A reader's cat draws blood when chewing - vet expert Aga offers her advice...
Q) My youngest cat, Simpson, seems to draw blood when she chews her chew sticks. The sticks aren’t very hard and this doesn’t happen when she eats her biscuits. Should I be worried? Your Cat reader.
AGA SAYS: Cats are very similar to people in many respects, neither of the species should bleed when chewing, especially when we chew on relatively soft food. Without being able to examine Simpson and knowing a little bit more of his history, it is very hard for me to provide you with more detailed information. In young cats, around the time when they change their baby teeth, there may be a small amount of blood seen when they chew but otherwise, I would always want to make sure that I understand where the blood is coming from. My recommendation would be to organise an examination by a veterinary surgeon to see if there is any mouth disease present.
Do not be alarmed if Simpson doesn’t allow the vet to examine his mouth. Some cats will require a sedation to perform a thorough check. Please try not to worry at this moment but approach the visit as a way of making sure that we understand what is happening. Hopefully, it is something that can be really easily addressed.