Cat licking their lips

A few weeks ago, I looked into the cat blep, when cats leave their tongue sticking out a little bit, and that made me wonder about another time cats stick their tongue out, which is when a cat licks their lips. I often see my cats licking their lips after eating, but there may also be health reasons that would cause cats licking lips, so I wanted to dig more into lip licking in cats! 

I already mentioned a common reason for a cat licking their chops, and that is that they have just eaten. They don't have napkins like we do, so a cat licking their lips after a meal is their way to clean off their face. Petsradar.com says this is more common with wet food, but that picky cats might lick their lips after eating dry food too. CatBehaviorAssociates.com tells us a little more about why it's important for cats to lick their lips after a meal - they say cats licking their lips are removing the scent of prey. That helps keep other prey animals from detecting the scent but, since cats can be both predators and prey, it also helps keep them safe from animals that might want to prey on that cat!

So, a little lick of the lips is normal after eating, but what if your cat is constantly licking lips? There are some other reasons that could happen and many of them might require a trip to the vet! So read on if your cat keeps licking their lips!

One reason why cats sould be licking their lips a lot is if they have mouth pain. Catbehaviorassociates.com says if this is the problem, you might also see them pawing at their mouth, drooling, eating less or notice a bad smell from their mouth. Petsradar.com says many times tooth problems in cats are below the gumline, so they might not be obvious by just looking at their teeth. If you suspect your cat has mouth pain, it's a good idea to get them to a vet to check it out. 

Another reason that a cat might be cat licking their lips a lot is if they are nauseated. This is another time that is worth checking out with the vet! Petsradar.com says nausea in cats could be caused by kidney disease, if they've swallowed something they shouldn't have like a peice of a toy or yarn, or if they have been exposed to toxins, so if your suspect your cat is nauseated, it's a good idea to take them to a vet to see what could be causing it.

Another time a cat licks their lips a lot is if they have a runny nose. Instead of a tissue, a cat with a drippy nose will use their tongue to catch drips. If this is the case you might also notice them sneezing. Petsradar.com says that if your cat has the cat flu, it will often clear up on it's own, but if it doesn't seem better within a week, or if it seems like only one nostril is stuffy, that's a sign to see the vet. 

If your cat licks their lips it could also mean that they have too much saliva, which could be caused by a medical condition. Some cats might drool when taking a nap or if they have some catnip, but if drooling and lip licking continue beyond that, that is another time when a vet visit might be in order!

On the flip side, cats might also lick their lips when they have a dry mouth. This could also be caused by a medical condition, so is could also be a time to visit the vet. 

Some cats might also lick their lips when they are feeling anxious or fearful. If you notice your cat licking their lips in a certain place or when in the presence of another pet or a certain thing like the vacuum, it might be that your cat is feeling anxious, and you should look into ways to help soothe your cat, like making sure they have a safe space to retreat to. 

To sum up, if your cat licks their chops after dinner, that's normal, but if your cat licks their lips a lot, especially if they also have a fever, are drooling or pawing at their mouth, that could be a sign of a medical condition and a vet can help figure out what is going on, and what kind of treatment might be needed. 

Photo by Julia Kwiek on Unsplash