What Is Stomatitis?

Stomatitis in the mouth of a cat after her teeth were pulledStomatitis is a compound word derived from Latin, as the names of many medical conditions are.  ‘Stoma’ means ‘mouth,’ and ‘itis’ means ‘inflammation.’  Therefore the term ‘stomatitis’ refers to an inflamed mouth.

No one is precisely sure what causes feline stomatitis, but some of the popular theories are that the cat’s immune system rejects their teeth as foreign invading objects, either because of a defect in their immune system or because of a harmful bacterial plaque on the teeth themselves.

You may have heard feline stomatitis referred to by other terms, including feline chronic gingivostomatitis, lymphocytic-plasmacytic stomatitis, feline generalized oral inflammatory disease, and immune-mediated feline refractory stomatitis.

Regardless of the name, it is serious, and you need to be able to recognize the symptoms of this painful ailment so that you can seek proper treatment for your cat immediately.

Comments

What Is Stomatitis? — 75 Comments

  1. Hello fellow kitty lovers. I’m a holistic practitioner and one of my friends cats has Stomatitis. I began my research on this page. Have any of you tried using Redox Signaling Molecules to correct your kitties immune system issues? It’s very safe and already exists within all human and animal cells. The NIH has over 17,000 papers on their website on the benefits of increasing these molecules to our bodies. My heart has just broken reading your stories and I just wanted to suggest a form of relief worth researching further. Please let me know if you have any questions.

  2. Hi,my baby has lost a lot of his hair. He has bumps all over the bald spots. He’s only drinking milk. The dr gives him a steroid and antibiotic shot. That’s it. Is that enough? The bumps aren’t going away. Why?

    Baby was diagnosed with stomatitis but he doesn’t have all the symptoms except for the major pain when he eats. Can he have been misdiagnosed?

    • Angie,

      I don’t know why Baby has bumps on his skin, that isn’t a symptom of stomatitis, which affects just the mouth and throat.

      As for whether Baby might have been misdiagnosed, there is no way for me to know. I recommend getting a second opinion, if you haven’t already. I hope that you’ve been able to find relief for your kitty.

      Rochelle

      • My kitty Taps was dropping food and weight quickly. I had all her teeth removed. They left her bottom front incisors and canines. She has made a miraculous turnaround. No more pain. She is back to her normal weight. No bad breath.

        If you can afford it. You may want to look into extraction. I was extremely hesitant but Taps is under 10 years old. She has a long life

        • Chelsea,

          That’s wonderful to hear! Lily had all but her canines removed, but we later had to remove those, too, because they were still causing problems. She was better after the canines were removed as well.

          May Taps have a long, happy life with you. 🙂

          Rochelle

  3. My cat Theo was left at the local reservoir and when I was finished walking the dog he came running out of the woods meowing like he needed help and sat at my feet for 10 mins to tell me so. I told him he obviously didn’t belong there and he could come with me and I’d help him somehow. I started towards the car, he jumped in front of me and led the way, jumped up on the dash and we headed home. No pet centers were taking strays and I feel in love with him within a few days. He’s had many lifetimes and is extremely gentle and lets anyone pet him. He’s had stomatitis since a few months after I got him and gets a steroid midal shot about every 6 wks. Otherwise the pains so bad it will scare you to see him react to the pain. Feed him tuna and Shebas but it’s not getting any better and he’s fat now probably from steroids. I don’t know how else to help him. The back of is throat is so red it must be unimaginable pain. He goes crazy and I also give him an antibiotic every 12 hrs. Thank you, I’ll read the rest of the info here.

    • The best treatment for stomatitis is partial of full mouth teeth extraction done preferably by a dental specialist. If he is gagging, choking and pawing at his mouth it’s because he has blisters in the back of the throat. If you can pill him the prednisolone tablets are easier on their systems than the depo injections. Many vets will give a two-week Convenia antibiotic as well, or you can use Clavamox or Clindamycin, but it’s usually more than a 2 week dosage. My kitty is one of the 20% that the FME didn’t work wonders on, and she still has flare ups. She is on 2.5 mg of prednisolone once every 24 hrs and when she is gagging, choking during a bad flare up I give her some Gabapentin for pain. It’s a horrid disease and very frustrating to treat. I’m going to a dental specialist Thursday to see if there are any other options. I’ll try everything. It breaks my heart when it hurts her to eat.

  4. My DLH has pretty fur that smells great but had a mouth that smelled like a sewer. She’s her gums were red around her teeth. I started Vetri Science Perio Support and her mouth is so much better!!

  5. My 10 year old cat Haley was diagnosed with lymphocytic-plasmacytic stomatitis today after bloodwork (which didn’t show anything) and an x-ray (which also didn’t show anything) and sedation to remove a polyp from her throat (which she didn’t have). She has not eaten in days and has extreme difficulty breathing. She has a terrible “wheazing” sound while trying to breathe. Her issue is not with any of her teeth, it’s small bumps in the back of her throat. We were sent home with steroid drops and antibiotics. From what I have read on line this is very painful and prognosis is not good. I am so worried that I am not making the best decision for her. Can you offer any other advice? I cannot see her suffering like this.

