Why is my cat flicking her tongue and has terrible bad breath?

Question

Hi, my cat occasionally flicks her tongue in and out of her mouth like it wasn’t sitting in there comfortably. I couldn’t attach a video, so I attached screenshots of the video. Her mouth makes the same movement as if she were “chattering” like some cats do except with her tongue flicking out. She also has exceptionally bad breath. I was wondering if these might be linked and if you know what’s going on. Pet's info: Cat | Bombay | Female | spayed | 16 years and 2 months old | 8 lbs

Andrea M. Brodie, DVM · Accepted Answer

If your cat has bad breath she likely has a lot of tartar on her teeth and severe gingivitis which harbours a lot of bacteria and hurts. She will need to have her teeth checked and likely will need a dental cleaning removing all the tartar and bad teeth. There is also a possibility that she has an ulcer or an injury in her mouth or that she has ulcers due to kidney disease, which can be ruled out via a blood test. Since bad teeth are very painful, and infection in the mouth can cause heart and kidney disease you need to take your kitty for an exam by your vet tomorrow, if possible.

Why is my cat flicking her tongue and has terrible bad breath?

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