Expert: Jessica - 9/14/2010

Question
Hi my cat Sebastian's mouth seems swollen. He has been drooling.  After he uses the litterbox lately, he looks distressed and his penis is sticking out. I got a quick look in his mouth.  It looks like he has 2 white lumps on his bottom gum.  He is eating and drinking, but he is having trouble picking up snacks off of the counter.  I don't know if it's a tooth problem or something else.

Answer
Hi Darlene,

Poor Sebastian!  He definitely needs to get to a vet.  I'm not sure whether the two issues are related, but both seem to be pain responses.  He could be suffering a urinary tract infection which will cause his urethra to burn, and this may be why his penis remains exposed.  If a urinary tract infection goes too long, acute kidney failure can occur, and kidney failure can cause mouth sores.  But again, I don't know that the two are related at all.

There are much more common causes of mouth sores, including viral illnesses like calici, and an inflammatory condition called stomatitis.  Growths/sores can also be caused by an immune condition called eosinophilic granuloma complex (EGC), or cancers like squamous cell carcinoma.

Your vet will be able to determine a lot about the growths in his mouth just by looking at them.  An anti-inflammatory may help reduce pain and inflammation.  An antibiotic will be required if he has an oral infeciton.  If necessary, your vet may suggest a biopsy on the lumps.  

As far as his urinary symptoms, I would suspect your vet will want to do a urinalysis.  I would strongly recommend this.  Males can become fatally blocked with urinary tract crystals or with blood and mucus clots if they're suffering from an infection or inflammation.  You'll want to be sure that if he's suffering from any bladder ailments, they're treated.  

If he has kidney disease, testing the urine and some blood is the best way to diagnose it.  Acute kidney failure can sometimes be reversed, but chronic renal failure is progressive.  Your vet can talk to you about ways to keep him most comfortable if any kidney disease is found.

Good luck!

Jessica