    • Lisa,

      I’m so sorry to hear about Haley’s prognosis. I’ve never heard of this particular form of stomatitis so I don’t know how it differs from the kind Lily had, so I’m not able to offer any specific advice. You can try some of the things that have worked for other people, but if you aren’t able to find something that helps then you might want to have a long talk with your vet. I know that some of us have been had cats that seemed close to death’s door but found the right combination to help our cats and give them happy lives. I hope you are able to find the right treatment for Haley.

      Rochelle

  6. Thank you for your response. Good to know. My poor baby had full mouth extraction. Has a steroid shot once a month and a week of antibiotics monthly as well. Going to try the lysine. She is a huge cuddle bug and is next to my face sleeping a lot. So glad to hear no threat to humans.

    • Sherrie,

      No, not at all. You are safe to handle your cat if it has stomatitis. There are very few animal illnesses that can be passed on to humans and I don’t think any are from cats.

      Rochelle

  7. My male cat named Bob was diagnosed with Stomatitis and had his teeth pulled by a previous vet but was still having problems I took him to another vet recently after being on high doses of steroids and antibiotics and he took an xray and found that the teeth that were pulled were actually broken off and had remaining roots and debris left , yesterday he went in for surgery to remove what was left behind. Always have them xray your cats mouth to make sure nothing is left behind . He is expected to make a full recovery. Will update in the future on Bob’s recovery.

    • Mrs. Martin,

      Cat teeth are very brittle and break easily. Sadly, not all vets take x-rays and we often find out the hard way, as you have, that fragments are left behind. I didn’t know that, either, until we went to our current vet who educated me on this. I’m so glad you found a vet who was able to take care of the fragments and hopefully this will be all that Bob needs to feel better.

      Rochelle

      • A normal X-ray machine is not detailed enough to show all the fragments are gone. A specialist vet usually has better machines which sometimes have to be used

  8. What brand of Lysine do you use? I ordered some and found that mine has a strong odor and Moran won’t eat very much in one sitting. I’m also trying to find some calorie heavy treats for him. He won’t eat raw foods. It’s very annoying. I’ve been putting silver in his food but I am thinking I should start adding it to the local drinking hole. Everyone would benefit from it and I found a good low particle product that is safer for pets.
    Once a week I’m putting cloves on his gums. Cats are not supposed to have too much of this stuff since it’s hard for them to process it through the liver. But considering vets give the cats steroids and other liver toxic drugs I this shouldn’t be too bad when given once week, diluted, and just on the gums. It really helps him. I’ve had cloves oil treatments when I had dental surgery and it really felt wonderful.

    • Red,

      I use Vetoquinol Viralys Powder, which is the one seen on my website. I don’t know if this will help but I mix the Lysine and PlaqueOff with water and a spoonful of wet food, then mix it together to make a slurry. That way I don’t have to worry about some of the powder not being ingested and all five of my cats lick the bowls clean every night. I made a video showing how I mix the food here – http://stomatitisincats.com/how-i-give-lysine-and-plaqueoff-to-lily

      This is the first time I’ve heard of cloves being used like this. If cloves have the potential to damage the liver then you might consider getting bloodwork done every so often to make sure all is well. I hope this all works for Moran.

      Rochelle

      • What flavor is your powdered Lysine?? Mine (exact brand as yours) was a “gel” that was as thick a tree sap & flavored maple. She refused to eat it. I found her flavor under the inactive ingredients list.

    • We were prescribed Vetoquinol Viralys brand L-Lysine & she won’t even eat it in canned cat food. It’s thick like tree sap. It is maple flavored which I don’t understand (why not tuna flavored??).
      Good Luck!

    • Red,
      I just saw the post below yours & the Vetoquinol Viralys comes in a powder too! I’m praying it’s not maple flavored like my undesirable “gel”!

  9. I just adopted a stray. He has a pretty bad case of stomatitis. I have mixed coconut oil, plaque off and lysine in his food. Just want to say, when I mix in a half capsule of generic over the counter l-lysine, I seem to have better results than the fancy cat stuff.

  10. My cat has stomatitis but I refused to get his teeth removed as it appears it hasn’t helped any cat and the underlying cause is not being fixed.
    I’ve started my kitty on colloidal silver. Yes silver. Best thing I’ve ever done. He hates it but his breathe is better and he is eating the food I give him. I use baby oragel to brush his teeth. The swelling has gone from whole mouth to just one side. He gets flair ups but overall he is doing better. I use a syringe to squirt the silver in his mouth. Make sure to use real colloidal silver. There is a company called Kelley colloidal and they have a good product with a lower ppm for the cat. Moran is also on canned food with fresh tumeric for the inflammation. I also brush his teeth with coconut oil for the bacteria.
    Don’t always listen to vets. They seem to take things to extremely aggressive treatment very quickly. Defemation of my cat is not something I like to do. Oragel contains a benzocaine. This can be toxic if used too often. Only use it when brushing the teeth and never to relieve pain just because.
    I hope this helps

  11. Hi,

    My little Billy has stomatitis and we tried everything not to have his teeth removed. Spent a fortune on medicated gels L-Lysine and mouth wash, plaque off etc, all of which we had to import as not available in Australia for pets. To cut a long story short, none worked to help and he has to go on antibiotics, steroids and Meloxicam. These eased the pain, but stomatitis was too much. He has full mouth extractions done five days ago and he is a much happier boy and eating more already. When all else fails, this is the only way!

