The cat sticks out its tongue: causes, variants of diseases, treatment

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Pet owners often notice how a cat sticks out its tongue. There are many reasons for this phenomenon, sometimes they are associated with diseases, genetic pathology, malocclusion. In most cases, the protruding tongue of an animal is not a symptom of the disease, remaining a consequence of the physiology of the animal.

What is cat tongue

The tongue of a cat is a muscular organ that, when at rest, lengthens due to the stretching of the fibers and looks out of the mouth when the cat does not consciously control the muscles. This phenomenon can be noticed during the distraction of the pet, for example, when licking the fur. The tongue is also a kind of indicator of a cat's he alth. Diseases cause a change in its color, surface condition. The veterinarian, when examining an animal, first pays attention to the appearance of the tongue.

Natural causes

Often a cat sticks out its tongue during sleep. An animal in a calm state does not control muscle tone, which causes the phenomenon. A similar situation occurs during licking, when, at the end of the process, the cat forgets to hide the tongue for a while. suddendistraction leads to forgetfulness of the animal, and the outside tongue continues to stick out of the mouth for a while. The reason for this behavior lies in a trusting attitude towards the world, pets are not adapted to constant stress for the sake of survival and are in a relaxed state. When a cat yawns, the muscles of the tongue relax, it becomes longer and climbs out of the mouth. There is no need to take any action in the situations described, such an effect is ridiculous and safe.

Genetic causes

Crossing different breeds of cats leads to genetic changes in the structure of the skeleton. Possessing a flattened muzzle, the cat constantly sticks out its tongue due to malocclusion and a small depth of the mouth cavity. Such a pathology does not lead to a disruption in the life of the animal as a whole, so there is no point in worrying about a constantly sticking out tongue.

Disability

Cat's tongue serves as a heat exchanger that regulates the temperature of the animal's body. Under normal conditions, the animal does not need additional thermoregulation. If the air temperature is elevated and the cat is breathing with its tongue out, it's time to worry about the condition of the pet and its cooling. The normal body temperature of a cat ranges from 37-39 degrees, the heat has a detrimental effect on the animal's body.

When stressed, cats begin to breathe like a dog or often lick their lips. Stress is caused by a strong fright, childbirth,moving a pet in a carrier or in a car, changing environmental conditions, beatings. Sometimes cats feel sick, which also causes tongue sticking out.

Being a kind of taste bud, the tip of the cat's tongue is able to recognize odors when the animal's sense of smell is impaired. Nose burns, infections, congenital pathology cause the tip sticking out, which the pet sticks out to recognize aromas.

Pathological causes

The cat sticks out his tongue with stomatitis to alleviate his own suffering. Inflammation and sores in the mouth indicate that immediate veterinary treatment is needed. With stomatitis, the cat's appetite decreases, digestion and smell are disturbed, the animal suffers from pain.

Various heart diseases and, in particular, heart failure also provoke the animal to stick out its tongue. The resulting shortness of breath, increased frequency and impaired breathing become the cause of a natural phenomenon for cats.

Cats normally always breathe through their nose, the development of pulmonary diseases causes pets to open their mouths and stick out their tongues to increase the amount of air they consume. Rhinitis, pneumonia and other infections cause nasal congestion, as a result, animals have to breathe through an open mouth.

Many people wonder why cats stick out their tongue during convulsions, strabismus, untimely and constant defecation. The reason for the violation of physiological processes in the body of the animal is the deterioration of brain activity,associated with old age or pathological changes in the brain.

When tongue sticking out is accompanied by coughing

There are several reasons why a cat sticks out its tongue and coughs. Most often this happens when a cat chokes on a small object or coughs up hairballs after licking. In both cases, the animal tends to stick out its tongue, and the cough is accompanied by vomiting. If expectoration of hair for cats is a natural physiological process, the ingress of foreign bodies into the throat can cause the pet to suffocate. Such moments are characterized by profuse salivation with an open mouth with an elongated neck and protruding tongue. Sometimes the gag reflex is accompanied by blood flowing from the eyes and nose as mucus. If it is impossible to remove the object from the throat on your own, the pet must be shown to the veterinarian. Untimely assistance to the animal will provoke suffocation and death.

Cough is often provoked by helminths that spread throughout the body and enter the bronchi. In this case, the process is accompanied by a gag reflex. Adding anthelmintic drugs to food solves the problem.

Asthma caused by allergies also provokes coughing. An allergic reaction to dust, detergents, dry air is accompanied by sneezing. It is often difficult for cats to distinguish whether she is sneezing or coughing, so you can focus on the tongue sticking out of the mouth - its absence indicates sneezing. With asthma, the cat, sticking out his tongue, coughs and wheezes with characteristic signs of suffocation. The initial stage of the diseasecharacterized by a small number of attacks, but the development of the disease causes a frequent and painful cough. At first, you need to remove new things from the house that could cause an allergic reaction in the pet, but you should not delay treatment at the veterinary clinic.

When a protruding tongue is accompanied by wheezing

Wheezing in a cat is always associated with serious problems, regardless of whether it is accompanied by a cough or heard with even breathing. The sound can be loud, dry, gurgling, depending on the cause. Usually the cat wheezes, sticking out his tongue, with swelling of the larynx or lungs, making a loud noise and choking. This condition is dangerous for felines, an immediate visit to the clinic is required.

Bronchitis and narrowing of the lumen of the trachea lead to dry wheezing, but in some cases the mucus that accumulates in the bronchi is coughed up with vomiting. The gums and tongue take on a bluish tint. During treatment, cats are given cough medicines, antibiotics and vitamins. Bronchitis is sometimes caused by hypothermia or dry indoor air, so drug treatment should be started if additional symptoms appear: mucus from the mouth, purulent discharge from the eyes, vomiting, fever, blue mouth cavity and tongue.