Increased salivation

Rosiesdad

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Nov 26, 2021
Messages
1
Purraise
0
My lovely cat Rosie has recently had a mysterious rash that developed into many, large itchy scabs. I thought it was a flea allergy, but the vet said she couldn't see flea dirt and she is de-flea'd regularly. After a steroid injection, the scabs have improved immensely, however now there is a new thing which is why I'm reaching out here...
Coinciding with the scab issue, I noticed 2 other things, which I assumed were linked to the scabs and consequent over-grooming at the itchy sites.
  1. She has started salivating a lot more than she used to and
  2. She has started dropping whole, unchewed pieces of her food (both dry and wet food) all over the house. It's as if a piece of food becomes stuck in her mouth and when she realises it, having walked around for 5 minutes or so, she spits it out.
I suspect the scabbing and the salivation/eating disorder are not linked, but they did happen suspiciously close to each other. I'm thinking maybe dental problems? Has anyone else had a similar thing?
 

tarasgirl06

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 19, 2006
Messages
24,708
Purraise
64,892
Location
Glendale, CATifornia
My lovely cat Rosie has recently had a mysterious rash that developed into many, large itchy scabs. I thought it was a flea allergy, but the vet said she couldn't see flea dirt and she is de-flea'd regularly. After a steroid injection, the scabs have improved immensely, however now there is a new thing which is why I'm reaching out here...
Coinciding with the scab issue, I noticed 2 other things, which I assumed were linked to the scabs and consequent over-grooming at the itchy sites.
  1. She has started salivating a lot more than she used to and
  2. She has started dropping whole, unchewed pieces of her food (both dry and wet food) all over the house. It's as if a piece of food becomes stuck in her mouth and when she realises it, having walked around for 5 minutes or so, she spits it out.
I suspect the scabbing and the salivation/eating disorder are not linked, but they did happen suspiciously close to each other. I'm thinking maybe dental problems? Has anyone else had a similar thing?
Hello R Rosiesdad and Rosie, and welcome to TCS!
Our beloved angel Simba did develop a skin disorder similar to what you describe. She had Siamese genes and was quite highly strung, so I believe it was an emotional/psychosomatic problem not caused by fleas. This could be the case with your Rosie. Sometimes these problems are idiopathic ("we don't know") in nature but if the steroid injection helped, so much the better.
I don't know if the two problems are related, of course, and not being a vet, I am not qualified to offer opinions other than to encourage you to have Rosie checked for dental/oral problems. The symptoms you describe definitely do sound orally caused, so the sooner you can talk to her vet, the better. Please keep us informed as to her progress, and hopefully others here at TCS will have more information and/or suggestions for you. All the best for your sweet girl!
 

fionasmom

Moderator
Staff Member
Moderator
Joined
Jun 21, 2014
Messages
13,119
Purraise
17,351
Location
Los Angeles
Welcome to The Cat Site! I am going to agree with you that the scabbing and the salivation/eating disorder are not linked; however, she overgroomed the places that were painful. If she came in contact with any topical medication, salivation might be a side effect.

In your opinion, is the rash cured now? Did the vet have any idea what caused it? Allergy to food or to some substance she encountered or any pet preparation?

Usually, any cat who salivates and drops unchewed food would be considered suspect for a dental or mouth related issue. Is she not eating sufficiently because she is spitting out so much food? That in itself could be a problem. I would get her back to the vet to have her mouth checked carefully. If Rosie is really calm, you might be able to get a glimpse into her mouth, but it won't be sufficient to figure out what is going on or to help her. This could be painful, and certainly could have come on coincidentally with the skin condition.
 
Top