    • Nicole,

      I’m so glad to hear that you were able to help Billy find relief! Yes, a full tooth extraction is sometimes the best way to help our little fur babies. I hope that Billy continues to heal.

      Rochelle

  12. I have a cat Rocky that I adopted from the shelter last September. I took him to the vet because I thought he had a broken tooth and it had gotten infected because of the odor he had from his mouth. I was told he has Stomatitis. I don’t have the funds for extractions. My sister sells Standard Process organic immune support supplements and they seem to have helped so far. I also put something in his water for him and the three other cats I have right now. He eats the kibble and Mackerel and chicken and salmon. Not raw. I think he would benefit from raw foods as long as they are heated through because even though some companies advertise no grains, there are peas and other vegetables not found in a cat’s diet naturally that may cause problems. I think a good healthy no carbohydrate diet will be helpful. He hasn’t gotten any worse and his odor is gone but if this is a progressive disease, I will need to put him down.

    • Sjaan,

      Other people have posted on here that their cats improved with a raw diet so it’s possible yours will, too. It’s been a while since you wrote this (I’m so sorry for not seeing it sooner). How is your cat doing?

      Rochelle

  13. Rochelle – That’s so great you cured your cat of the stomatitis. My vets have been saying my cat has stomatitis but don’t explain it or give me anything to do for it. It’s just sort of an after thought, like, “oh, your cat has this by the way.” A vet I went to the last few years never told me my cat had stomatitis, but when I just changed vets it was on his records! They say it’s severe. I can’t understand how my cat can have it and show no signs of having it and I can’t see it. He eats fine and plays and acts normal, nothing like anything I’ve seen here. He never acts like he’s in pain. It’s starting to worry me. I’ve been looking online and saw your website and started my cat on the Plaqueoff and Lysine. I told my vet about your success with Lily. My vet told me to continue the Plaqueoff but that the lysine wouldn’t help my cat unless he had herpes, which he doesn’t. She said I could continue the lysine if I wanted to. I’m hesitant to stop it. He just had a dental cleaning and had to have 3 extractions. He did have bad breath sometimes but since starting the Plaqueoff that’s gone. He lets me open his mouth and look at his gums. They are pigmented so that doesn’t help. I’m trying to brush his teeth, but it will take time. I’m going to start asking my vet more questions about the stomatitis from now on. Do you know if the lysine will help my cat?

    • Karen,

      I know that I answered this in the forum but am answering it again here in case my answer is helpful to people who don’t visit the forum.

      I am aware that Lysine is recommended for cats with herpes but my experience is that it is helpful to all cats. My vet explained that Lysine to cats is like Vitamin C to humans in that it helps boost their immune systems.

      Lily does not have herpes but I found out the hard way that Lysine does help her. I started giving her Lysine before I knew about the PlaqueOff, and although it didn’t help as much as when combined with PlaqueOff, it definitely helped. I know this because at one point I was almost out of Lysine and ordered more from Amazon. The seller sent me the wrong item and Lily went a week without Lysine before the seller sent me what I ordered.

      During that week Lily’s stomatitis was much worse. That was when I knew I would never stop giving her Lysine. I also learned to place a new order for either Lysine or PlaqueOff sooner than I had in the past, just to make sure we never run out of either product.

      Rochelle

  14. Our cat was saved thanks to one teaspoon of salt mixed with about 2 cups water. Spray in the mouth of the cat, about 4 times a day. This washes out all the guck and makes the tissues healthy again.

  15. Recently a new girl teenager cat came into our yard. Shes the sweetest thing ever ! We immediately adoped her of course. But, she was unable to eat or drink , and im afraid she may have stomatitis. Weve taken her to the vet, and they gave her a shot of antibiotics. The inflamation in her mouth has gone down only a tiny bit.
    One thing I wanted to comment on, was something our Daisy cat discovered herself. It was a pet water fountain the other cats drank from in the house. Daisy took it over, and she was able to use the water spout part to get the water down her mouth. Im guessing she also cleans her mouth out with it, as the water gets very dirty. We wash the fountain daiky. Its no big deal. Were thrilled she is able to drink water now. You shouldve seen her excitement when she she was so excited . I just wanted to share this in case it could be helpful to any of your readers. Daisy will be going back to the vet this month, im praying its not cancer. Thank you for all your help.

    • Tracie,

      Like you, I hope that your girl doesn’t have cancer. Please keep us posted about that.

