Lip licking cat

[merlotandasti]

My cat Asti (9 years old) has had a habit of licking his nose for a while. Now it has gotten to an excessive point. What he does is lick his mouth, similar to how cats clean their mouths after they eat. After he licks his mouth for awhile, he seems like he's trying to direct it elsewhere & licks his paws/fur. But he does this for a few minutes. It mostly happens after he eats but he also licks his mouth a bit throughout the day.

A little background on him: currently he's being treated for a UTI & bladder stones. I initially brought him in due to constipation/a partial obstruction of feces. He had blood work a few weeks ago & everything was good other than he MIGHT be FIV positive. He got a convenia shot for the UTI & we're trying to disolve his bladder stones with CD diet. If they don't go away, he'll have surgery.

The vet said the lip licking was due to nausea from the obstruction but that is resolved & he hasn't thrown up at all since it happened.

He has been eating normally & doesn't shy away from food at all so I don't think it's due to nausea. He doesn't drink very much water but since he eats 2 big cans of wet food a day, the vet said that is okay. His urination has increased but I also assume that this is because the change in diet. & he now has normal bms every day.

There is no drooling. He occasionally Grooms his face when the lip licking happens & occasionally shakes his head & scratches at his face. Also, sometimes I've seen him make a swallowing motion & he has gagged durine this only twice in the time of a month. The outside of his teeth look good with no redness. He let's me pet his face so I don't think it hurts him.

What should I ask the vet next time I take him in??? Last time I brought up allergies but she said his skin & paws looked fine. Could it be dental? Or maybe he swallowed somethingor has something stuck in his teeth?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I would definitely ask for an oral exam.  That could be it.  It could also be just a habit he's developed with the medical issues that will slowly go away.  But the oral exam couldn't hurt, especially as he is now considered geriatric.

Keep us posted on this!  I want to know how Asti is doing!

 

[merlotandasti]

I would definitely ask for an oral exam.  That could be it.  It could also be just a habit he's developed with the medical issues that will slowly go away.  But the oral exam couldn't hurt, especially as he is now considered geriatric.

Keep us posted on this!  I want to know how Asti is doing!

Thank you!! I'm going to ask about prices tomorrow & I'll be able to take in in a week or so. I just don't want his lips to get raw. I hope we can fix the problem soon. I want him to be happy & comfortable. I'll keep you updated!

 

[lavishsqualor]

Until you said that his teeth and gums look fine I was convinced he had stomatitis.  If I were you I would have the vet do an oral exam.  I sure hope you little guy feels better soon.

 

[merlotandasti]

Until you said that his teeth and gums look fine I was convinced he had stomatitis.  If I were you I would have the vet do an oral exam.  I sure hope you little guy feels better soon.

Thanks. I hope so too. The vet also gave his teeth a quick check (only the outside part) & said his gums & teeth actually look very nice. But I feel like a more in depth exam would be good for him.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

If his lips start looking raw, a TINY dab of olive oil MIGHT relieve the rawness, if that is present.  HOWEVER, it might also trigger more licking, so that's a last resort before the vet actually sees him.  Should you decide to try it, I emphasize TINY dab, a drop, as olive oil is also what we recommend for constipated cats, and you don't want to trigger diarrhea!  

Side note:  an ounce of olive oil before meals will also take pounds off of humans fairly quickly.  However, IF one does this, one MUST take a GOOD multivitamin first thing in the morning, and give it 2-3 hours before taking any olive oil.  I found this little fact out kinda by accident.  OH...don't do this on long car trips!

 

[merlotandasti]

If his lips start looking raw, a TINY dab of olive oil MIGHT relieve the rawness, if that is present.  HOWEVER, it might also trigger more licking, so that's a last resort before the vet actually sees him.  Should you decide to try it, I emphasize TINY dab, a drop, as olive oil is also what we recommend for constipated cats, and you don't want to trigger diarrhea!  


Side note:  an ounce of olive oil before meals will also take pounds off of humans fairly quickly.  However, IF one does this, one MUST take a GOOD multivitamin first thing in the morning, and give it 2-3 hours before taking any olive oil.  I found this little fact out kinda by accident.  OH...don't do this on long car trips!

Okay. I'm going to take him at the end of the week. My poor boy is having trouble sleeping now. He moves his head in different positions while he's trying to sleep so I know something is bothering him. Should I go talk to the vet about his problem alone? He's never had a dental exam so idk if they just do them or they have to be done by appointment.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Make notes.  Tell him/her EVERYTHING that is going on.  The licking, the head movements...you just never know what small bit of information is going to make the whole puzzle come together for that "AH HA!" moment.  Keep us posted.

 

[merlotandasti]

Okay. I will definitely do that.

 

[arouetta]

Have you ever seen his skin twitching on his back?  Does the licking happen more when he's getting his back scratched?

 

[merlotandasti]

Have you ever seen his skin twitching on his back?  Does the licking happen more when he's getting his back scratched?

Well he had a spot on his lower back that if I scratch at it a lot, he'll start "licking at the air" because it feels good, I'm guessing. But his back doesn't twitch or anything. When he twitches, it's while he's sleeping & it's like jolts of something running through him. He's done this since he was a kitten but it's gotten worse recently. I had a cat that obsessively licked himself, had those rolling twitches down his back, & ran around like crazy. But Asti isn't like that.

