Does your cat do this? I'm concerned. *Pidge is home *pix 6/4*

I feel kinda silly posing this question but it's bothering me so I'm going to anyhow. Does your cat at times stick out its tongue and just sit there w/its tongue hanging out? Lately, Puddy has been doing that and it's freaking me out. It isn't just a little bit of the tip of the tongue showing, which is rather cute; it's almost the entire tongue, as though she has no teeth or something. She's purring, she isn't sick or crying or anything, so I'm not sure why it bothers me but it does. It makes me want to cry for some reason. Creamsicle does it, too, but I attributed it to her being a CH baby. I can see no reason why Puddy would do it. She's only been doing it for the last month or so.

In our household, we found the tip of the tongue sticking out of our cats' mouths a very endearing type of "dumb". :-)

The whole tongue? Puddy is trying to outdo the
rest?;)

I found some info- bottom line is, as long as she seems healthy otherwise, probably this is ok.

I couldn't copy and paste anything here, but there is a question on this about 3/4 of the way down, under "Tongue Tipping"
http://www.showcatsonline.com/s_expert2.htm

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Most likely your cat is just jaking. "Jaking" is basically a cat's way of tasting/smelling the air, via the Jacob's Organ.

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Answer: Lily-

Before I get to the part where I tell you the things that might be wrong, I
have to be sure to say that if KeeKee seems normal in all other respects it
is very likely that he is normal and that your husband is right --- or at
least that there isn't a harmful cause of his tongue sticking out habit.

Now that we got through that part, there are some things that can cause the
tongue to stick out or to enlarge, which might make it stick out, too.

Acromegaly, which is a hormonal disease that affects a small number of cats
in their lifetime, makes the tongue enlarge in some patients and it may
stick out slightly when this occurs. This is disease in which there is too
much production of growth hormone and it causes increased drinking and
urination, increased appetite, enlargement of the head, separation of the
teeth (they move apart as the jaw grows), heart disease and other symptoms.
Since you don't report any of these signs, I am hoping that none are present.

There are several reports on cats with feline leukemia that include
observations of tongue sores, which might cause the tongue to stick out. In
addition, there are some anecdotal observations of cats with feline
leukemia sticking their tongues out, with no mention of cause. There is a
chance in these cats that they would have done this, anyway, and that the
feline leukemia virus just happened to be present.

Several diseases that can affect the central nervous system can cause the
tongue to stick out or to fall out of the mouth on one side or the other
(this doesn't usually happen in cats because their tongue isn't as mobile
as a dogs). Toxoplasmosis, feline infectious peritonitis and feline
immunodeficiency virus are possible diseases that can cause neurologic
signs in cats.

It is possible for tooth problems, gingivitis and pharyngeal problems to
make it more comfortable for a cat to keep its tongue held out rather than
in the mouth. Usually by the time this happens there is some evidence of
difficulty swallowing or discomfort while eating.

If KeeKee develops something that really seems like an illness to you, then
it would be a good idea to see your vet as soon as possible. I am pretty
sure that you are not seeing anything like this at this time, based on your
note. So I think it would be OK to wait for the next routine visit to ask
your vet about this problem unless I am wrong about the lack of other
signs, currently.

Mike Richards, DVM
1/18/2001

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Some cats sit with their tongue sticking out a little. This seems to show relaxation and contentment or that the cat has become interested in something. On the one hand it gives the cat a rather daft look. On the other hand it gives the cat a look of concentration. Licking the lips may indicate anxiety or anticipation depending on what is happening around it. Cats may lick their lips slightly as food is presented, but reserve real lip-licking for the after-dinner wash.

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My cats do this sometimes either when they're sleepy, or if I interrupt a bathing session. lol I think it's cute myself.

i would have the vet check for tounge ulcer...if he has one,and you get him antibiotics quick...he'll survive,if you let it go...the ulcer can grow and nothing would be able to cure it.
that happened to my husbands sister's cat.
same thing...started hanging the tounge out...and sure enough it had a big ulcer under it's tounge.i would get it checked...or look yourself.
but i think if it's all the way out...i'd go to the vet ASAP.
Good luck and i hope it's nothing.

Medusa,
You are an excellent meowmie and if it's freaking you out, have it checked out. Trust your instincts. Calvin sticks the it bitty end of his tongue out and it cracks me up! That tiny bit of pink agains all his blackness.
Go with your meowmie radar and have Puddy checked out. :love:
Claudia

Maybe Puddy is literally being a copy cat but if it is concerning you then get her checked out for some peace of mind

have you called the vet?or looked under his tounge?
is he still doing it?
just curious on an update.hopefully good news.

Thanx for the replies everyone. I checked Puddy's tongue this morning, underneath, too, at least as well as I could considering this is the Pudilator I'm talking about here. LOL All looked and felt normal to me. She doesn't stick her tongue out all the time, just occasionally, and admittedly, it's when she appears to be content, such as when I'm giving her a noggin noogie. I guess it's because her tongue comes out so far and not just the tip sticks out. I'll keep watching her as well as look for other symptoms that were mentioned in Candace's post and, if I see anything slightly abnormal, I'll give my vet a call. She seems ok in every other sense so, in order for my vet to fully examine her tongue, she'd have to be tranquilized and I surely don't want to do that unless it's absolutely necessary, given that she's in CRF and only 5 lbs. I'll keep you updated. :)

Smokey the Elder used to stick her tongue out just because. Moby sometimes sticks a little bit of it out, when she's being goofy.

IF I BRING IN A FOOD THATS NOT POPULAR, OR DO SOME EVEN STUPIDER THAN NORMAL, THEN THE FOUND CATS STICK OUT THIER TONGUES:rolleyes::rolleyes: , BUT NORMALLY THEU STAY WHERE THEYRE MEANT TO BE!!!;):rolleyes::rolleyes::p:p

Smudge did that for a short while, and drooled a bit too, which he hadn't done before. I noticed that he had bad breath, so I started giving him tooth-cleaning treats. Once we found some he wasn't allergic to (he can't have Greenies, but Meow Mix Crustacean Crunch and C.E.T. fish chews are fine and he likes them) his breath and drooling cleared up, and he can keep a civil tongue in his head. :-) Does Puddy get anti-tartar treats?

Love, Columbine

Our Raven sticks out her tongue, but she has no teeth!!! Hope your Puddy will be OK!!!

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Originally Posted by columbine

Does Puddy get anti-tartar treats?

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She does but she's been turning her nose up at them lately. Her appetite is good, as a matter of fact, a little too good and she's drinking a lot of water but I chalked that up to CRF. Then when I read what Candace posted, I couldn't ignore it. I just put a call in to my vet. He's in surgery so I now wait until he can return my call. I booked an appt. for her but my vet won't be in until Wed. That's 5 days away so I want to talk to my vet to see what he has to say and if there's anything I should be doing for her until her appt. She seems fine, as I mentioned earlier, she isn't sick at all, no vomiting, no crying, nothing. But my instincts are screaming to have her checked and maybe my vet will want to do some blood work. If I'm making something out of nothing, then all I'm out is money. But if I don't get it checked out and it turns out to be something, I'll never forgive myself and I don't want to cause her any more physical problems. This little 5 lb. calico girl has been through enough. As soon as I hear from my vet, I'll tell you what he said.

:love: Yes my Darling CH baby Taccoa does the tongue thing sometimes.. Usally when I am Loving on her & Talking to her is when she does this..

I have noticed it in older cats- it is just as if they forget to pull it in. Tigris can be seen with it very rarely- but he is only 12 ;)
I think it looks cute dumb and I do not believe it is a bad sign.

Yes, my CH baby Creamsicle does this, too, but her tongue doesn't stick out all the way.