      You’ve made a very interesting observation with the water fountains. We have two water fountains in our home, one large and one small, and I never thought about the fact that the fountain might make it easier for stomatitis cats to drink water. Thank you for sharing this!

      Rochelle

  16. I have added a forum to this site in an effort to make it easier for people to find and/or share information. I would like to invite you to take a look around and share what has worked for you (or what hasn’t), even if you’ve already shared it here. The forum will be a place where it is much easier to search for and find helpful information.

    You can visit the forum here.

    I will be posting this comment on all the pages of my site to make sure everyone who is subscribed to comments sees this, so I apologize if you get multiple copies of this message.

  17. An update on Buster: No cancer!!
    But the diagnosis WAS Stomatitis.
    He’s been given steroids,pain meds and an appetite stimulant.
    When we got home from the vet,after he had been given the appetite stimulant, he scarfed down 4 cans of Fancy Feast!!
    His weight has plummeted from 18 lbs to 11.
    How long is too long for him to be on steroids? He is 13 years old. He isn’t the feisty kitty he used to be…He’s lost his swagger!

  18. Ty all for this site and postings on it.i have been taking care of cats left behind here at ft hood as I do anywhere we get stationed at. Breaks my heart at how many animals ppl leave behind dogs and cats on base and base area. This young black male cat not sure how old he is, we call him spooky he’s so sweet. It was about Monday when I found him on our porch in a box with a blanket I put for them to keep warm, he wasn’t well at all. He was drooling excessively with some blood in it and very lethargic and his jaw trembles too. I thought maybe he got hit but he has all the signs of stomatitis. I’ve been giving him a half a tsp of organic Virgin coconut oil since its antibacterial, anti fungal, anti viral.i have been cleaning him up with little bit of peroxide and water too.had also found today about some vinegar water to give maybe a tsp a day or more not sure it’s like an antibiotic. I gave him an immune strengthener by only natural pet I had and some gmc high calorie booster gel formula.hes barely been able to eat so I fed him some raw chicken thanks to someone above mentioning raw food diet ty so much and he got up and started eating I was so glad. Also now putting Britta water out for the cats too.i will have to look into those 2 supplements above too ty ! I wish I had lots of money for him but am doing my very best.ty all so much and wish the very best for all your animals 😉

    • Michelle,

      What a good person you are to take care of these discarded cats! Please let us know how Spooky does under your love and care.

      Rochelle

  19. Would this disease show up with a blood test? My cat Buster (13) has an extremely high red blood cell count and a lowered white cell count. He won’t eat and is drooling constantly. He is so miserable. My vet suspects it may be cancer, we are going to a specialty vet 2 hours away tomorrow where they will do an X-Ray and CT scan. He has also suffered from a chronic ear infection for years. We are planning on removing the ear canal if the scans come up negative for cancer. Ive never heard of Stomatitis before, but it sounds preferable to cancer…..

    • Marianne,

      I’ve never heard of any kind of test to determine stomatitis. Are you able to open Buster’s mouth and look at his gums and throat without causing him pain? If so, look for any redness or inflammation. That is a possible sign of stomatitis.

      My prayers go out to you and Buster. Please feel free to let us know what the testing shows and how Buster is doing.

      Rochelle

    • Marianne,
      I am doing a major Google search after my cat was recently diagnosed with stomatitis. I have found that there are 8-9 causes of Stomatitis. I’m not sure if Bartonellosis & Bartonella are the same. If so, there is only 8 causes.

      Bartonellois, FIV (a.k.a. HIV / kitty aids) & FeLV2 (a.k.a. leukemia) are able to be detected in a blood test.

      These possible caused are not able to be detected in a blood test:

      Immune merited (cat’s immune system attacks mouth tissue as abnormal response to bacteria)

      Dental disease (to much plaque)

      Feline infectious peritonitis (I haven’t googled definition yet)

      Corona virus (they can not give it to you! Cows have been vaccinated against this for decades!)

      Calicivirus (highly contagious to other cats! ONLY cleaning product that kills it is Lysol. Lysol aerosol partials are toxic to cats if inhaled so if cleaning their items, wash with soap & water (after Lysol dries) to get the Lysol smell out / off.

      Good luck with your researching!

  20. Just an update… I decided to go ahead with surgery to have Asher’s teeth removed, all but her 4 canines. She was in so much pain and it made her super cranky so I wanted to do anything to alleviate her pain. I managed to find a vet closer to home who was more affordable, $2000 instead of the $5000 I was originally quoted. It has been about 2 months and Asher is doing great. She eats both hard and soft food, has regained the weight she lost and seems pain free and much happier. She didn’t have any issues after surgery (the vet did 2 surgeries removing half her teeth the first time and the others 3 weeks later). I saw improvement in her behavior and appetite the very next day. The vet made no guarantees and told me she may relapse but so far, so good!! You’d never know she ever had any problems unless you saw she has only 4 teeth.

    • Trisha,

      This is wonderful to hear! Thank you so much for the update on Asher. Hopefully she will continue to improve.

