Expert: Tomay - 2/24/2005

Question
My cat is approx. 8 yrs old.  My fiance rescued him from the shelter and it was estimated that he was about 8 months old at the time.  The cat's name is Winston.
Winston is very affected by stress and has taken meds before to calm him.  When upset he will lick the hair off of his legs and his stomach.  He has also in the last year taken up the habit of peeing in the house if he is upset.  Within the last year he had a blocked bowel.  He had to stay for several nights at the veterinary hospital, had a catheter and lots of meds but eventually he got better and with a change from dry food to wet we have had no further problems.
I don't know if that history is helpful to my question.  About 2-3 months ago Winston started drooling.  He will come over to you and while you are petting him drops of drool fall on your hand or wherever.  Is this a medical problem?  Is it because he is getting older?  Should I take him to the vet for a check up or is this common in cats?

Hope you can help.  Thanks for your time,
Tammy

Answer
Hi Tammy,
Sorry to hear of Winston's medical problems, but sounds like he is doing fine now.  As for your question about the drooling.  Many cats drool when they are being petted.  While it may be a bit of an annoyance, it is perfectly normal.  It's apparently a nirvana type thing for them!  Through the years I have had many cats that have been happy droolers.  Some right from the get-go, some as they got older.  I recently re-homed a little female tabby that was queen of the droolers, and is only four years old.  She started it when she was almost two.  So I am not sure if age plays a part or not.  But rest assured, it is quite normal and is usually a sign of contentment.
Hope this is helpful.
Thank you for your inquiry,
Tomay