Why does my kitten have bad breath and drool when he purrs?

There are a number of reasons that kitens will drool, but I will discuss a few. Kittens will lose their baby teeth and get their adult teeth in between 3 and 6 months of age. The smaller baby teeth are usually just swallowed and you may never see them. When they are loosing their baby teeth, the adult teeth come in under the baby teeth and can be painful or irritating which can cause drooling. Another possibility if the drooling is only occuring when Nala is kneading is a normal physiological response that can occur with kneading. Some cats grow out of it and some continue it. Finally, cats and kittens can drool if they are nauseated or have a problem swallowing. If Nala has any change in her appetitie, problem swallowing or is vomiting, I would certainly have her evaluated. Are there any plants that she has been chewing on that could be irritating her mouth? If it is getting worse or there are any other clinical signs, she should also be evaluated. I'm sorry they did not examine her when you took her in. Depending on when she is due for her next kitten vaccination, I would certainly recommend having her mouth examined at that time. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

That could happen especially with kitten when they get excited or they start purring. Unfortunately there is not much you can do as this behaviour is unlikely to be pathological but rather completely normal and Rocky may grow out of it. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Hi. It sounds like Oliver has some severe dental disease. He most likely has gingivitis and possibly a painful, loose, or resorptive lesions on some teeth. Dental disease in cats can cause pain and discomfort.  This could impact quality of life. In some cases, the dental disease can cause a cat to stop eating. For dental disease, besides brushing teeth with pet toothpaste daily,  your veterinarian will recommend removing plaque and mineral buildup by scaling and polishing the teeth. Teeth will try to be saved wherever possible. In extreme cases, extraction of teeth might be needed.  Unfortunately a veterinarian will need to be involved. Look in to carecredit.com credit at carecredit.com as a possibility for a payment plan.

Typically excess salivation is either caused by nausea or pain (oral or abdominal), although this is not an all inclusive list. There can still be oral disease present, especially if these missing teeth were not removed but fell out. Cats can get resorptive lesions of their teeth which can be really painful and the changes can be hard for owners to detect. They can also get lesions in their mouth (stomatitis, a mass, ulcers, etc.) that an owner may not see. Additionally diseases of other body systems may cause drooling (kidneys, gi, etc ). I would recommend your kitty seeing a vet for a thourough oral exam and blood work to start. A good oral exam will likely require sedation and perhaps dental xrays. Additional testing may be recommended based on the case. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

This is totally normal! When a cats sleeps, the muscles in their mouth relax, leading to the drooling. This happens with humans too. And some cats can drool when purring. I had a cat as a kid who drooled so much when she was on my lap that I always ended up with a big wet spot. I hope this helps!

At this age the bad breath might be because of teething, which occurs until the age of around 5 months of age, after that if the bad breath remains it's probably due to gum disease, which is very common in cats, in most cases it doesn't bother the cat and thus does not require treatment.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If Milo was drooling that may be a sign of nausea which can be seen with gastrointestinal conditions like gastroenteritis, pancreatitis or conditions such as kidney disease, among others. If it has only happened once, it is fair to monitor him for now as long as he is otherwise doing well with a good appetite and activity level. If this is a persistent issue, or he does not feel well, have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck!