Why is my cat drooling excessively?

Hi Adam,

Thanks for your question.

There are a few different conditions that can cause a cat to be drooling excessively. Cats will drool because they licked or ate something irritating to the tissues in their mouth (such as plant material or construction materials), if they have dental disease (tooth root accesses, infection, gingivitis), oral trauma (a sharp object has scratched their mouth), toxins (such as fertilizers or other chemicals), a salivary gland problems (such as a blocked duct), anxiety (significant stress), nausea (such as motion sickness), internal conditions (renal disease), or other conditions.

You can see that these conditions are quite broad so there’s no way for me to know which one it could be. I can’t give you specific advice for treatment given the possibilities. You could try to examine your cat’s mouth for any lesions, tooth decay, trauma, or material that shouldn’t be there but you would likely have trouble identifying a problem. I recommend you see your veterinarian for a consultation and physical exam. They may be able to get a good idea of the problem just from thoroughgoing examining the oral cavity. If the issue is not apparent, I would consider performing some diagnostics such as blood tests, a urinalysis and possibly an X-ray. In some cases, a mild sedative is given to allow for a thorough exam of the back of the mouth.

I hope this helps. Good luck.

Dr. Clayton Greenway