why does my cat drool

A dog drools. A cat, as a rule, does not, which is why a wet patch on your lap gets your attention. Cat drool comes in two flavours, and telling them apart is the whole point of this page. One means your cat is blissfully happy. The other means it is time to look in its mouth.

the happy drool

Most cat drooling is the good kind. Some cats, in a state of total contentment, deep in a purr, kneading a blanket, half-asleep on the warmest human available, simply relax so completely that they drip. It is the feline equivalent of a happy sigh, a leak of pure satisfaction, and it usually shows up in exactly those melting moments of being stroked or dozing. If your cat drools only when it is purring itself stupid and is otherwise perfectly well, eating, playing, normal, then congratulations: you are so soothing that the animal has lost control of its own face. Take the compliment.

the drool that means look closer

The other kind is not about happiness, and it deserves attention rather than alarm. Sudden, excessive or ongoing drooling, especially in a cat that does not normally do it, can point to something in the mouth: dental disease, a sore tooth, gum trouble, or an object or ulcer causing pain. Cats are experts at hiding mouth pain, and drool is one of the few tells. Drooling can also accompany nausea, or follow something that tasted foul, and a cat foaming after chewing a plant or a medication needs prompt advice. The distinction is easy to hold: happy drool comes with a purring, blissful cat; worth-checking drool comes out of nowhere, or arrives with bad breath, a cat pawing at its mouth, eating on one side, or going off its food. That second picture earns a vet visit, mostly to sort a dental problem before it worsens.

what to do

If it is the contented kind, do nothing but enjoy being the cause. If it is the sudden kind, take a gentle look at the mouth if the cat will allow it, note anything unusual, bad smell, redness, reluctance to eat, and get it checked. Dental trouble is one of the most common and most under-treated things in cats, and it is very fixable once found. So read the drool by the company it keeps, and you will know instantly which one you have.

Related reading from my desk: signs your cat is in pain, since cats hide mouth pain expertly, and why do cats purr, the usual companion of the happy drool.

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