      Rochelle

  21. My feral cat 4 yrs old has stomatitis and has had 2 surgeries and has 4 teeth left canine. They suggest extracting them @ a cost of $1100. And not sure if this will be the answer. He is a wonderful cat and I can’t stand see him in pain. Have to make a decision to pull teeth or put him down. What kind of life is he having has to be considered. Any suggestions?

    • Patricia,

      I suspect you may have already made a decision about what to do, but if this was my cat I would start him on Lysine and PlaqueOff immediately. I’ve said it before and will continue to say it, but these two items have been miraculous for my cat Lily. She has done so well with them that I am currently in the process of weaning her off the steroid cream that she has been on for over a year. I plan on stopping the cream completely within the next week and her mouth looks great. I feel confident that as long as I continue to give her the PlaqueOff and Lysine that her stomatitis will be held at bay.

      Please let us know what you decided to do, and if it was a treatment then what it was and how it is working.

      I have sent prayers to you and your cat.

      Rochelle

  22. Hi Rochelle, my 10 year old calico Maine Coon Daisy was diagnosed today with stomatitis. Vet wants to pull teeth!

    About a week ago, I fed Daisy and two others a national brand cat food ocean whitefish & tuna pate. The two other cats rejected this pate outright but the calico ate it reluctantly. Calico started coughing soon after and got lethargic for a day or so but appeared to recover. I reported symptoms to company, they said there were no other reports with the cat food lot number and sent me some coupons for replacement cans.

    Yesterday, Daisy started to gag when trying to eat any kind of food or drink water. I suspected an obstruction like a hairball that wouldn’t come up so I took her to the vet which is when I found out about the stomatitis. It looks like the gagging was due to pain of any food or drink in the mouth.

    I am not 100% certain that this canned food is the problem but I am going to stop feeding my cats this canned cat food and switch to something else.

    I am going to try the raw meat diet along with Lysine and PlaqueOff for Daisy. Sounds like pulling teeth should be a last resort.

    Jeff

    • Jeff,

      Yes, pulling the teeth is a last resort treatment option. I haven’t done the raw meat diet but I know that many people have had success with it. I hope that you are able to get Daisy’s stomatitis under control so that she is not in pain.

      Rochelle

  23. Hi Rochelle, I too have a female cat with severe stomatitis, and thought you’d be interested in this article regarding a direct connection between fluoride and stomatitis (in humans). Did you know that pet food manufacturers are under no obligation or restriction when it comes to adding fluoridated bone meal (from certain cattle, for example) to pet food? And, did you know that human stomatitis only started showing up in the 1950’s, after water fluoridation began? Check this out:

    FLUORIDE DENTRIFICE AND STOMATITIS
    http://fluoridealert.org/studies/douglas-1957/

    “Recognizing the fact that fluoride toothpastes are the prevalent type of dentrifice and that my findings could be a mere coincidence, I requested, nevertheless, that these patients switch, on a trial basis, from their fluoride toothpastes to a nonfluoride-containing toothpaste. Within a period varying from two to four weeks, approximately one half of the patients thus observed cleared of their previously persistent acne-like eruption… Several of the patients, who were concerned about the dental health factors relative to fluoride and its exclusion, requested to resume use of a fluoride toothpaste despite assurances that fluoride in water and dental treatments should be sufficient for good dental health and protection. These patients were then allowed to resume use of a fluoride toothpaste. Without exception, each developed the same distribution of acne-like eruption that had previously occurred”
    SOURCE: Archives of Dermatology; Year 1975, Vol. 111, Page 793.

    • Tom,

      That is a very interesting find! I didn’t know any of that.

      Many people have had success treating their stomatitis cats with a raw meat diet, and I wonder if this may be partly why it helps.

      Rochelle

  24. I have a cat that was diagnosed with early stage caudal stomatitis. She tested negative when a viral panel was run. My vet put her on antibiotics and gave her a steroid shot to make sure that we could rule out an infection. Today I took her to a dental specialist and almost fainted when I saw the estimate for a full mouth extraction. Their low estimate is $4,519 and the high is $4,982! I live in San Diego and have been looking for other options within an 6-8 hour drive. I think that price is pretty hefty but I know that she needs the surgery. Are you aware of anywhere in the area that might be more affordable?

    • Trisha,

      Oh my gosh! That quote is unbelievable! Have you been able to find a place that doesn’t cost as much? It would even be cheaper for you to fly your cat to another part of the country for the surgery (not that I’m suggesting that, since the trauma wouldn’t be good for your cat).

      Unfortunately, I am not familiar with the costs of tooth extraction throughout the country, other than what people like yourself have said about what you’ve been quoted.

      You may want to read my response to Brooke’s comment. I offered a couple of suggestions regarding finding a good vet and how to raise money for the dental surgeries. You can see my response here – http://stomatitisincats.com/treatment-for-stomatitis/comment-page-3#comment-6197

      Much luck to you in finding an affordable way to help your cat.

