Question
I have a cat, 3 years old, female, spayed, mutt, indoor only, otherwise healthy and active who has been drooling excessively (a small bead on each corner of her mouth at any given time, small puddles when sleeping) for 2-3 days with no other changes (behavior, appetite, breathing, litter box, no change). She has no history of illness, and her only odd lifelong behavior is a strange love of playing in and drinking water (since she was 2 weeks old, so heavy water consumption is not a change for her) .
Normally I would take her to the vet for a dental exam as a first step.
However, at the moment, I am extremely short on funds, and would rather not make a trip to the vet unless there's nothing I can do.
So my question is: Under the assumption that it is not a life threatening condition (it at least does not appear to be urgent), what easy things can I check for on my own at home that also have solutions that I can try myself before taking her to the vet?
Answer
A drooly cat should be seen by a vet, since she is otherwise acting normal do it at your earliest convenience. There are low-cost vet clinics that you can check-out, there are also lines of credit you can get access to (ex. Petcard in Canada) and some clinics will do payment plans. Usually a drooling cat can be cause by a few things.
1) A painful mouth - ulcers, cuts, teeth
2) Nausea (excessively licking lips is also a sign of nausea)
3) A bad smell - if a cat REALLY hates the smell of something they will drool.
4) Really excited - Some cats will drool in a time of excitement, my co-workers cat would start drooling as soon as you started to pet her.
All in all, call your local clinics and ask for prices, if they do payment plans or if they can recommend a company that will give you an instant line of credit for pet care.
Another place you can try is the SPCA, some of them have veterinarians on staff who can do exams for free/discount for low-income families.
Answered By - Rebecca RVT