she didn’t need a dental (was during COVID protocols so I didn’t actually see them look at her). My new vet inspected her mouth really thoroughly earlier this month and showed me a cracked back tooth and some other issues! She thinks she has some resorptive lesions too and she’s going in for a dental/extractions next month. I highly doubt all this happened over this two-ish year period, some vets are just better than others at detecting certain issues. She’s never showed any real signs of dental issues, eats wet and some dry, but they are indeed there… cats are so good at hiding stuff, so that’s definitely a possibility. Bitsy also tends to “lick” her wetfood instead of bite at it, usually eats over a couple visits instead of all in one go, and she does lick her lips a lot after eating as well. If you current vet thinks there’s no mouth issue maybe get a second opinion?

I just adopted him 2 months ago, so never had a full dental exam yet with me. He did get his teeth looked at the first time I took him to the vet (before this loss of appetite) and looked fine. Estimated age somewhere between 2-4. I haven’t brought up the mouth issue yet because it just dawned on me so I will call again. My cat also takes multiple visits to eat and still doesn’t finish it.

 

[fionasmom]

It is not possible to get a good look into your cat's mouth, or any cat for that matter, and make a determination about what is going on. This is not a reflection on your ability to care for your cat by any means, just a comment on how hard it is to assess a cat's dental/mouth condition.

If he likes his dry food more, he is going to try to eat it even with mouth pain.

 

[neely]

He also drops his food (wet and dry) sometimes but not all the time. He still is eating more dry than wet food which is why I’m not so sure it’s mouth related.

Please keep in mind that cats swallow their dry food so it does not necessarily have to be chewed. Our cat who we adopted was fed dry food exclusively so it took awhile to transition him to wet. However, he only has one tooth left in his mouth yet he still eats dry food as snacks.

If you do get a second opinion I would recommend going to a vet that has a dental specialist in the practice. Good luck!

 

[franklinsmother]

It is not possible to get a good look into your cat's mouth, or any cat for that matter, and make a determination about what is going on. This is not a reflection on your ability to care for your cat by any means, just a comment on how hard it is to assess a cat's dental/mouth condition.

If he likes his dry food more, he is going to try to eat it even with mouth pain.

he used to eat like 3 cans of wet food a day so that’s where i’m confused about the dry food. the only reason i started feeding dry was due to the sudden lack of appetite

 

[franklinsmother]

Please keep in mind that cats swallow their dry food so it does not necessarily have to be chewed. Our cat who we adopted was fed dry food exclusively so it took awhile to transition him to wet. However, he only has one tooth left in his mouth yet he still eats dry food as snacks.

If you do get a second opinion I would recommend going to a vet that has a dental specialist in the practice. Good luck!

he was eating strictly wet food and one day just stopped even with a food rotation so that’s why i started giving dry because he wasn’t eating anything

 

[franklinsmother]

A kinda update: yesterday i called my normal vet and they’re only open 3 hours on saturdays so they prescribed an appetite stimulant for franklin to eat. i gave it to him yesterday at 11:30 in the morning and he ate all his meals yesterday. but today he’s already not eating. it’s 1/8 of a tablet every 24-48 hours so i can give him another. It just seems like this is kind of a bandaid for the issue. His sneezing has also returned and it’s even worse than before. So I will be taking him to a cat only vet this week.

 

[neely]

So I will be taking him to a cat only vet this week.

I'm glad you will be able to take him to a feline only vet this week. Please keep us updated on Franklin and best of luck.

 

[franklinsmother]

I took him to the cat only vet and he also thinks he is fine, so now I think i’m overreacting lol. He said franklin may not like the diet i’m feeding him (grain free). I decided on that diet because i’ve heard it’s good. He recommended purina pro plan. Any opinions on this? thanks!

 

[franklinsmother]

March 11, 2024
this is what he does after eating. still have hope that he may have a dental issue? not hope but i just don’t think he’s a picky cat lol.

 

[daftcat75]

That looks like normal teeth cleaning behavior that all my cats have done after eating.

I second, third, or fourth the suggestion that he's preferring dry to wet because he can manipulate dry in his mouth away from sore teeth easier than wet food. You can try different wet food textures--pate, shredded, silky mousse, watered down pate, rehydrated freeze-dried--with him if you want him to eat more wet food. But ultimately, I think a dental visit under sedation with X-rays is the best next step here--especially because you say he's a new adoption and hasn't had a dental yet. Cats can be surprisingly stubborn and stoic about eating through pain. It's not like they know there are options. They just bear it silently. Because dental appointments are often hard to get with long wait times, I would make that appointment now and then use the time between then and now to explore other options--like maybe gabapentin for pain relief. If she eats better with some gabapentin onboard, then that seems to strongly point to dental pain. You could also ask about buprenorphine. It tastes better and is easier to administer (smaller quantity too.) But many cats get too stoned to eat on bupe.

Another reason to opt for a dental exam is that the sneezing may be related to a polyp or a tumor in his nasal cavity. I don't know if that can be easily assessed on a cat without X-rays and possibly sedation. It's a good idea to ask about that while you are making the dental appointment.

 

[fionasmom]

I agree with the above. The video of March 11 did look like after eating behavior followed by a sneeze, but that is only my take on it.

I have used Purina Pro Plan products and have had good luck with them. They are not top of the line, but a couple of my cats like them enough to eat them consistently with good results.

 

[stephanietx]

I'm going to throw in something else to consider. He could be nauseous and his pancreas could be inflamed, which causes nausea. Has his pancreas been checked? Pancreatitis causes inappetence, nausea, malaise (not feeling well), and can cause vomiting and/or diarrhea.

 

[franklinsmother]

I'm going to throw in something else to consider. He could be nauseous and his pancreas could be inflamed, which causes nausea. Has his pancreas been checked? Pancreatitis causes inappetence, nausea, malaise (not feeling well), and can cause vomiting and/or diarrhea.

his appetite is back for the most part. still not where it was before. he isn’t lethargic, he has a lot of energy like normal. he also isn’t vomiting or having diarrhea. his bathroom behavior has been normal as well. the only thing that keeps happening is the shaking like a wet dog after eating. which started around the time his appetite decreased the first time.