Sudden lipsmacking behavior

Hello all,
I have a female calico cat who is about to turn 4 this month.
As of the last week she developed the odd behavior of lipsmacking, for long periods of time.
Now I know this can be a sign of certain health issues, but there has been no change in her behavior or habits whatsoever.
She is eating and drinking the same, she is going to the bathroom the same. She will sit and smack her lips for several minutes straight, looking rather dazed out at the same time, then get up and run around like a lunatic with her toys as is normal for her.
She has not withdrawn, she is as affectionate and vocal and personable as ever.
In the event that she was attempting to regurgitate anything, I have been giving her hairball remedy (Petromalt) regularly, and she is passing hair in her stool as usual.
If you say her name or grab her attention while she is smacking her lips she will stop and look at you, so it isn't an action that she has no control over.
I have also managed to get a look inside her mouth and can see no noticeable issues, her gums and teeth are healthy, there are no objects or obstructions anywhere.

I am going to call the vet today to see if they have a clue since there is no noticeable health issues, but wanted to find out if anyone else has experienced a behavior like this.
I am desperate to find something out because she is keeping both my husband and myself up at night with the noise.
I have seen similar behaviors mentioned in these forums, but haven't seen anyone really figure out what is going on.

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks

Hmm...would be interesting to find this out. One of our cats, Beauty started doing the lip smacking this spring. Although when she starts it, you think she'sgoing to grab a drink of water,but instead she throws up.

Have you found any signs of puke? Perhaps its the Hairball remedy?

Same as Lunasmom: Whn my Ginger starts lipsmacking, I know that a is not far behind.

Why a cat would do that just for the sake of lipsmacking? I'm sorry, but I have no idea.

With her smacking her lips and "looking kind of dazed",I would wonder about something neurological...maybe a seizure? Mine also do the lip smacking/licking before a good barf.

Maybe you should have a vet check out the cat to rule out any medical problems! I'm sorry I wish I could help you more, but I haven't ever experienced excessive lip smacking before... Good luck, and keep us updated what you find out!

No good barfs or hairballs as of yet, I found myself almost hoping she would to see if it would help or not. She is passing hair in her stool and certainly isn't exhibiting any behavior like she is sick to her stomach or needs to barf.
She has a particular kind of meow before she gets sick and she always comes to my husband and myself right before she does so that we see every time she throws up.
As for the neurological suggestion, sounds reasonable, but this is not an involuntary action, she stops if you say her name, and she looks at you while she does it. The dazed out look she gets is similar to the dazed out look she gets while she kitty biscuits (kneads).

I called the vet's office and they can't tell me anything. Since she is not exhibiting discomfort or any other abnormality and the actual lipsmacking itself isn't disturbing her, I'm trying to avoid putting her through the trauma of taking her to the vet...the last time I took her in, I had to sedate her so she wouldn't hurt herself in the carrier. She is a bit high-strung that way, she gets frantic and wets herself when she is taken someplace.

Thanks for the replies and I'll let ya all know if I find anything else out.

Oh, and I doubt it is the hairball remedy as she has had the same kind for years, as did my cats before her.

Originally Posted by Lavinia

Since she is not exhibiting discomfort or any other abnormality and the actual lipsmacking itself isn't disturbing her, I'm trying to avoid putting her through the trauma of taking her to the vet...the last time I took her in, I had to sedate her so she wouldn't hurt herself in the carrier. She is a bit high-strung that way, she gets frantic and wets herself when she is taken someplace.

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I would support you in this - no barfing, no other weird behavior - maybe she's just a little bit OCD and this is her idiosyncracy.

Ferris is exactly the same when it comes to getting him into the carrier for any reason - he freaks out and yowls and pees all over himself, poor boy. And then I feel all kinds of guilty.

Definitely stay in communication with your vet and keep an eye on her just in case there is a new behavior added to the lipsmacking, but if its just as you described, similar to kneading, perhaps it's like a child sucking their thumb - she may not be totally conscious that she's doing it and it may just be a comforting behavior for her.

Keep us posted, please!

Lip smacking or rapid licking of the lips goes along with nausea, though it does not always precede vomitting.

I've seen this with my guys, both normal and those with crf (folks on the crf support list will often mention this as a symptom of nausea). (crf = chronic renal failure)

Been a while, but I took my cat to the vet, she had a broken tooth that was starting to abscess and the same tooth on the opposite side that wasn't broken but was starting to abscess. So we had them both removed and a full dental cleaning.
I hoped that this would resolve the tongue smacking behavior...however it did not.
I asked the vet when I took her back for a check-up and they said it could just be habitual at this point because there was nothing noticeably wrong in her mouth. I had them do a full blood work-up too, and all looked fine.

It has been months since of sleepless nights due to her continuous tongue smacking, she really goes at it loudly and relentlessly. At this point I am desperate for a way to get her to stop. I have tried to train her that the behavior is no good, but she just doesn't seem to associate the behavior with anything.

She is fine otherwise, eating normally, going to the bathroom normally, she hasn't lost any weight or had any other physical changes or behavior changes. She is still the crazy nut she has always been!

My husband and I are feeling very exhausted from being woken up multiple times during the night. So any help in getting her to stop would be much appreciated.

I can't keep her out of the bedroom during the night either, she is VERY attached to my husband and freaks out if he just closes the door to use the restroom. So trying to keep her from sleeping with us would be a nightmare.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

ear plugs? That's all I can think of.

Originally Posted by lunasmom

Hmm...would be interesting to find this out. One of our cats, Beauty started doing the lip smacking this spring. Although when she starts it, you think she'sgoing to grab a drink of water,but instead she throws up.

Have you found any signs of puke? Perhaps its the Hairball remedy?

Click to expand...

Same here, I always know when she will throw up. Thank goodness for the warning.