What Is My Cat Doing With His Mouth? (video Included)

[heep80]

My cat started doing this weird thing with his mouth, and moving his paws up to the mouth. It almost looks like as if there would be something hanging out from the mouth and he's attempting to "pull" it out. The first thought was of course that he had something stuck in his mouth, trying to get it out, but there is nothing (visible anyways) stuck in there. It's been going on for a few weeks, occasionally not constantly, but once he starts he keeps doing it for a while.
We have looked inside his mouth and carefully touched his teeth to make sure nothing is loose, and everything seems to be in order and he is not showing any discomfort as if it would be in pain, while we touched his teeth. Here are two video clips from last night of him doing it. Any ideas? Please don't just say "take him to the vet" if you have no idea what this is. Of course I know I need to take him and I will, but before I do I wanted to ask here if any of you have seen this behavior before and know what it is.
Video 1: Video 2:

 

[Antonio65]

It says "video not available"...

 

[heep80]

Sorry, I don't know why it's not working. The videos are playing here. Perhaps it takes a while for them to become available to public (I just uploaded them seconds before I posted the original message). Hopefully in a few mins they will work.

 

[denice]

I am not able to see them. My first thought is a tooth issue. There could be something going on that you can't see. There is something called FORL, it's like a cavity but is actually autoimmune in nature. Those lesions usually start below the gum line.

 

[di and bob]

First, how old is he? A young cat that could possibly have teeth coming in, or and older cat that would have tooth issues? A cat pawing at his mouth does mean there is something going on, He could have an impaction or something that is not visible. Carefully pull back his lips while he is relaxed and try to spot anything unusual. It sounds more like he has something stuck. Did you check the roof of his mouth? He might be eating something that is somewhat toxic, any chewed plants, drinking from the toilet, or chewed cords that he may have shocked himself on? He might have injured his tongue or jaw. Get a video and take it in to the vet and see what they say. Keep us posted!

 

[heep80]

Thanks for your replies. He is coming on 11 years in May. I have really looked thoroughly for anything stuck, but can't find anything in the roof of his mouth or between the teeth, and nothing looks odd about the teeth either. Maybe it's something wrong that I can't see, like you suggested. I don't have any plants and he has no access to the toilet (door always closed) and no other toxic liquids etc out. He eats the same food he's always been eating (Whiskas wet + dry food).
I think there may be some sort of gum disease as he has a horrible breath, but it still doesn't explain why he acts like he's trying to pull something out of the mouth? I reuploaded the videos to a different website, let me know if they work now:

Video 1: Video 2:

 

[di and bob]

Yes, your poor baby is in pain. He definitely has something going on in his mouth or jaw. If it is a tumor, there are surgeries and steroids that work well. It's much better to catch it early. If it is just a bad tooth it can be pulled. I use a water additive called Oratene that kills bacteria in the cat's mouth and helps with dental issues. You might consider it. Definitely take him to the vet, you have to get to the bottom of this. I'm sorry, i know how expensive something like this can be, make sure you have an x-ray, it is much cheaper then a CT scan. Please keep us posted, we can help you through this, no matter what it is. I'll pray for that little boy!

 

[heep80]

I will call my vet and schedule an appointment a.s.a.p. then, I am worried now if you think he's in pain. I don't have any pet insurance but I can afford it, the only problem I have with vets over where I live is that you can't always trust them (they want to make unnecessary procedures just to earn money off of me) but worst of all they tend to make wild guesses (at least the vet in my town does this) instead of finding out for sure what the real cause is. "Here, try this [super expensive] feed for a few months and see if it gets better", or "We can do this, but I can't guarantee you it will solve the problem [but I'm earning money so why do I care]". OK, I am exaggerating a bit with the things written within the brackets, but you get what I mean. It's not a bad vet, but sometimes I get the impression she doesn't really know what she's doing. Unfortunately it's the only vet in town these days, and we live in kind of a rural area and far from the closest other veterinarian.

 

[Antonio65]

Have you looked under his tongue? Search carefully!
The cat in my my profile photo had a cancer under her tongue, I'm terrified that it could happen again to any other caT!

 

[fodder]

Often it is not obvious what is going on at first. Many symptoms can match many different issues. Just like when you visit your GP your vet will make an educated guess. Often they will try the cheapest options first for your benefit and move to other options if symptoms persist.

However, in this case it is obvious your cat is having problems around his mouth area. The way he is acting he is probably in some pain. I imagine your vet will do his best to check your cats teeth and mouth first. If the problem is not apparent he will probably want to do xrays.

Unfortunately vet visits are rarely cheap but it is unlikely that your vet is trying to scam you. Things like expensive foods are expensive for a reason, they usually take care of one issue or another so it is not uncommon for a vet to recommend such things.

 

[di and bob]

Yay, the videos are working!

 

[heep80]

Well, an appointment with the vet is scheduled for monday. She thinks my cat's condition is FORL (Feline Odontoclastic Resorptive Lesions) and if it turns out he is, several teeth will most likely have to be extracted.

A little OT, but seriously, I don't know why I have so bad luck with my cats. This cat's same aged sibling was sold to me (by a private individual) and unfortunately came with a serious case of cryptosporidium. Of course I didn't know she had that at the time of purchasing her, but it was quickly revealed as she had constant diarrhea and slime in her stool. The vet (a different vet than the one I am going to now) recommended euthanasia as, I quote her words, "cats with cryptosporidium infections seldom survive and there is no effective treatment available". After a large number of antibiotic shots over a span of several weeks, multiple blood work and what would be equivalent to over $5000 less money in my pocket, she eventually beat the infection and she is still alive today, 11 years later.