Dr. Lee returned my call and said that it could possibly be hyperthyroidism and, if so, there are various treatments that we could try, one of which is removal of the thyroid. We both agreed that would be a last resort, especially given that Puddy is in CRF. However, and it's a good "however" for once, he feels that it's probably nothing. He said that he has several cat patients who stick their tongues out and it's absolutely nothing but we won't know about Puddy for sure unless we do some blood work. Given that she has no other symptoms, he said that it sounds like Puddy is doing pretty well and that I probably have nothing to worry about. A blood test will put us both at ease. So. There we are. Her appt. is Wed. morning at 11:00. There's nothing I need to do for her in the meantime other than keep up w/her subQ fluids and her meds. She's sitting right next to my computer right now so I took a couple of pix that I hope turn out to post.

Again, thanx for your input, friends, and I'll keep you posted. I love this little girl so much, I could cry just thinking about it.

I'm so glad you checked and saw nothing on her tounge...ever since my sister-n-law's cat died from a tounge ulcer.(it scared me so much...the poor girl was so soar)..i have the vets check their tounges every visit.
the tech holds them(their head),and the vet does a quick (very quick)look by holding the tip and looking under it...it happens so fast the cat doesn't have time to get upset:eek:;)
and a lot of times she just left her mouth open without the tounge hanging out...toward the end though.she was an old cat but it happends to young ones to.

My little girl is such a trooper. Dr. Lee took blood and she didn't even flinch, no screeching, no spitting and swatting at him. He pressed on her chin and her tongue immediately came out so he said that he's thinking it might be her teeth. She has gingivitis. Until the blood work comes back tomorrow, he won't know whether or not he can put her under anesthesia to clean her teeth because she's only got one kidney and that one isn't doing too great. She's 14 now and he said that she keeps surviving one problem, only to develop another. He's amazed at how tough she is. If her blood work comes back ok and her enzymes aren't up too high, she'll get a teeth cleaning and, maybe extractions if she has any bad teeth, and he'll also check under her tongue for ulcers, etc. I refuse to worry about this. I'm going to write the perfect outcome on a piece of paper and put it in my Blessing Jar for God to take care of. I just cannot handle any more stress right now.

Pigeon has an appt. tomorrow for blood work and immunizations. Dr. Lee wants to make sure that she's healthy enough to put under anesthesia to shave her because her mats are so bad and so close to her skin on the top of her back. If she would only let me groom her but she won't. She gets so stressed. She's 18 now and he gets concerned about putting a cat that age under. She had her teeth cleaned not too long ago and came through just fine but he said he doesn't want to take any chances w/her. So into the Blessings Jar this one goes, too.

So that's it for now. When I get the results of Puddy's blood work tomorrow, I'll post the outcome. In the meantime, say a Puddy prayer, please? And a Pidgie prayer, too?

Big pray coming your way for Puddy!

I hope things come out ok and prays for your other baby going to the vets tomorrow.

Prayers for Puddy and Pidge from me, too!

Just said a prayer for Puddy and Pudgie.:love:

Hi God ~

You're gonna start kallin us da Toof Phairriez purdy soon.

Anudder Toof Job fur tumorrow, God - in Oh-HI-Ho, fir Puddy Kat ...
Please kross Your Wings dat da pre-op blood werk is OK - or it'z a No-Go.

Try to *spiff* em all up - an please dont *yank* too many out! :eek:

THEN, whilst You Guys are so kloose ...

Mite as well hang around an Help wiff Pigeon's blood werk anna :eek: *SHOTZ*.

Try ta calme her down, so's she kan get da shave job inna beauty parlor.
She's not keen onna groomin stuff - so keep a eye onna Knives & Klawz!

Jest so's Ya know, deeze Projects iz written up an inna Blessing Jar at home -
You onlee need ta handle 'em one tyme.

THANKS, God!

/s/ the Purrayer Pups

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Originally Posted by Cinder & Smoke

Hi God ~

You're gonna start kallin us da Toof Phairriez purdy soon.

Anudder Toof Job fur tumorrow, God - in Oh-HI-Ho, fir Puddy Kat ...
Please kross Your Wings dat da pre-op blood werk is OK - or it'z a No-Go.

Try to *spiff* em all up - an please dont *yank* too many out! :eek:

THEN, whilst You Guys are so kloose ...

Mite as well hang around an Help wiff Pigeon's blood werk anna :eek: *SHOTZ*.

