Hi everyone, I have a 15-year-old cat (she just turned 15 four days ago). She has kidney failure which is being treated with Semintra, and back at the end of August, she had to have a few teeth out because of tartar build-up (it was impossible to remove with a standard scale and polish).
For the last 2 or 3 days, I've noticed that when she finishes her wet food (Purina One for indoor, neutered adult cats), she starts chewing at thin air, as if something is bothering her, and I've heard a clicking sound – possibly her jaw – which lasts for about a minute. I've noticed she only licks the gravy, and when I tried giving her a small piece earlier, she struggled to pick it up (her tongue didn't seem to have any 'grip') and swallow it. She's also having trouble meowing; sometimes there's no sound at all, sometimes just a little, and other times she meows normally. It also looks like she's struggling to yawn, as she isn't opening her jaw properly. She hasn't eaten any dry food for 2 weeks and she drools when she's purring, for example (we get a proper cuddle session when we get home), and she dribbles when she sleeps (but then again, humans do that too, don't they?). She goes out occasionally (I take her out when she feels like it for about twenty minutes so she can eat some grass); there are stray cats in the garden. She doesn't have fleas or tapeworm. She's drinking, but it's noisy when she swallows, and she's still using the litter tray fine, even if her stools aren't quite what they used to be.
It's been a week since I took her to the vet. The vet doesn't know why her meow is like that; she checked her throat and there's nothing there, no swelling. However, she did have a round bald patch next to her whiskers, but no sign of any infection or viruses.
I also bought some cat grass; she wanted to eat it but couldn't manage to chew it.
So, I'd like to get more information on why she's 'air chewing', because she actually started doing this before she had the teeth removed, and we thought that was the cause. I've explained this to the vet, but as they're fully booked, she's not being seen until tomorrow morning. I'm just looking for some reassurance (and please, no 'take your cat to the vet' comments) because I've been on various forums and it feels like my cat is the only one with this 'condition'. Thanks in advance.
Translated from French
The forum content is sometimes translated from another language, and posts may concern countries with different animal laws. Do your research before making any decisions.
Since the forum is translated by AI, the translations may contain errors.
It really does sound like the problem is in the mouth. A bad case of laryngitis, an infected abscess, gingivitis, etc. Getting a second opinion from another vet is definitely a must; you're doing the right thing.
Or maybe not, because her blood tests from the end of August didn't show anything other than her kidney issues... she's breathing normally and isn't breathing with her mouth open... I really need to see a good vet because it feels like the cause of her illness is staring us right in the face.
Hello! Thanks for all your replies. In the end, I didn't go to the vet; I cancelled because I was thinking about what she said on the phone and about our previous appointments during the night. I didn't want to waste my time or money on her, only to come away feeling annoyed, without any answers, and even more anxious. She’s had this silent meow or has been making a strange noise since April, and the vet doesn't seem at all bothered. Every time I visit and tell her she’s still not meowing, she just tells me not to worry. Mind you, when she heard those "meows" for the first time, even she asked what on earth it was!
Anyway, I’m going to ring a few other vets first thing Monday morning. When she was out in the garden earlier, she couldn't seem to chew the grass—it just came back out of her mouth completely intact, just covered in drool. She’s still running and jumping, there’s no discharge from her eyes or nose, she isn’t coughing or sneezing, and she’s active. But she is making a noise when she drinks, which she never used to do. Also, earlier while she was sleeping, she woke up and started chewing at the air. I tried to open her mouth to check her throat but I didn't have much luck; I just managed to see two little red spots on the left side of her gums when I lifted her lip.
So, I reckon it’s either a gum problem or something to do with her thyroid.
I had the same kind of experience when I got my little monster. The first vet told us not to worry, that his diarrhoea would just clear up on its own. As it turned out, after going to see another vet, our kitten was dehydrated and riddled with parasites; if we’d waited even another week, he wouldn't be here anymore. He’s in great shape now thanks to that second vet.
Story time...
Along the same lines, a vet once diagnosed our previous cat with gastritis, simply because he hadn’t examined her properly (she was a bit of a handful, I’ll admit). We ended up spending about £80 on meds and other supplements plus "sensitive" wet food tins (this was 10 years ago) and there was no improvement at all.
48 hours later at 10 pm, my partner and I decided to find an emergency vet; the poor thing was going downhill right before our eyes. Luckily, living in a big city, we had a 24-hour clinic nearby. The vet who saw us was so gentle and professional. When we warned him she could be "a bit unpredictable," he just put on some gardening gloves to check her mouth (anyway, our poor girl wasn't really in a state to defend herself by then).
The verdict: most likely gingivitis. One injection... cost about £95 (if I remember rightly) because it was a night-time emergency, and the guy gave us three tins of wet food for free (he almost apologised for charging that much for a simple jab). Back home, the vet told us that if he was right, we’d see results very quickly and to keep him posted. By midnight, our girl was eating again. We called the guy to let him know and to thank him. He told me he was the one who should be thanking me because usually, night emergencies don't end well (makes sense, if you’re at the out-of-hours vet, it's usually serious), and it made his night to have some good news.
To think we’d spent two days torturing the poor thing trying to force useless meds down her when her gums were absolutely raw... I still feel guilty about it today.
Hi,
Based on your messages, I’d definitely agree and suggest seeing another vet. When a vet starts saying things like "you're worrying too much" or "there's no need to worry" even though you can clearly see something's up – especially with an older cat you know inside out – it's time to move on.
So no, trust your gut! If you feel like something's wrong and the vet doesn't seem interested in finding the cause, it's always, always better to get a second opinion.
I had the same kind of experience with my own little monster. The first vet told us not to worry and that his diarrhoea would just clear up on its own. As it turned out, after going to see a different vet, our kitten was actually dehydrated and riddled with parasites. If we’d waited even one more week, he wouldn't be here today. He’s now fit as a fiddle, all thanks to that second vet.
Hi,
I’m with @Greylox on this—change your vet!
In the past, I had a cat who had the same symptoms as yours. As it turns out, after having some dead teeth pulled, another one had started to wobble, which was really bothering him. He was chewing at the air, drooling and was very lethargic. I took him back to the emergency vet and they removed that loose tooth straight away. You have to remember that, just like with humans, dental issues are really painful for cats, and they don't understand what’s happening in their mouths.
Hi there,
You’ve got questions and your vet isn’t giving you any answers other than "as long as he’s eating, it’s nothing to worry about". I completely understand your concern.
I’m not you, but if I were in your shoes, I’d definitely go and get a second opinion from another vet. Believe me, not all vets are the same. I’m not trying to criticise the profession as a whole — in fact, most of the ones I’ve dealt with have been competent and compassionate — but there are always exceptions...
I forgot to mention one thing: my vet said it wasn’t anything serious and that I shouldn't worry, claiming I was overthinking it. She said you only need to worry when a cat stops eating and hides away in a corner, and that we get like that sometimes too. She said it’s just because of the surgery she’s had; basically, she thinks you should only worry when a cat is at the end of its life and nothing more can be done for it. For a start, the way she’s meowing isn’t normal, and now she’s chewing at thin air and having trouble opening her jaw—surely that should worry her at least a little bit? I’m thinking about switching vets; it feels like she isn’t very good and just waits until an animal is at death’s door before finally treating them, just so she can say: "oh, it’s too late to do anything now!" In my opinion, a pet should be treated as soon as their behaviour changes, not three months down the line. It feels like when it’s an old cat, nobody wants to bother with them and they’re all just waiting for her to die, unfortunately.
