Why does my cat slobber whenever it does that kneeding thing?

Question

My cat kneeds, usually on my wife at night, and produces way too much saliva. Any ideas why? It's the only time it slobbers.

Answer 1

Both of the behaviors you describe--the salivation and the kneading--are held over from when your cat was a nursing kitten. The kneading helps stimulate milk production in the mother cat, and the saliva's for, well, digestion. Some folks say that excessive kneading behavior is a sign that the cat was weaned too soon.

From my own experience, I know my cat was still nursing when he was nearly as big as his mother, about three or four months old. He still kneads me and gives me big, wet sloppy kisses from time to time. He knows I'm writing about him. He just came into the room and he's meowing at me from three feet away. He also likes to be rescued from the roof a few times a week. Luckily we've worked out a routine with a laundry basket, but I'm not sure we'll make it to "Stupid Pet Tricks" with that.

The good news is that your cat trusts you and sees you as a source of warmth and comfort--a surrogate mama cat, if you will. The bad news is, this behavior may never go away. Cats: you gotta take them on their own terms. They are what they are.

Answer 2

Excessive salivation in cat
Question: Dear Dr. Richards, Before I start, thank you for your monthly Vet info
digest - always appreciated.

I have an 18 month old neutered male cat, previously extremely healthy and
lively. Yesterday morning, he started to salivate from his mouth and drip
from his nose, profusely! Our vet examined him, there was nothing in his
mouth or nose. Nothing appeared abnormal on exam. I have been through my
house I believe thoroughly and there are no substances, chemicals etc. that
I believe he has eaten. He was out yesterday morning for about 20 minutes,
but our other cats were also out, and no other cat has similar symptoms.
There is nothing in our garden that I can think of that he could have eaten
that would cause this reaction. The vet gave him Atropine to stop the
salivation and it did so for about 2 hours. The salivation came back as
before and during last night and all today he is dripping out of his nose
and mouth. He has eaten today, and drunk an amount of water. My concern is
that he will become de-hydrated, and also in finding out what has caused
this, and how to remedy the problem. He is not sneezing, coughing and his
temperature yesterday at the Vets was normal. He is very quiet though,
sleeping in a quiet part of the house, and obviously feels unwell.

Have you any ideas at all? Thank you so much for your attention to this, I
am very grateful.
Kind Regards, Jane

Answer: Jane-

These are the causes of excessive salivation that I can think of:

In cats, it is important to rule out stuff that they might have eaten,
because cats salivate really excessively as the result of ingesting several
medications and flea sprays. We have also seen salivation after ingesting
small lizards (we have skinks here) and toads. Most cats will leave toads
alone so we see this more often in dogs. Once in a while we see salivation
in dogs who have ingested bees and presumably been stung, even though there
isn't an obvious swelling in the oral cavity. I suspect this could happen
in cats but can't remember a case. If the problem has cleared up and not
returned, I would lean towards the possibility of an ingested source of
irritation, even if there isn't anything that you can find that might have
caused the problem.

Dental disorders can cause excessive salivation in cats. If this is a
persistent problem at this point, it would be good to look for broken
teeth, a trapped foreign body (caught between teeth), odontoclastic lesions
(small to large enamel defects right at the gumline), eosinophilic
granuloma lesions and gingivitis. Infected or damage salivary glands
sometimes cause excessive salivation, as well.

In cats, excessive salivation occurs when there is a portosystemic shunt
(liver shunt) but it would be unusual for this to occur suddenly and also
for it to appear at this age rather than during the growth period. Other
liver disease can sometimes cause excessive salivation so considering the
possibility of liver disease is worthwhile if other problems haven't been
found and the problem continues.

Cats can have excessive salivation from infection by feline herpes virus
(rhinotracheitis virus) or calicivirus. If any other signs of disease do
develop, such as fever, sneezing, eye discharges or loss of appetite and
especially if the other cats start to show signs of this problem.

This is the list of things that come to mind that cause salivation.
Hopefully, the problem has resolved but if not, it would be a good idea to
start looking for problems. A good examination of the oral cavity would be
the best way to start, probably. It is sometimes necessary to use
anesthesia to get a really good look at the oral cavity in cats.

Answer 3

Beckee has pretty much hit the nail on the head.

One thing too remeber about cat behaviors is that view the WHOLE world of things that moves as food, cat, or not cat. Your cat has resolved your wife as being "mommy cat".

This behavior can be 'corrected' but it will have long standing ramifications in the relationship that your wife and cat have. I dun recomend it. Kitty Buddy won't be as affectionate.

If you wish too know how to 'correct' this you can contact me via IM or email.

Answer 4

A lot of cats are taken from there moms to soon and they will purr need and sometimes slobber because they are thinking of mom and when they are feeding on her that is exactly what they do.If she does it to you just show her love because that is what she is showing you.