Try ta calme her down, so's she kan get da shave job inna beauty parlor.
She's not keen onna groomin stuff - so keep a eye onna Knives & Klawz!

Jest so's Ya know, deeze Projects iz written up an inna Blessing Jar at home -
You onlee need ta handle 'em one tyme.

THANKS, God!

/s/ the Purrayer Pups

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Love it! Thank you so much! I'm feeling better about it already and Puddy is sitting right beside me at the computer, purring away. Pidge is sitting in the sun, soaking up the rays.

And thank you, everyone, for your prayers. :)

What a nice relief knowing that she's fine :)
So very happy :)

i have a couple cats do that if they run around to much or if it's to warm a day too.
but it's been awhile since i've seen them do that.

i have a couple cats that love the spring water from the refridgerator:rolleyes:
my lucy accually waits by the refridgertor for it.even after i change the water
bowls from the sink(letting the water run first)

but she has kidney failure and it seems she is never satisfied unless it's cool
water from the fridge.(spoiled...but i love doing it for her...she's my little follower:love:).

she sticks her tounge out when she runs around to much i noticed.

[QUOTE=catfamily;2017833]What a nice relief knowing that she's fine :)
So very happy :)QUOTE]

Well, I won't know for sure unless my vet can get in there and give her teeth a good cleaning and look under her tongue, etc. but I'm hopeful!

Prayers for the kitties.

One thing always amazes me though......vets always want to anesthetize a cat for grooming. :confused: Without even trying it!! We do hundreds of cats, perfectly wide awake. Very few are stressed to the point that they need to be sent away with the suggestion of sedation. Can't they at least give her a TRY??? without anesthesia?

Yes, you're right, Jen, and to his credit, he did say that they would try it w/out anesthesia first. It's only a last resort but he wants to make sure that, if she does need anesthesia, that she'll be able to handle it ok. Given that they're going to do a lion cut, (which is primarily shaving, right?), I think she may be able to handle it fine. It's the brushing and tugging on the mats that's causing her to get so stressed.

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Originally Posted by Medusa

he did say that they would try it w/out anesthesia first.

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Oh, good! :)

Best of wishes for Puddy and Pidgie!

Someone else on PT was talking about a solution that they had to brush over the surface of their cat's teeth - kind of like just soaking a q tip and drawing over the tooth surface. I wonder if that would work for Puddy it an anesthetic cleaning is not an option?

Pidgie - even if she does need calming, I wonder why she would have to be knocked right out? Maybe it is less stressful than being sedated and 'sort of' knowing what is going on?

PT Prayers for those gorgeous girls...we need pics of the fashionable Lioness Pidge! :D

Prayers and positive affirmations on the way!

Puddy's blood work is going to come back with GREAT results and her tongue will be as normal as can be and her dental will go wonderfully!!!
Pigeon's blood work will also come back with GREAT results and her shaving will go off without a hitch!
(these are the affirmations :))

I'm sure Pidgie is going to feel so fresh and fancy free once her coat is short.
Please keep us updated! :)

Good thoughts and prayers coming Puddy's, Pidge's and your way!

I thought when JenL was going to groom Jorge he would have a heart attack, but he was a trooper and came through it fine! I hope that Pidge will have an easy go of it as well!

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Originally Posted by Catty1

we need pics of the fashionable Lioness Pidge! :D

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I'll be sure to take pix but my camera isn't very good and my photo skills are even worse.

Maybe the vet or the assistant could do 'before and after' pics for you? :)

I hope that everything turns out fine. I'll be keeping both of them in my thoughts and prayers.

"Someone else on PT was talking about a solution that they had to brush over the surface of their cat's teeth - kind of like just soaking a q tip and drawing over the tooth surface. I wonder if that would work for Puddy it an anesthetic cleaning is not an option?"

Catty1, that was me. It's C.E.T. Oral Hygiene Rinse For Cats & Dogs. I don't know how much it would help on an animal with severe gingivitis and bad teeth though. It will help prevent plaque and tartar from forming and will also help reduce bad breath. Storm had a dental cleaning and 2 small teeth removed in early May and I'm now using this on him every night so hopefully this will help his teeth and gums to stay healthy. I'm also trying to use it on my other cats when I can.

