Black Gums on a senior kitty~~

sashacat421

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I looked at Sasha's gums today. He is 13. He is a black cat and he has always had these black pigmentations, like a dalmation, on his tongue and gums from as far back as being a kitten and totally harmless. He has good breath, is in excellent health, no signs of anything, anywhere.....but the blackness on his upper gums has increased. I'm calling the vet first thing in the morning for an oral check up, but wondered if anyone with a black kitty ever saw this before? Is it part of his marking, like the black pads on his paws or is it something more ominous? Yes, he is eating and drinking normally and in good sprits. He's been an outdoor boy his entire life so home dental care has been very hard, but I do watch for things --such as this.
-?
 

sharky

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I have no idea but a vet is likely to know
 
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sashacat421

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Thanks. Eric held him gently and pried opn his mouth and I shined a really bright penlight into his mouth. No puss, no infection that I can see, no bleeding gums - nothing seems to be oozing but there was definite tartar buildup. I'm no expert, maybe there is something there that's wrong, as he has definite black gums, more so than I recall. The roof of his mouth is good pink and bottom gums on the inside of the jawline are pink.
 

rosiemac

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E, do they look like Rosie's on her lip?



She's had hers since she was a kitten, and as she got bigger they also got bigger, but when i mentioned it to the vet, she assured me that hers were just blemishes.
 

nano

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Nano has those as well. In fact, her's are maybe somewhat bigger in size but the same configuration/location as in the picture by rosiemac.

She is estimated to be 6-8 years old but I've only had her for the last four months so I can't really speak of her past. (Her teeth are very far from perfect, though.) I asked the vet clinic, they said "eh, no infections", so right now it is just on the list of things to work on...like brushing her teeth might help?

I'd be more keen but working on Nano's teeth are a low priority compared to other things re: Nano that need attention. I dunno, but I'll track this thread to see if anyone has ideas. Can anyone say if it is a situation that merits more urgent attention? The clinic was fairly nonchalant.
 

pat

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I would ask, but I wouldn't worry
I was just remarking to DH this morning as we medicated my panther, er Tyler (all black) how cute his palate is - all mottled black and pink
He's now on methimazole and tumil-k gel - emmmm
 
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sashacat421

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Originally Posted by rosiemac

E, do they look like Rosie's on her lip?



She's had hers since she was a kitten, and as she got bigger they also got bigger, but when i mentioned it to the vet, she assured me that hers were just blemishes.
Yes they do! But larger. Overnight has brought some mental relief in reading this, thank you Susan!!!!
 
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sashacat421

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Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

I would ask, but I wouldn't worry
I was just remarking to DH this morning as we medicated my panther, er Tyler (all black) how cute his palate is - all mottled black and pink
He's now on methimazole and tumil-k gel - emmmm
Yes, all "mottled" as you say, exacly. Couldn't think of the word last night, thanks. The pink he has looks healthy pink and the black just looks so stark against it and I guess as he gets older the black increases like age spots~~
good to hear from you on this. I looked at Sasha's upper palate this morning and it's quite like a dalmation, all "mottled" like you say, black and pink.
I still plan to take him in for major dental.

Thanks Nano, Susan and Pat, I'm breathing a bit easier
now~~~
 

rosiemac

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Come straight back here as soon as you get back with an update


I'm sure it's nothing but i was the same when i saw Rosies so i had to have them checked for my peace of mind.

Fingers are crossed though
 

nano

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This thread has helped me also because I was curious about those black spots, too.
I've been thinking about Nano's gums and had done the "pressure" test for gum quality -- but I didn't think I did it right.

If it matters, the clinic said no infection and Nano doesn't have bad breath, so I didn't really know what to do from there...the two most important issues seemed covered. So far I had been giving these "tartar control treats" that my girlfriend originally gave me as a freebie from the cat litter she bought (I buy the same brand now).
 
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sashacat421

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Originally Posted by Nano

This thread has helped me also because I was curious about those black spots, too.
I've been thinking about Nano's gums and had done the "pressure" test for gum quality -- but I didn't think I did it right.

If it matters, the clinic said no infection and Nano doesn't have bad breath, so I didn't really know what to do from there...the two most important issues seemed covered. So far I had been giving these "tartar control treats" that my girlfriend originally gave me as a freebie from the cat litter she bought (I buy the same brand now).
That's great! That's what we're all here for. The best dental care is brushing and just the fact that you're so observant is half of it. Sasha has good breath and he smells really good through his fur and around his face. I have an appt for this weekend, so I'm hoping everything is fine, just a big change in his age spots.
 

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The last time I took Graham to the vet, our doctor told us that as he got older his gums and lips would get an increasing number of black spots on them. However, she said this was normal for orange cats, but not necessarily other colored cats. Good luck! (=
 

nano

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Regarding being "normal" for orange cats?

Nano is a tricolor mix of black, white and orangish tan.
 

nano

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Sorry, I don't have a website but I put pictures of Nano as attachments in this thread:

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48640

Added a second picture on page two that shows off her coloring better.



Anyway, looking forward to seeing what the other vet says about the black places in other cats' gums. Nano's clinic thought it wasn't a big deal.
 

momofmany

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Most of my red tabbies have the black spots and they get more of them and larger as they age. Pinky actually had a black spot appear on his nose in the last few months (he's getting close to 5). I think this is normal, but I do have the vet look at them each year at their annual checkup.
 

nano

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Okay, thanks to people who added more comments about coloring. I hadn't been concerned after the vet shrugged it off, but it still helps to hear these explanations so I know what is going on.

I hope Sasha's vet visit goes well and please let us know what is said!
 

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Originally Posted by sashacat421

I looked at Sasha's gums today. He is 13. He is a black cat and he has always had these black pigmentations, like a dalmation, on his tongue and gums from as far back as being a kitten and totally harmless. He has good breath, is in excellent health, no signs of anything, anywhere.....but the blackness on his upper gums has increased. I'm calling the vet first thing in the morning for an oral check up, but wondered if anyone with a black kitty ever saw this before? Is it part of his marking, like the black pads on his paws or is it something more ominous? Yes, he is eating and drinking normally and in good sprits. He's been an outdoor boy his entire life so home dental care has been very hard, but I do watch for things --such as this.
-?
Paige has black polkadots in her mouth too lol.. When she's mad, and makes teeth at us, we laugh, cause you can see this huuuge black blotch on the roof of her mouth, I sometimes pet her there, lol
 
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