Please Help

[s3rosko]

Yesterday i found my cat's mouth in this position, so I waited a day to see if it goes back to normal again.
I don't know if another cat beat her up or if a human hit her (there is no reason to).
Please tell me if it's a serious problem so I take her to the vet or if it will go back to normal in a few days.
Thank you in advance.

 

[LTS3]

Looks like a normal flehmen response to an interesting smell. There is a sensory organ in the back of a cat's mouth which relays info to the brain. Flehmen is a kind of sniffing response. A cat may open its mouth slightly and do a few breathy inhales and stay in an open mouth position for a few seconds to process whatever smell they sense.

Some cats do keep their mouths open slightly for some reason or another and it's totally normal for them. If your cat is otherwise fine and eating and drinking and using the litter box, there's nothing to be worried about. You can email the pictures to your vet for reassurance if you like.

 

[di and bob]

It does mean a lot if the cat is eating, drinking, using the litterbox normally. If not definitely get to the vet. it could mean several things, she is smelling something 9in this case will close her mouth at times.) has dental problems, is injured, or it is hot and she is slightly panting. As long as she is eating, using the litter box, and drinking, you could observe her for a few days and see if it improves. If it does not by then, send your vet those pictures and see what they advise. All the luck!

 

[s3rosko]

Thank you for your responses.
It's been 2 days since she closed her mouth. She struggles while eating and she doesn't eat a lot, so I put some milk in her granules.
I thought it may be something serious that needs immediate action, but I will wait a few more days to see how things turn out.
Again, thank you for both responses <3

 

[di and bob]

She needs wet food to eat easier. If she is struggling, she may have a dislocated jaw, you should have a vet at least look at the pictures. Cows milk is not easily digestible by cats when they are grown, it may upset her. Only give goats milk or something lactose free.

 

[white shadow]

.
Hi s3rosko and welcome to the forum !

From what you said, it sounds as if she goes outside unsupervised - for now, until you are certain that she isn't injured or hasn't developed a health issue - you need to keep her secure indoors.

• exactly what do you mean by "struggles while eating"....what are you seeing that she does?
• "she doesn't eat a lot".......well, is she eating less than usual? is it a lot less? (if it's a lot less, then don't wait, take her in - unlike humans, cats can't go without food intake for long, as their livers go 'wonky' very quickly)
• does her mouth look visibly different to you? (more/other than 'just' being open?)
• is her chin/mouth area tender/sore?.....can you touch/rub her in that area? Do you normally pet/scrqatch her in that area? Can you do it now? Does she resist/pull away/vocalize when you try?
• is her other behaviour any different? Is she hiding....less active....reclusive ?
• is her breathing 'labored'/difficult/rapid ?
• (this "flehmen response" that was mentioned only happens momentarily, doesn't last for long periods, so don't rely on that)

Meantime, yes, wet food is the way to go........and, if you have a blender, use that to turn the food into a smoothie texture, which she can simply lick up. If you need to buy something for this, get a paté style canned food - I use a hand blender and a mug to make a 100% smoothie.

Yes, cow's milk can really 'do a number' on a cat's gut.....cat/kitten milk or goats' milk is fine (and can also be added to the smoothie).

And, if you're unsure about how much she's eating, monitor her 'output'....if that's less than usual, she'll have eaten less (of course, that's dependent on knowing her usual litterbox activity).

Besides any answers you can provide, keep us posted !
.

 

[cataholic07]

You need to bring her to the vet. Her jaw could be broken and the longer you wait the harder it will be for surgery. She would be in pain even if its just dislocated or hairline fracture. Please just bring her to the vet asap.

 

[jefferd18]

You say she has trouble breathing? That there would be enough for me to take her to the vet.

 

[s3rosko]

Thank you all for the replies.

To
jefferd18
I've never said she has trouble breathing, if she did I would have already taken action,

To
white shadow
She eats in a different way. Her mouth does look different to me. I don't want to touch her there, so that I don't make things worse.

She slept for about 3-4 hours yesterday and today she is more active and eats more normal (I mean how much she eats and the way she eats ). Her mouth is still open though. I think it may be dislocated, so I called the vet who told me to first take her to a place (I don't know how it's called in English) where they will take an x-ray picture of her, but it's closed this and the following day. I keep her inside for the nights. She still cleans herself yawns like normal, which makes me think that it's not broken, but only dislocated (not that it's less serious). I am taking her to this place I told you before where they will x-ray her in Monday and then probably straight to the vet.

Thank you good people for replying