      Rochelle

  25. How long can a cat be on steroids and antibiotics before surgery is absolutely necessary. I am sure it varies but I am interested in some rough figures. This is my second shelter cat and my second cat with a major illness. My first had seizures and needed medication twice a day before the seizures took their toll and compromised her quality of life. I had to put her down (hardest choice ive ever made) My current cat was without diagnosis for a while and I feel so guilty blowing how painful it is for her. My number one concern is quality of life now and in the long run.

    • Molly,

      You asked how long a cat can be treated with antibiotics and steroids before tooth extraction is needed. Unfortunately, I don’t think there is one specific answer to this question. Every cat and every case of stomatitis is different. Some cats have mild cases of it, others have ferociously nasty cases, and many fall in between. Your vet will be able to give you a better idea of how long your cat can do these medications.

      I wish I could give you a better answer than this, and I hope that your cat responds well to the medications and never needs to have her teeth pulled.

      As for the guilt you feel, I know for a fact that you are not alone there. I also felt guilty about how long it took me to finally realize Lily had a problem, and other people have shared their guilt, too. Please don’t be too hard on yourself. The bottom line is that you now know there is a problem and you are getting help for your cat. Cats are notoriously good at keeping illnesses and pain to themselves.

      Rochelle

  26. Thank you for this very informative website. I adopted a 10 yr old cat from the shelter last year. She had been a 1 owner cat until her owner passed away & she was taken to the shelter. Last month she was diagnosed with Stomatitis. I missed a lot of the signs also (the matted fur, the hiding). She was having a hard time eating & making noise while she tried to eat, so I took her into the vet. Today she will be having surgery to have her teeth removed. I know at her age that this may not help completely, but if she can be given the chance to have a few more years of life w/o pain & progressive disease, then that is what I want to do.Thank you for taking the time to post all this helpful information for cat owners who are walking the same path. Blessings. June

    • June,

      You sound like a wonderful kitty mom to do whatever you can to give your cat a chance at a longer life! My prayers go out to you and your cat.

      Rochelle

  27. Thanks for this info..
    We have some stray cat we feed daily, all 4 of them show the same issue.. they can not eat or swallow much. they are eating only very little I feel bad not sure what to do…

    • Wow. I’m not sure what to tell you if you’ve got four strays with stomatitis. Have you taken any of them to your vet for advice?

  28. Wow, what a great site. My cat Cobie has just been diagnosed and she is only 17 months old, so after reading this I am worried about her long term.
    She is currently on antibiotics and has started an oral hygiene regime, which she loves so we are hopeful!
    She’s so young though.
    Hopefully she will recover from this bout and we will manage it going forward.
    Thank you for all the great information.
    Heather

  29. I have a Toy Poodle who has the dog form of this disease. So far, I’ve spent at least $3,000.00 on extractions and cleanings. This is in spite of daily brushing since I got her as a 7wk old puppy. Just last month (Sept), she had to have 2 teeth pulled and a cleaning. Luckily, I controlled the infection with the use of a red LED light (DPL sold on Amazon) and sprayed Colloidal Silver in her mouth daily, until I was able to get her into the vetj to have it all done. To my knowledge, the red LED light kills bacteria that creates plaque and promotes healing. Even so, I’m buying PlaqueOff for all of my pets to take.

    • Debra,

      I’m glad to hear that you have been able to get your dog help on your own, before seeing the vet.

      I don’t know anything about Colloidal Silver or red LED lights. Thank you for sharing this, in case it helps others and their pets.

      As for PlaqueOff for dogs, I have every confidence that it will work as well on dogs as it does on cats. Please let us know how well it works for your dog.

      Rochelle

  30. Hi Rochelle,

    I am so grateful I have found your website, especially because of your well documented story.
    I’m from Belgium, I live with my boyfriend and we have 2 cats, we adopted our first cat Sara in spring last year, she spent 3 years in the shelter and nobody would adopt her. When she came home with us, we quickly noticed that she would drool a lot and that she had bad breath. I’ve had cats all my life, and had never experienced anything like that. She ate normally, so I didn’t think anything of it. At the end of last year my boyfriend found one of her canine teeth on the floor, so I took her to the vet, who gave her a shot of antibiotics and said she would lose more teeth, since she’s already 8 years old (estimated by the shelter). I was not satisfied by that, so I sought a second opinion and told my new vet I wanted her to do a thorough check on Sara’s teeth, and since she’s not easy to handle, I said, you can put her under anesthesia if necessary, I just want to know why my cat is unkempt, drooling and has such bad breath.
    And so she did and the result was that she had to extract all her teeth except for her 3 canines that she had left, because she also suffers from stomatitis. The vet then showed me the teeth she extracted and I could see they were beyond possible repair. I felt really bad I didn’t get her treatment earlier, but she’s very well at hiding the symptoms, and again, she’s not a cat that just comes and sits on your lap, even to get her into the carrier to go to the vet is a very hard job, let alone check her teeth every once in a while. Anyway, I got her back home, she had been given a shot of antibiotics and we had to give her a fluid form of anti-inflammatory medicine for a week, after that week, we could not believe the improvements she had made, no more chin soaked in drool, bad breath gone, and she gained quite some weight too, because when I had to take her for her vaccinations a month later, the vet said she gained almost 2 pounds, and when we look at photos of when she just came to live with us, we can see a huge difference, her fur looks much better. I’m so happy I changed vets by the way 🙂
    In spring this year, we got a kitten, and both cats are still somewhat adjusting, cause Sara is a calm cat that likes to keep to herself, and Fluffy (translated from Dutch 🙂 ) is still very young and likes to chase everything that gets her attention. Now since a couple of weeks I noticed Sara has started to drool again, and has bad breath, it’s not as bad as it was the first time, but I’m still concerned, she also has some difficulty swallowing, had that too the first time, but she’s still eating very good, hasn’t lost weight. But I think I’ll take a photo of her canines and send it to my vet, then she can tell me if I have to come back with her, I hope she can still keep her remaining teeth, but I’m afraid, cause her upper canines irritate her lower lip, I can see that.
    Long story short 🙂 I just wanted to say I found some helpful tips on your site and I hope, if her remaining teeth have to be removed, the stomatitis will go away permanently. I think I might talk to my vet about the PlaqueOff, it seems like a very good supplement.

