Name for soft lumps/bumps on lower lip?

Hi! I'm not sure this question should be in "health forum" since it probably doesn't need medical attention (I hope). Please move it to a proper area if needed

My 2-year-old female DSH cat has soft lumps/bumps on her lower lip/gum area.


I noticed it when I started to brush her teeth last year. We've been to vets (not for this matter) but I always forgot to ask about this! She has a pair of these, one on the right, one on the left, right behind where the upper canine teeth fall. They don't look sore or anything, and I've seen no change in color, shape or size.

I googled with words like "cat yawn" and see some cats have these.

http://brenbren.deviantart.com/art/Cat-Yawn-2-183292905
https://pixabay.com/en/cat-white-yawn-pet-kitten-animal-1132310/

Also I found somebody had the same question (posted on a human baby forum).

http://forums.thenest.com/discussion/2842762/bump-on-gums-of-cat-normal-eta-pictures

In the last post, the poster's vet described them as "soft callus" but I guess it's just a general description and not the name.

It looks like not all the cats have these. My other cat (5 months old female DSH) doesn't have these (yet?). How about your kitties? Is there a proper name for these bumps?

Not sure, but I know my older guy has those right behind where his "fangs" rest when his mouth is closed, but they aren't really lumps or bumps, just kind of looks like over the years his fangs have pushed the skin back into a groove, then a hump.  Are they hard-feeling bumps?

Thanks for the reply

No, they are not hard to the touch. It looks like a pillow for the fang when the mouth is closed. I looked at them closely, and it seems like these "bumps" work to fill the blanks made by the canine teeth and shut the oral cavity better? Maybe? I have no idea why some cats have them and some not...

I actually got both of mine last night and looked at their lips, both of them have them.  It's just barely behind a groove where their fangs rest.  I suppose it's normal!  I agree it looks like a pillow for the fang.  But both of mine do have them.

Thanks for checking your kitties!
I freaked out a little bit when I first found out about them because it was right after I adopted my first cat. I thought they must be something bad. Recently there was a thread by a new cat owner asking about a bump on her/his cat's gum/lip, and it looked similar to what my cat has. (The OP of that thread didn't say the cat has only one bump or a pair, so I am not sure if that was the same or not, though.)

I was wondering if there's some jargon word or medical term (like "third eyelid" or "papillae").

HAHA I would call them "fang pillows" :lol3: