Stomatitis in cats is a complex disease, but it’s actually simple to explain and really has one basic treatment. I’ll explain stomatitis and what my cat Sunshine experienced when she had it.
What Is Stomatitis in Cats?
Stomatitis in cats is a painful condition that causes extreme inflammation of the gums and lining of the mouth (cheeks, roof of mouth, etc.). For some unknown reason, a cat’s immune system attacks the natural oral bacteria. There is some suspicion that viruses like feline herpes and calicivirus play a role. But we really don’t know what causes stomatitis right now.
Stomatitis Symptoms
Although cats are masters of disguise when it comes to pain, stomatitis is so painful, symptoms are usually apparent. These include:
- Extremely red, swollen gums
- Bad breath
- Decreased grooming (mats)
- Decreased appetite
- Weight loss
- Increased salvation
- Vocalizing at food
- Dropping food
I first noticed my cat Sunshine wasn’t eating as much and had stopped grooming close to her tail. She had a few mats. I then noticed and odor coming from her mouth which prompted me to look inside. Her gums were bright red and appeared to be swollen. A cat’s gums are usually a pale pink (almost white), and hers were nearly blood red.
Stomatitis Treatment
The only real treatment for stomatis is partial- or full-mouth extractions. Teeth retain plaque, so removing them decreases the places where oral bacteria can grow.
In rare cases, cats still have residual inflammation after extractions. The best treatment for them is steroids.
It’s important to note that extractions should be the first line of treatment. The teeth need to be removed ASAP and the bacterial load lowered before using other treatments like steroids or antibiotics. They will only have minimal impact if used while the teeth (and bacteria) are still present.
Immediately after Sunshine’s full-mouth extraction, her gums looked healthier. It was remarkable that the redness was already starting to dissipate a few hours after surgery.
Post-Op Care
Different vets may do different things after surgery. Sunshine received an antibiotic shot at the time of surgery, so I was just sent home with pain meds to give her every 12 hour for a few days. She was fed wet food only for 2 weeks until the stitches dissolved.
Dry Food? Wet Food? Both!
People often assume if a cat doesn’t have teeth they can’t eat wet food. This isn’t true. Many cats don’t really chew their dry food that much anyway, so they swallow a lot of it whole. Sunshine really doesn’t like wet food (the two weeks of her having it were a nightmare). She was so happy to reunited with her darling kibble. She definitely leaves more crumbs now, but she has a healthy appetite and no issues eating.
To learn more about dental disease, take a look at my article Cat Dental Disease: The Curious Case of Sir Buttons’ Teeth.