    • Leen,

      It sounds like the new kitten may have caused enough stress for Sara that it caused her stomatitis to flare up. The foster mom I adopted Lily from said she believes that stress will make stomatitis worse.

      Hopefully that stress has gone away now that you’ve had the kitten for a while now.

      As for PlaqueOff, it is based out of the UK, so I would guess that it wouldn’t be too difficult for you to get it, possibly even straight from the manufacturer.

      How is Sara doing now?

      Rochelle

  31. Hello. I have a 17 year old cat with stomatitis. 8 days ago she had most of her teeth removed (all her molars and 1 canine). She seemed to eat better but at random times still paws at her mouth. She has sutures that will dissolve. I’m hoping that the reason she’s still pawing at her mouth is because she’s still getting used to the feeling of having less teeth and that the sutures feel strange in her mouth. I am worried because I understand that after teeth extractions, cats almost immediately feel better; this doesn’t seem to be the case with my cat. Can anyone help me out with their experience or even any vets that might be reading? What can I expect following the surgery in terms of cat behaviour, etc. I’ve been giving her Buprenorphine every 12 hours (now reduced to 8) and codeine cream on the inside of her ear. I have one syringe left of Buprenorphine. I’m at a loss and frustrated. I just want to see her eat normally again. She’s had the condition for two years and I was managing it with antibiotics and steroid injections. I’m assuming the inflammation doesn’t go away right after and needs time to heal after extractions. Thank you.

    • When it comes to stomatitis, there is not likely to be immediate relief. In fact, it can take up to six months before the inflammation disappears, if the extraction helped (it doesn’t always, as it didn’t with my Lily). It sounds to me like your cat is acting normal for what she has been through.

      I hope that your kitty is feeling better now that it has been a few weeks since her tooth extraction. How is she doing now?

  32. There have been quite a few comments on this page that I am very delayed in approving and responding to. I sincerely apologize for the delay. My children got out of school in June and I have been busy with them since then, which is why I have been so slow to approve and respond to comments. I will be working over the next few days to get caught up.

  33. My cat Fidget was diagnosed with this horrible decease about a month ago. I didn’t know just how much pain they are in. We found a wonderful Pet Dentist in Brick, NJ. She diagnosed it immediately. My regular vet was on the right track but suggested a specialist. I’m so glad I listened.

    My cat had to get all his teeth pulled. It was hard to see him go thru this (being force feed at times) but he seemed to come around after his stiches were gone. I thought we were out of the woods but unfortunately he is not eating again and I think the underlying issue is still there. The doc did say that 20% of cats are never completely cured. We are taking him back to see where we go from here.

    Good luck to everyone who has to see their pets go thru this.

    Ann

    • My cat Lily was also in the 20% of cats that did not improve after the tooth extraction. Hopefully your vet will be able to offer treatment options that may help now that the teeth are gone. I hope Fidget does improve to a point where he seems to be in less pain than he was before.

  34. Our cat Gerry is 4.5 years old. He was about a year old & a friendly feral when we noticed the drooling, refusing food, huge loss of weight, fear of being touched on his face and failure to groom. It was diagnosed as Feline Gingivitis Stomatitis. The vet tried antibiotics, antivirals, steroids and then removed almost all of his teeth when he was 18 mths old. Over the first year he visited the vet about every 6-8 weeks. As the condition has deteriorated this period has reduced from 2-4 weeks. Our vet says he is the worst case he has ever seen. It has cost us a fortune. But how this cat suffers…it breaks my heart watching him as he deteriorates

    The University of Glasgow and Thessaloniki University are doing research into

    When Gerry is bad, the roof of his mouth, the gums, the back of his mouth and his nasal passage become ulcerated and beetroot red. We know when he is going into a bad spell because he stops grooming, starts getting choosy over foods & loosing weight. Within 4-6 days he stops eating, is drooling pus and looks terrible. We’ve now come to the conclusion that, in Gerry’s case, steroids are the only thing that works. He has antibiotics & fluids when he gets a secondary infection and is very bad. We have discussed the option of euthanasia with the vet but at the moment his good spells are longer than his bad. We know that the steroids are shortening his life but

    In Gerry’s case, removing the teeth has not stopped the progression of his condition. But we don’t know what he would have been like if he still had them. I suspect it helped but I really don’t know. In our case, the vet has reduced their charges for all treatment for Gerry because they know we are trying to do our best for him.

