My cat won't eat, cries, and grinds teeth. Is it oral pain?

So sorry that Winnie is not feeling well! Winnie can be refusing to eat for a variety of reasons, however, from what you have described, it sounds like Winnie is grinding her teeth. Cats typically grind their teeth if their mouth is painful, and likely are unwilling to chew which could be causing her to not eat. This can be due to damage to the jaw, either from trauma, infection, or bone destruction. Depending on her age, different dental diseases could be causing these signs as well. Cats are also prone to developing conditions such as stomatitis (or inflammation of the mouth and gums), or she may have fractured a tooth. As all of these conditions are painful, Winnie should be examined by a veterinarian as soon as possible, especially if she is refusing to eat. Her veterinarian will be able to diagnose the condition and treat her to make her more comfortable. Her veterinarian will also be able to rule out other causes of decreased appetite, such as intestinal disease or a different condition affecting her jaw or mouth. In the meantime, you can try to offer her soft canned food, or even dilute the food with some water so that she does not have to chew, but rather can just swallow the food. I hope Winnie feels better soon!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Unfortunately there is no topical numbing oral solution for cats that I know of but something such as Sucralfate may help alleviate the ulcerations inside of the mouth. I would discuss this with a veterinarian as you will need a prescription to get Sucralfate. If she has stomatitis, she may need to have all of her teeth removed to help resolve this problem. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. These symptoms could be related to dental problems or issue with the temporomandibular joint. The latter being rather uncommon in young cats. As long as Frank is bright, has good appetite and does not show any mouth discomfort or halitosis, I would suggest to monitor him at home for the next 1-2 months. If the symptoms do not get any better you should take him to your local vets then.

You need to take your cat into a vet now for treatment. You cannot give him any human pain medications, as many are toxic to cats and are fatal if given. Not eating is extremely serious, as it will lead to a fatty liver if he goes long enough without food. A fatty liver is fatal without treatment. Please bring him into a vet immediately.

It sounds like Z has not eaten today, and but that she ate a small amount yesterday so at this point I think you are probably okay to wait. The teeth chattering could be a sign of pain so you should definitely continue with the buprenorphine. If she seems to be in significant pain or if she is very weak or lethargic I'd recommend trying to see an emergency veterinarian. You could try offering some canned food mixed with water via syringe, but don't force the food if she is not interested.

Grinding her teeth can be a sign of pain. I recommend to have Angel examined by her veterinarian today if possible. She may have a bad tooth or other type of infection causing discomfort. Additionally, older cats can be more susceptible to dehydration then younger cats. It’s best to be more aggressive with them treatment wise. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Jinks may have dental disease causing him to be in pain when you touch his mouth. It would be a good idea to have Jinx examined by a veterinarian to determine if he has dental disease requiring a dental cleaning and possible tooth extractions. He may also benefit from pain medication until the dental procedure can be done. Please remember there are no safe over the counter pain medications for cats so you will need to have these prescribed by a veterinarian. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!