My cat struggles to eat or drink. Is something stuck in his mouth?

Your cat needs to see his veterinarian ASAP. It is possible that your cat has a tooth abscess, severe periodontal disease, something lodged inside the mouth, an injury, or an oral tumor. Regardless of cause, this is a serious medical condition since it is preventing him from eating and drinking normally. Your cat is at risk of becoming dehydrated and developing a condition called hepatic liposis, which can lead to liver failure. Even going 24 hours without food can cause changes in liver functioning.

Hello. You should try to get her into a carrier, box, or something that will restrain her & get her to a veterinarian. If you cannot get her to the vet, she will quite sick if she is unable to eat. Once she is at the vet., she can be sedated & a thorough oral exam will be done. Hope all is OK. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Sam. I recommend that he sees an emergency veterinarian today. He needs to be examined. If there is a smell coming from his mouth, I worry that he has a wound. If he is painful, then he will not open his mouth. There are also other causes of not being able to use the mouth properly such as infectious and inflammatory conditions. The veterinarian will examine him and may recommend some testing. Based on these results, treatment can be started to help him feel better. I worry that he will become dehydrated from not eating and drinking properly. This may need to be addressed as well. I hope this information helps!

If he really does have something stuck in his esophagus it can be very dangerous and can damage the esophagus. I would highly encourage you to have him evaluated by a veterinarian immediately. They will likely recommend an x-ray to see where/ what it is to be able to help make a plan. Often anesthesia is needed to try to either retrieve the object, or sometimes push it down into the stomach if that seems safer. Best of luck and I hope Mousey improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Oh no that is awful! The cat will have to be sedated to remove the tongue and the tongue may need stitches to close the hole. The tongue is an amazing organ and actually heals quite quickly, so I expect it would be a great prognosis. This will be extremely painful to the cat and it's serious he can't eat or drink. This is a medical emergency and he has to see a vet now. Please take him into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website. Best of luck.

He may have an injury or something stuck in his mouth that makes him painful and reluctant to eat. I strongly recommend getting him seen by a vet right away, even though he's feeling better. There may still be something that can be corrected to make him feel better, and if he has swallowed something he shouldn't have or injured his mouth by chewing something he may need veterinary care in order to heal completely.

Tell your mom to take him into a vet first thing in the morning, this does not sound normal and needs to be checked out asap. There could be something stuck in his mouth, he could have a severe dental problem, or a bad ear infection.