    • It’s been almost a month since you wrote this (I’m sorry for not responding sooner). How is Gerry dong now?

  35. Hi Rochelle,
    My 15 yr old male cat Jasper has just been diagnosed with stomatitis. We have been to the vet twice, this last time he got an antibiotic shot and a steroid shot that should last 2 weeks then the vet wants me to give him .25ml of a medicine called Atopica for Cats ($98 for a bottle that will last about 2 months). He said it is something like what the give people who have had a transplant so the won’t reject the organ. He did have diabetes about 4 yrs ago and I gave him insulin twice a day for 6 months, ground up special B Vitamins in his food and changed his diet and his blood sugar normalized and he got better. (Suggested by my vet I went on FelineDiabetes.com-a great website). He is still having much trouble eating and drinking, but does to an extent. I cannot start the Atopica for 2 weeks, I hope it works. Meanwhile I will try the Plaque Off and the L-Lysine. My question to you is: I have 2 other cats, females ages 4 and 11yrs, could they get stomatitis from eating Jasper’s leftover food or drinking out of the same bowl?
    Thank you,
    Cindy

    • Cindy,

      I am so very sorry for not responding to your email sooner.

      No, stomatitis is not contagious. This is something I asked my vet early on in our journey and was told that it wasn’t.

      To help put your mind at ease, I will share details of why I agree that it is not. Every morning and night we feed Lily her supplements by mixing them with a small amount of wet food. When she is done eating, she leaves the bowl and our other four cats vulture in to lick up what she left behind. She has been taking her supplements for almost a year, which means that our cats have been licking the bowl twice a day for about a year. The other four cats are perfectly healthy, and I know because I check their mouths for any sign of redness or swelling.

      I hope this helps.

      Rochelle

      P.S. How is Jasper doing now that he has been on his treatment for a few months?

  36. It’s so ironic that I came upon this website. My sister also has a cat named Lily who is black and white. We recently took her to the vet when we noticed her drooling, not eating or drinking for days, her unkempt fur, reluctance to be touched anywhere near the mouth, the terrible smell that followed wherever she went, and just her overall weakness: all symptoms of feline stomatitis. At the vet, they diagnosed her with feline stomatitis and urged that we should get the infected teeth extracted. However, the whole operation would cost about $1,000 and we are not in the best financial situation. So, I’m wondering, would it be worth it to get the infected teeth extracted and pay $1,000, or is it better and/or cheaper to constantly give her the meds you are suggesting for her whole life?
    Thank you,
    Russell

    • What is even more ironic is that I have a brother named Russell.

      As for your question, I do not think I am qualified to answer that since I have no medical background whatsoever and do not want to suggest something that could end up harming your Lily.

      My advice is to get a second opinion from another vet. If you do not know of another vet to see, here is my recommendation for finding one: Contact a local cat rescue group in your area (pet stores like PetSmart or Petco often donate space to these groups, so you could call a pet store and ask for the names of groups). Call them and explain your situation, and that you want a second opinion. Ask for the name(s) of vets they trust, because I guarantee that they will know which vets are good and which ones aren’t.

      As for the cost, another visitor to this site was in the exact same situation you are in. Her cat needed teeth pulled but she didn’t have the money. She turned to a site called http://www.indiegogo.com/crowdfunding-campaign-basics and set up a campaign to raise money for the surgery. This site works for people who have something to offer in exchange for a donation. In her case, she raised all the money needed. Just something to think about.

      Here is something else to consider regarding the cost of surgery. I completely understand what you are going through. Lily’s two tooth extraction surgeries cost us close to $2,000, money we did not have but we did it anyways. Now that the surgeries are behind us, there have been no more major costs, so that was the worst of it for us. Had we not gotten the surgeries I suspect that we would have been nickle-and-dimed into that amount or more with frequent vet visits (we still had a lot of vet visits as we attempted to get the stomatitis under control after her surgeries, so I am basing this statement on knowing what we went through after the teeth were gone). I don’t know if this will be helpful to you, but I’m sharing in case it is.

      Rochelle

  37. Thank you for this information!
    My cat was recently diagnosed and I needed to do some research as well!

    • Hi Ellie,

      I’m so sorry that your cat was diagnosed with this awful disease. Please let me know if there is anything that you are looking for but cannot find. I will do my best to get the answer for you.

      Rochelle