Cat Smacking Lips | 9 Reasons Why Cats Lick Their Lips

By Alberto Roy

Updated on:

Cats communicate in many different ways through body language, however, what does kissing their lips signify? Or Cat Smacking Lips means ?

Lips of cats can be a signpost for a variety of things. Certain of these signs are harmless, while others can indicate more serious health problems. It’s crucial to know the signs to look for so that your cat is healthy.

In this article we will try to examine the causes for cats to are known to lick their lips.

Cat Smacking Lips – Things to Learn About Cat Licking Lips

Cats Tongue

Cats have papillae that are located on their tongues that are tiny, backward-facing parts that look like hooks.

They also have a sand-paper-like texture. They are designed to be used for different types of unctions including the removal of bones from meat, and grooming.

As time passes, loose hair, dirt and particles will accumulate on the tongue. This will turn into hairballs inside their stomachs.

Cat Smacking Lips Each Time (Cat Licking Their Lips)

Cat Smacking Lips 6

Before we get into the reasons cats kiss their lips, it’s important to know that a cat’s habit of licking the lips are a common behavior and shouldn’t be a cause for concern excessively.

While it could signal other issues, it’s typically something that cats do every day, and originates from their instinctual nature of hunting.

Cat Smacking Lips – Reasons for Licking Their Lips

#1 Ptyalism

Ptyalism is a condition that causes excessive saliva to build up in the mouth . It is too large for the mouth manage, causing your cat to continue to lick their lips. The amount of salivary flow can increase with time and can be caused by other health problems like kidney-related problems.

If your cat suffers from Ptyalism, this could also cause vomiting. After recognizing the signs If you think your cat is suffering from this condition, it’s recommended to seek advice from a vet.

#2 Oral Disease

One of the main reasons cats are known to lick their lips is to wash them after eating. If you observe the habit of licking their lips frequently even when there isn’t any food involved the reason could be caused by problems with their teeth or gums.

Cat Smacking Lips 4

Older cats are more vulnerable to dental health issues, but it can occur at any age , depending on how well teeth are taken care of. Let’s examine the most common issues:

Oral ulcers and canker sores

Ulcers are a result of dental disease dental infections, oral inflammation, and general infections, such as those resulting of caustic substances or kidney diseases. They can be painful and can cause an excessive amount of swallowing and drooling and lip chewing.

Plaque and Tartar

As time passes, your cat could begin to accumulate tartar and plaque that could make your cat uncomfortable and cause discomfort, which could lead to lip bleeding. It begins with Plaque, which forms a fine film that is placed over the teeth that builds up because of food particles, bacteria and saliva.

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If Plaque is not cleaned regularly, and it is not removed regularly, it can turn to hard tartar. This is the reason it’s crucial that your cat gets dental cleaning done professionally and you follow a regular cleaning routine at your home.

#3 Dry Throat or Mouth

If your cat is always swallowing and kissing their lips, it could be due to dry mouth or dry throat which could be due to hairballs. Cats spend a significant portion of their time cleaning themselves since they are extremely clean creatures.

The problem is that dirt, fur and other particles build on the tongue of people as time passes, and eventually turn into hairballs.

Xerostomia, which is defined as dry mouth due to decreased or no saliva flow. It can also be linked to renal diseases in older cats as well as fever and dehydration in cats younger than.

One of the most effective products on the market to treat hairballs Cat Lax which is recommended by the PDSA.

#4 A Cat Who Licks His Lips Could Make You Nauseous

Cat Smacking Lips 7

A cat that is constantly swallowing or licking its lips can be an indication of Nausea. The other signs that Nausea is causing include the drooling, retching, and restlessness and heavy breathing.

Here are a few things that can trigger nausea:

  • Infection
  • Hairballs
  • Stress
  • Food allergies
  • Poisoning
  • Medication

#5 Something is Funny Tastes or a foreign body

A cat can be known to continuously kiss their lips since they’ve eaten an object or surface at home that might include soap, dirt, and cleaning chemical.

Liking something with an unpleasant taste can cause your cat to continuously kiss their lips.

Cat Smacking Lips 3

A different cause could be when your cat taken a bite of something and then got it stuck within their mouth.

As we mentioned previously, the teeth on the tongue of cats are like tiny hooks. When foreign objects are stuck in their papillae mouths, they are unable to let it go.

#6 Cats who lick their Lips could be a sign of anxiety

The constant licking of the lips could be an indication it is your pet anxious. If you observe other body language, such as your tail around their bodies or crouching down, this could confirm the anxiety problem even more.

There are many diverse things that can trigger anxiety in cats, for example:

  • Change in routine
  • Change in the surroundings
  • Moving to a new home
  • A new member in the family, such as the birth of a child
  • A new pet, such as one of the dogs or even a cat
  • Fear of separation

#7 Feline Upper Respiratory Disease

The upper respiratory tract infection of the feline is similar to a cold however, it can be more severe. It can be caused by viruses or bacteria that attack the throat, nose and sinuses. Since it is a target for the airways of the upper this can be painful and trigger excessive lip chewing.

Cat Smacking Lips 1

The signs of upper respiratory symptoms include:

  • Cough
  • Sneezing
  • Nose irritated and runny
  • Fever
  • Congestion
  • Drooling
  • Appetite loss
  • Ulcers
  • Depression
  • Lethargy

#8 Allergies

Like humans, cats can also be susceptible to microorganisms that enter their respiratory systems. This can trigger an allergic reaction which could cause your cat to continually kiss their lips in response to the irritation of stress or.

One of the reasons for this could be:

  • Grass (hay-fever)
  • Pollen
  • Dust-mites
  • Animal dander

If your cat suffers from an allergy, in addition to kissing their lips, other indicators to look for are difficulty breathing and skin irritations, as well as the dermatitis.

#9 Compulsive Disorders

Cat Smacking Lips 6

There is a truth to it, cats can suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). It can cause your cat to perform repetitive actions which have no meaning, like lip-licking without reason.

Other indicators of the disorder can be:

  • Grooming too much
  • Gussing and chewing
  • looking for and pouncing on invisibly prey
  • tail chasing
  • Pacing
  • The constant meowing

What can you do about the Cat’s Lips Being Cleaned

Though a cat’s habit of licking their lips is a normal, it’s crucial to be aware of any other factors that may be behind this behaviour. If you observe that your cat is always lip kissing, here are two crucial factors to take into consideration:

Examine their behavior: Is lip licking an indication of an alteration or something happening within the environment that can cause your cat to become nervous or nervous?

Cat Smacking Lips 3

If so, then the answer is simple. Everything in the environment or routine that was recently altered is to be changed back to normal.

Medical issues: If gone through this article, you’ll see that your cat might display other symptoms and signs in addition to lip licking, in the event of any health problems.

If your cat’s behavior is exhibiting other signs, it’s recommended to schedule an appointment with a vet to ensure that you are on the right side of.

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Conclusion

Most times the cat’s lips is innocuous and they perform it every day after eating their favourite meals. Always be conscious of the excessive licking that may be caused by medical problems.

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