cat unable to eat

My 9-year old non-diabetic cat seems unable to eat. He eats a little then runs and makes a gagging sound. I had him to the vet a few weeks ago for inflamed gums and he was on clindamycin for 2 weeks. She wants to do a dental, but I know they can be dangerous. Any ideas what could cause this. It's almost as if he can't swallow. i'm taking him back this afternoon to see a different vet. Thanks.

 

I don't understand how you are thinking a dental is dangerous. Have you ever had a toothache? If there are bad teeth, then you may need to have extractions done.
If the teeth need cleaning, there may also be a tooth or more that are needing to be pulled. Bad teeth can have a huge effect on health.

What are you feeding?

 

Well, I mean the anesthesia can be dangerous. I feed mostly canned food although he loves dry food. My cat Minkus (GA) had diabetes and I learned my lesson with dry food with him. His teeth aren't that bad, the gums are just a little red.

 

Infected teeth can cause eating problems. Or there could be other problems in the mouth. Most cats will not allow a good mouth exam with anesthesia. Therefore a dental with anesthetized mouth exam is in order. Blood work before the exam is also in order to judge acceptability for anesthesia and the type of anesthesia to use. Anesthesia is always a risk but the vet has to manage the risk. Nine is no that old either.

 

I just came back from the vet and he has stomatitis (spelling?) He wants to pull some teeth but there are no guarantees. Anyone have experience with this?

 

I have to say that if there are some bad teeth, they really have to go.

My Shadoe had one bad molar pulled and she acted quite differently afterwards, plus her insulin dose dropped drastically.

I know you are talking about a civvie, but still, the bad teeth have to come out. Bad teeth won't get better if you ignore them. You cannot tell if teeth are bad without Xraying the ones that look iffy. Shadoe had 4 that looked iffy, and the Xrays shows the one was bad and the others just needed cleaning up. Her teeth and especially her gums look great now.

I know it's a worry but the alternative is infected gums and teeth.

 

A while ago some posted on stomatitis. I do not remember the details, One treatment is to extract all teeth except the canines and the incisors. You might what to Google feline stomatitis.

 

I have to say you should get the dental done, and while the vet is in there, examine the throat.

My Smokey started with just leaving some of his food, then refusing to eat.

Turned out Smokey had throat cancer.

I hope this is not the case for your kitty, but you should find out.