 

[arouetta]

It might be feline hyperesthesia syndrome.  If so it sounds like a mild case.  The increased licking when the back is messed with sounds right.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

And if it is that, since it is a mile case, it will be manageable.  Talk with your vet about the possibility.  He can either diagnose it, or set your mind at ease!

 

[merlotandasti]

Thank you guys! I will ask about that as well.

 

[merlotandasti]

So I think I might've figured out what could be causing Asti trouble. His lip smacking has gotten a lot worse since I switched his food. It is CD chicken. When he was on his old food, it was also chicken, but I also fed him canned food every so often that was not chicken. He's been licking his nose for a while now, even on the old food, but it got a lot worse when he was started on the new food. He's started scratching at his neck, head, & ears now & grooms himself a lot. Do you guys think allergies could be the issue??? He's never had an allergy test done before. I'm still going to have his teeth checked, but would it be worth bringing up??? He actually has a history of runny eyes & sneezing every so often but he's been on mostly chicken diets for a lot of his life.

 

[LTS3]

It might be a food allergy or sensitivity. Chicken can cause allergies to some cats. Other proteins and ingredients like grains and gums can cause an allergyor sensitivity. There are limited ingredient diets for cats with allergies and sensivities, both prescription and commerical brands, but I don't know how those diets would affect the bladder stones.

 

[nevroth]

Hi dear, I quickly read thru the previous posts so I apologize if this has already been mentioned or is irrelevant.

First, I agree with those that say to take him to the vet. Nothing can substitute with speaking with someone who has years of medical experience under their belt.

Second, my kitty Momo will stress lick his nose raw. Bleeding raw. I know it is stress because the first time it happened when I brought in my kitten (it got infected too, poor thing). The second time it happened was when I moved. I bought Vetericyn from my local Unleashed (Petco) and put it on his nose a few times a day. It's like neosporin but for pets. I kept a really good eye on him and was ready to take him to the vet if it looked infected or if he was showing signs of infection but thankfully he was ok. I think it's a good thing to have around. Maybe Asti is stressed?

Third, allergies is a definite possibility. You could ask for an allergy test or start testing it out yourself at home by feeding him different things. I'm not well versed in this (so you can search the forums or maybe someone else will chime in), but first try eliminating chicken. If that doesn't work, feed chicken but try eliminating wheat. Essentially one variable at a time for a few feedings (days or a week ideally). It's hard, and I don't practice what I preach sometimes (real talk, most of the time), but it is a really good way to narrow down things Asti can and cannot tolerate. My cats love Fancy Feast (grilled/gravy), but I know from experience if I let them have it exclusively they will develop dandruff and runny eyes. Also more hairballs. So the diet is very important (as I am constantly learning).

Good luck!!

 

[merlotandasti]

Hi dear, I quickly read thru the previous posts so I apologize if this has already been mentioned or is irrelevant.

First, I agree with those that say to take him to the vet. Nothing can substitute with speaking with someone who has years of medical experience under their belt.

Second, my kitty Momo will stress lick his nose raw. Bleeding raw. I know it is stress because the first time it happened when I brought in my kitten (it got infected too, poor thing). The second time it happened was when I moved. I bought Vetericyn from my local Unleashed (Petco) and put it on his nose a few times a day. It's like neosporin but for pets. I kept a really good eye on him and was ready to take him to the vet if it looked infected or if he was showing signs of infection but thankfully he was ok. I think it's a good thing to have around. Maybe Asti is stressed?

Third, allergies is a definite possibility. You could ask for an allergy test or start testing it out yourself at home by feeding him different things. I'm not well versed in this (so you can search the forums or maybe someone else will chime in), but first try eliminating chicken. If that doesn't work, feed chicken but try eliminating wheat. Essentially one variable at a time for a few feedings (days or a week ideally). It's hard, and I don't practice what I preach sometimes (real talk, most of the time), but it is a really good way to narrow down things Asti can and cannot tolerate. My cats love Fancy Feast (grilled/gravy), but I know from experience if I let them have it exclusively they will develop dandruff and runny eyes. Also more hairballs. So the diet is very important (as I am constantly learning).

Good luck!!

Thank you for such a long reply! I'm actually taking him to the vet Friday. Maybe he's stressed due to the loss of his brother last month or the bladder stones & constipation. I can't put him on another diet right now because we're trying to disolve his stones. But I'm going to bring it up to the vet.

 

[merlotandasti]

It might be a food allergy or sensitivity. Chicken can cause allergies to some cats. Other proteins and ingredients like grains and gums can cause an allergyor sensitivity. There are limited ingredient diets for cats with allergies and sensivities, both prescription and commerical brands, but I don't know how those diets would affect the bladder stones.

Im going to ask his vet about it & see if they have a urinary care food that doesn't have chicken.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I'm perfectly sure that they do have such a food, and, given what you just said, I'm going to put a nickle down on it being allergies!  Chicken allergy is fairly common in cats.  What I suggest you do is go back over this thread with a notebook and pen in hand, and take some notes of things you want to mention, such as the change in food, etc.  I keep one for Hekitty and her doctor, as well as one for me and MY doctor!