Expert: Ali - 11/10/2009

Question
I have a persian mix cat, she is about 3 yrs old, a lil chubby not too much..She shares a home with her siamese sister(no concern)..yesterday she was noticed to be awakened from her nap(unknown reasoning)stood up and had a stream of spit coming from her mouth the more she tried to clear it up the thicker it got to the point that it looked as if she was foaming. I put her outside, she laid in my baby stroller then came in like nothing was wrong. Today, she was on her scratching post and she was sleeping and again woke up suddenly and started drooling again and again it was drool to the point that it looked like she was foaming and you could hear the drool hitting the hard wood floor in my kitchen.. i again put her in the garage it stopped then she again laid in the babys stroller.. She is an indoor cat(husband cant help but let her out once in awhile in the morning)..any ideas?? Im 6months pregnant and im concerned.  

Answer
Christy,

I have a few questions that might help me get a better sense of what's happening with this kitty. The questions I have are as follows:

- Does this kitty have a history of any kind of mild petit mal seizure activity?

- Have you had this kitty examined by a veterinarian since these drooling episodes started?

- Have this kitty's teeth been checked to ensure that she hasn't got any dental issues?

- Do you have plants in your home that your kitty might have ingested?

- How much time has kitty spent outside recently?

- Could this kitty possibly have gotten ahold of any kind of drug meant for human consumption (legal prescription/non-prescription drugs as well as things like marijuana)?

- Is it possible that your kitty has ended up ingesting small amounts of household cleaners, carpet air fresheners or other such products by way of getting them onto her paws and ingesting them as she bathes herself?

- How much has kitty's environment changed recently in preparation for the arrival of your baby?

- Have kitty's routines and the level of attention she's accustomed to getting changed?

- Would you be willing to take the time and put some extra effort into avoiding harsh chemical cleaners for awhile (trying to use more natural, environmentally friendly and less toxic cleaners)? It would be better for you, your husband, your kitty and your unborn baby in the long term, so it's well worth checking into.

- If no medical cause for kitty's drooling episodes can be found would you be willing to consult a holistic vet who uses homeopathy in his/her practice as a gentler, safer alternative to using anti-anxiety/depressent type drugs if anxiety is suspected to be the culprit? I have a few recommendations for remedies that you could try that are generally well priced, very gentle, safe and effective if you'd like to hear more about this option.

- Would your husband be willing to stop letting kitty outside at all at any time to see if she's coming into contact with anything outdoors that's causing this odd behavior? Indoor kitties are safer and healthier by and large over the long term than outdoor or indoor/outdoor kitties who have access to the outdoors unsupervised for a variety of reasons - I can provide you with more information if you're interested.

The reality is that there could be several things happening with this kitty, my first recommendation is going to be a medical assessment and a basic overall check of what's being used around the house to keep things clean and fresh as many of these products can be irritating to a kitty's system, especially if ingested orally. I look forward to hearing back from you so that we can go ahead and solve this mystery behavior and get kitty back on track. I doubt very much that there's any risk to you, your husband or unborn baby (provided of course that your kitty has been properly vaccinated against rabies at the very least...A vet will be able to provide you with a more accurate assessment as to whether you have anything to worry about at this point). If you have any further questions, concerns or any other issues that you'd like me to address I'd be more than happy to help you out to the best of my ability so please feel free to contact me again anytime.