Then I also have a third cat, a siamese mix breed, who has had her share of health problems as well. After she was spayed, she would not leave her wound / scar alone for anything in the world, but kept licking and biting on the stitches. We desperately tried to keep her from doing it, we even tried one of those flea funnels but she would freak out with that on. Well, she ended up with a hernia on her stomach thanks to her messing with the wound, and then that had to be corrected through surgery.
Another problem with her is that she doesn't like to eat. It's very difficult getting her to eat enough food. It's like she only eats the very least possible to stay alive. She is skinny as hell, on the verge of being underweight I would say. It doesn't work giving her special feed that contains the right protein and nutrients, been there done that, she won't eat it. She also refuses to eat together with the other cats, and have to be fed in a special bowl. To make things worse, she only likes a very few select (expensive, of course) cat food brands, and we are unable to leave her food out because the other cats will eat it up then, so we have to bring special food bowls out just for her, when she is hungry. She'll eat three, four pieces at a time, then leave and come back 10 minutes later and want more. She'll do this continuously throughout the evening.

Sorry for the off-topic rant. I love my cats, just wish they were more normal like other peoples' cats and had less health problems.

 

[Antonio65]

A little OT, but seriously, I don't know why I have so bad luck with my cats.
...[CUT]...
After a large number of antibiotic shots over a span of several weeks, multiple blood work and what would be equivalent to over $5000 less money in my pocket, she eventually beat the infection and she is still alive today, 11 years later.

The answer to your question is in these lines.
You're not unlucky, you're just caring. Those who cares have to face several issues, troubles, expenses, sleepless nights.
Those who do not care just leave their cats alone until they die without the owners will ever know why. Less troubles and headaches, that in a certain point of view is less bad luck.
In my opinion, you're not unlucky, you're a good guardian. Those who think they are lucky are just bad guardians!

Then I also have a third cat, a siamese mix breed
...[CUT]...
She also refuses to eat together with the other cats, and have to be fed in a special bowl. To make things worse, she only likes a very few select (expensive, of course) cat food brands ... so we have to bring special food bowls out just for her, when she is hungry. She'll eat three, four pieces at a time, then leave and come back 10 minutes later and want more. She'll do this continuously throughout the evening.
Sorry for the off-topic rant. I love my cats, just wish they were more normal like other peoples' cats and had less health problems.

I have never seen a normal cat

 

[heep80]

The answer to your question is in these lines.
You're not unlucky, you're just caring. Those who cares have to face several issues, troubles, expenses, sleepless nights.
Those who do not care just leave their cats alone until they die without the owners will ever know why. Less troubles and headaches, that in a certain point of view is less bad luck.
In my opinion, you're not unlucky, you're a good guardian. Those who think they are lucky are just bad guardians!

Thank you for your words. :-)

I have never seen a normal cat

LOL!

 

[fodder]

The grass always seems greener on the other side but i can assure you that almost all cats end up costing thousands in vet bills. If i could get the money back i have spent on vets i think i could probably buy another house,lol.

The thing is though, it is totally worth it. Money could not be spent any better than on keeping your pet healthy in my opinion.

 

[heep80]

I thought I'd just give everyone a quick update on this case.
I took my cat to the vet this monday, and after x-rays they determined he suffered from a really bad case of FORL. They extracted a total of five teeth that were causing him a lot of pain. There are some additional teeth where the gums are mildly infected, but not to the point where it's causing him any pain, and we may or may not have to do something about those in the future.
I was told FORL is very common, apparently (according to this vet anyway), nearly 50% of all cats in my country suffers from it sometime during their lifetime. I had no idea.
They said he must have been in A LOT of pain because the infection was so severe. I feel absolutely horrible he had to go through that and I wish I would have known sooner he was in pain. But I'm glad it's been taken care of now at least.
One thing though... The strange thing he was doing with his mouth, which was the reason I posted this thread to start with... He is still doing that. I thought it was a sign of him being in pain, but could he have been (or could he be) doing it for some other reason? Could it be the fact that it's hurting after the teeth have been pulled and the stitches may be uncomfortable? I wrote the vet and asked too and I'm waiting on her response.

 

[Antonio65]

I guess you showed the vet the video. What did she say in the first place?
Can I ask you where you live? You say that nearly 50% of all cats in your country suffers from FORL, but this issue is rather new to me. Has it something to do with the geographic region?

 

[heep80]

I guess you showed the vet the video. What did she say in the first place?
Can I ask you where you live? You say that nearly 50% of all cats in your country suffers from FORL, but this issue is rather new to me. Has it something to do with the geographic region?

Yes I did show the video to them and their initial response was that it's a sign of something being wrong in his mouth, probably a dental problem, and they didn't really say anything else about that behavior. So I just assumed he was in pain and that he would stop doing it once the aching teeth had been pulled.
I haven't got any response back after I e-mailed them today, but hopefully by the end of the day I'll hear something.
I live in Sweden and I have no clue whether there is any truth to 50% of our cats supposedly suffering from FORL, but that is what the vet said, haven't seen any official statistics on this or anything. By the way, she said FORL exists in all feline animals, not just domestic cats, and nobody really knows what causes it. I suppose it's simply genetic.

 

[denice]

One of my cats had issues with FORL. They suspect it is some type of autoimmune thing. The vet told me that cats found in the ancient tombs of Egypt had FORL so it has been with cats at least since domestication and probably before.

 

[walli]

Did they look under the tongue? My cat had a tumor under her tongue too she was 18 when she got it.
If there is a problem there you will see it and they have lots of saliva.
I didn't know why she had saliva on her fur on her neck, didn't realize there was a problem.
check your cats tongues! unless you have a feral