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Originally Posted by krazyaboutkatz

I hope that everything turns out fine. I'll be keeping both of them in my thoughts and prayers.

"Someone else on PT was talking about a solution that they had to brush over the surface of their cat's teeth - kind of like just soaking a q tip and drawing over the tooth surface. I wonder if that would work for Puddy it an anesthetic cleaning is not an option?"

Catty1, that was me. It's C.E.T. Oral Hygiene Rinse For Cats & Dogs. I don't know how much it would help on an animal with severe gingivitis and bad teeth though. It will help prevent plaque and tartar from forming and will also help reduce bad breath. Storm had a dental cleaning and 2 small teeth removed in early May and I'm now using this on him every night so hopefully this will help his teeth and gums to stay healthy. I'm also trying to use it on my other cats when I can.

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I'm going to ask my vet about it anyhow. I may be able to use it on my other cats. Pidge has never had a vet visit for anything other than checkups. She's never sick and has had her teeth cleaned but none were ever pulled. My Boo is the same way and he's 16 1/2. So if I can prevent problems at this stage, it's worth it, except that my seniors get so stressed now if I groom them or pill them. (Boo is on Clomicalm and that's it.) I'm still going to ask, though.

I like EmaeraldGreens prayers and Positive Affirmations :)

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Originally Posted by catfamily

I like EmaeraldGreens prayers and Positive Affirmations :)

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Yes, so do I. I say positive affirmations daily and I'm only too eager to add these to the list. :)

Miss Pidgelet let them draw blood like a little lady and, as soon as they get the blood work back tomorrow, they'll call me. I've already scheduled her grooming for next Wed., the soonest available. She will have to be lightly sedated for 20 minutes while being groomed. Her mats are so bad that they consider it a medical procedure to have the lion cut done, poor girl. She could save herself so much grief (and me so much worry and money) if she'd just allow me to groom her. I'm hopeful that her blood work will come back ok so that we can get her groomed and be done w/it. I'm sure she'll feel so much better.

Dr. Lee isn't in today, so Dr. Feeman saw Pidge and he hadn't had time to look at Puddy's report yet, so he's going to call me this afternoon. He wants to compare her values w/the last time they did blood work, to see if her enzyme levels are really elevated. If so, we may have to forego a teeth cleaning and give her an antibiotic and a solution to put in her water for the gingivitis. It isn't as effective as a teeth cleaning, obviously, but if her levels are too elevated, I don't want to take a chance on anesthesia given that she's operating on only one kidney and a bad one at that. So when I hear from Dr. Feeman, I'll let you know.

Thanx for the continued prayers. Pidgelet and Puddy say 'thank you', too. :)

Dear Pidgie Pie, please let your meowmom take care of your coat :love:

Dr. Feeman just called me and all of Puddy's numbers are elevated, every single one of 'em. He said that, since he isn't the one who examined Puddy yesterday and he didn't see her teeth and mouth, he's deferring to Dr. Lee as to whether or not anesthetizing her is recommended. Sigh. I already know that my time w/Puddy is limited; I operate on instinct and my instincts are telling me not to do it, unless Dr. Lee says that it's absolutely imperative. I doubt that he will, though, because he talked to me yesterday about alternatives w/out cleaning her teeth. Until I hear from him, though, I won't make that decision because I trust him totally and, seeing that he had reservations about anesthesia, if he says to go ahead, then that will mean that Puddy really needs her teeth cleaned. Puddy is quite vocal when she's in pain and she hasn't cried at all, so I think she's perhaps uncomfortable. Since my gums have been giving me trouble lately, I can relate to what she's experiencing. It isn't painful, just a little uncomfortable. Pidge's blood work wasn't back yet, so Dr. Feeman told me that he'd call me tonight, if he got the results and, if not, tomorrow Dr. Lee will call w/the news and also about Puddy. So again, I wait. Not my favorite thing, waiting. But I have no choice.