Gum Inflammation in 15 yo cat

Sonny needs to see a vet, but the soonest we can get in is Monday. I'm very nervous.

He's always up by me so I'm fairly certain the symptoms at least are new-- last night he drooled while sleeping and I thought he was just in a deep sleep. But today when his mouth was by my nose I smelled an "infection" smell. Anyone who's had a cat with an infection know the smell I'm referring to.

So I checked his mouth and the left side (upper and lower) has swelling inthe gums. Wouldn't it only be upper or lower if this was a tooth infection? I'm nervous about tumors of the mouth as I lost a cat 16 years ago to a mouth tumor and once shestarted having that infection smell, it wasn't long before we lost her.

Any information or insight appreciated. He's a 15 yo cat (just turned).

He may just have an abscessed tooth.  I'm really glad you're getting him to the vet.  Try not to worry until you have a diagnosis. 

i'm so sorry your Sonny is having these symptoms.

you're doing the best thing by having your vet check your boy. i don't have much experience with feline dental issues, though i'm currently going through some serious dental issues with our jaspurr (he'll be 4 years old in june).

did you see any irritation at the gum line, or little red 'lesions' on the gums next to a tooth/teeth?

he needs to go to the vet. i would bet kitty gets a depo shot, and a script for amoxidrops. after the 2 weeks or so on meds if mouth is still tender, he may need a dental cleaning. BUT at that age i would go with the other 2 things first. i would not even do bloodowrk which will cost you maybe 200 bucks until you try the other 2 things. if it is just inflammed gums or something basic this should fix kitty up. i would also do this asap as i dont know about you, bt for me mouth pain is intolerable...poor kitty!

I lost my kitty to oral cancer but it was a mass on the lower gum line.  I think your kitty may just have an abscess or gum infection.  My girl had cleanings done in her later years and everything was fine.  Just one more day and he will see the vet.  The infection smell came from my kitty's mouth too, when she had severe plaque build up.  Try not worry.... i know.. easier said than done.  Try not to obsess, that is probably easier

mickNsnicks2mom said:

 
did you see any irritation at the gum line, or little red 'lesions' on the gums next to a tooth/teeth?

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There aren't lesions, the gums are red and swollen on the upper and lower left side. I haven't messed much with his mouth because I'm sure it's uncomfortable. He is eating well though, of course he loves his food though so I'm not sure anything could keep him from it. Thanks for the suggestions ETA: Another reason I'm nervous is we once lost a cat at 13 to an elective dental cleaning. So if he can get away without dental work I will be very relieved..

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sonnyvincent said:

 
There aren't lesions, the gums are red and swollen on the upper and lower left side. I haven't messed much with his mouth because I'm sure it's uncomfortable. He is eating well though, of course he loves his food though so I'm not sure anything could keep him from it. Thanks for the suggestions ETA: Another reason I'm nervous is we once lost a cat at 13 to an elective dental cleaning. So if he can get away without dental work I will be very relieved..

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just checking to see how your boy is doing, and if your vet was able to diagnose the cause of your Sonny's symptoms. sending that it's something easily treatable and not needing surgery.

I hope your vet was able to diagnose Sonny  Sounds like maybe a gum infection that's slowly spreading?

I just got my Arcturus (who is somewhere between five and seven) back from a dental clean, and apart form being mad with me he's happy enough. I opted in to the dental clean because they were SO bad (I just adopted him), but it is possible to treat the infections just with antibiotics if you're worried about the dental. 

Yes I took him in today. I noticed the gums weren't swollen anymore but wanted to be sure there isn't a problem and sure enough, he got a clean bill of health with the exception of a small bit of gingivitis that he said might warrant a cleaning if it can be done with the meds Sonny is on. So I don't know what was going on, maybe he had a piece of food stuck that worked it's way out yesterday. But I'm relieved.

Wonderful news!

Thank goodness. We always think the worst when our kitties aren't well.