Abnormal Chewing of Food

I started a post last week regarding my cats vomiting. It is still happening, and I have taken him to a vet twice. The first time they put him on Hill's C/D, the second time the vet prescribed Reglan (which has made my cat's behavior a little weird). Unfortunately he is still vomiting.

I noticed that my cat is not chewing his food like he normally does. I do not sense any pain, but he picks up individual pieces of food, and bites on it excessively...... I would say 10 bites PER bit of food...he almost looks like he is trying to work the food around his mouth and really really chew on it before he swallows. Is this just an unique cat behavior? Or is this a sign of something more serious?

Also, he is leaving a lot of food on the floor, that he REFUSES to eat no matter what.... I am wondering if he hates the food and is actually gagging when he eats.....

Any suggestions would be helpful. I'm worried my cat might have megaesophagus.

Just curious...did the vet take a good look inside your cat's mouth, too, to check for any problems in the mouth or throat?

I would be looking for a second opinion if it were me. The fact that you are concerned enough to post these observations tells me that you are caring and responsible cat owner. The responsible act would be to find a second vet and have your cat seen, or ask your other vet for a referral (which sometimes they are loathe to do unless a specialist is involved)

Good luck- and please let us know what happens?

I have a cat that chews that way who has chronic stomatitus - basically a hard to treat inflamation of the gums that causes pain for the cat. Agree with others, seek another vet's opinion and have them look specifically in their mouth.

The 2 seperate visits were actually to 2 seperate vets. I was not happy with the first vet for a variety of reasons. The 2nd vet was a lot better he gave me nearly an hour of his time to answer all my questions.

He wanted to look at kitty's mouth... but kitty is not friendly to other people.... so in order to do that he must be sedates, which I'm VERY hesitant of doing. I have checked his mouth myself.... but didn't see inflamed gums, cracked teeth, or anything to be concerned of. But perhaps the teeth that's giving him problems is further in the back..........

Is there a way for me to look for problems myself? What are red flags?

Also... how could pain chewing cause vomiting? That's where I can't make a connection.....

I'm glad you found a better vet! Didn't realize that you had already changed!!

Shep won't let anyone look in her mouth anymore and will bite if you try. We diagnosed her a few years ago, and did have her sedated for regular treatments. Now that she is very old, we are very reluctant to sedate any longer. Shep doesn't vomit, so you probably do have something else going on here. I related your description of chewing behavior to what Shep has with her gum problems (she also leaves food all over the place).

I truly understand your concern about sedation, but if that is what it's going to take to get an accurate diagnose, should you just do it? I would rather put them through a slight risk of sedation and find out what it takes to treat them than speculate on whether the treatment you chose is the right one (my personal opinion which may not be right for you). Shep goes back in later this week for a full blood work up and tissue biopsy at which time we will have to sedate her to perform the procedures - don't want to do it, but knows it needs to be done if we are to continue the right treatment for her.

That's great that you found a better vet. I don't know if it will help to ease your mind about sedation, but the anesthesias used now are a huge improvement over the ones used even just a few years ago. My cats (9 & 15 years old) that had trouble with anesthesias 4 or 5 years ago wake up now from a dental with the newer anesthesia & go on with their day like nothing's happened. If you talk to your vet about your concerns, he may recommend (or may have already done) bloodwork to make sure your cat is healthy enough to sedate. I definitely agree with MomofMany - it may be a necessary small risk that needs to be taken for proper diagnosis. She may be protective of her mouth because it's tender - cats can get gum problems, severe mouth sores, or other inflammations that can cause problems eating. It might be something entirely different, but unless he can give her a complete & thorough exam it's hard to tell.

Hope this helps

I have decided to temporarily stop dry food entirely from his diet until his problem is resolved. I am pretty confident that canned food will stop his vomitting. I am going on Vacation in late Nov and i want this to be solved or else I would feel uncomfortable leaving him in other's care.

I will definately get an xray done and have the vet take a look inside his mouth for any signs of foul play. I really think the source of the problem is not internal, and can probably be observed with a flash light and a sedated cat. (of course I'm very optomistic). I will also get a CBC and basic blood work to make sure he's ok.

Thank you all so much for your help. Had I known there were so many friendly communities online i would have searched earliers.

I'll post pics of Mentos sometimes, he's sooooooooooo cute, I don't care if my friends think I'm less manly, but I love my cat so much!!

Originally posted by Hwangster
I'll post pics of Mentos sometimes, he's sooooooooooo cute, I don't care if my friends think I'm less manly, but I love my cat so much!!

Click to expand...

We'd love to see some pictures - head to the lounge 'fur pictures' area & post some when you get a chance. We all love cat men, here.

One of my cats has Stomatitis which is basically chronic inflammed gums and mouth. It is caused by an overactive immune system which is making him hyper sensitive to any tartar on his teeth. It is very painful for him to eat and makes him really depressed and the way your cat is eating sounds really similar to poor simbah. He has been on antibiotics and Prednisilone for ages but we may need to resort to more drastic measures soon as I am afraid of what all these meds are doing to his kidneys and he is only 10 and a half months. Anyway, enough about me but I would maybe look into this as it may be what is wrong?

My cat looks ALOT like simbah..........

will a dental cleaning help it at all? I'm really flustered, because food trials take a lot of time, and I am not sure if it's the food or not, but 4 weeks for each food, means if I try 3 or 4, it'll be nearly 1/2 a year before I know.

Since we're all just speculating here (we aren't vets), really can't answer that question. If it is stomatitus, teeth cleaning doesn't necessarily clean under the gums. Of course if its something else, only your vet can tell you the treatment.

Hang in there until you get a good diagnosis from your vet!!

I've posted pics of Kitty... thanks for all your help (so you can see who you're helping)http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...threadid=27270

Yes, Simbah did have a dental and will need one every 6 months with this disease unless you are able to brush his teeth but unlikely with most cats (simbah nearly has my hand for breakfast!). Otherwise depending on how he is coping ie he has so much trouble eating often he wont, he will need to have all his molars and premolars removed so that only his canines and inscisors are left. But I am hoping it wont come to this. If he does have stomatitis then he needs a diagnosis asap as this disease is very painful and requires pretty complicated treatment, The longer its left the worse it can become. But as mentioned all this is only speculation, you need a proper veterinary diagnosis as it may be something else altogether. Good luck and keep us posted. I am going to check out his pics now to see if he looks like my simbah!

What tests are required to determine if he has Stomatitis?