Hi, I was wondering about darkish spots on my cat's gums -- i don't think they've always been there. Is that normal? He is 1.5 yrs old. I tried google searching, but couldn't find an exact answer - there was talk that it could be like freckles almost, but these seem kinda larger? Thanks!

-ZiP!-

3/15/2006 11:40:00 PM

my cat has black spots on her gums. they've kind of developed as she's aged, but they're not causing any bad reactions, and she's had them for a couple of years.

3/15/2006 11:42:05 PM

hmm... what age did they start developing?

-ZiP!-

3/15/2006 11:44:50 PM

your best bet is probably to have the cat put down


primarily just because it's a cat, though, and cats suck.

3/15/2006 11:44:55 PM

around 2 years, maybe 3? she's 7 now, i think.

^NO!

[Edited on March 15, 2006 at 11:45 PM. Reason : !]

3/15/2006 11:45:41 PM

it's probably just due to aging...(kinda like a puppy's paw pads turn from pink to black)...

3/16/2006 6:49:16 PM

a couple of our cats developed "freckles" on their lips, nose, and gums as they aged. as long as the gums don't look inflammed, and the teeth aren't caked with tarter and plaque, it's probably fine

3/16/2006 7:03:29 PM

my cats all got the same thing... it's genetic

3/16/2006 7:37:18 PM

here is a pretty good resource http://www.marvistavet.com/html/the_pet_web_library.html. I didn't feel like looking over it all, but it may be of some help. My sister's cat has something called plasma cell stomatitis, but i think those spots are red as opposed to dark.

3/16/2006 10:37:37 PM

i'm pretty sure i've seen this on a bunch of cats and dogs

i always assumed it was natural

3/16/2006 11:30:35 PM

yah i believe it's natural, my cat has those black spots and he used to have a gingivitus problem but I cleared that up, his gums are healthy and pink minus the black spots.

3/17/2006 12:05:32 AM

thanks!

-ZiP!-

3/17/2006 12:58:28 AM

DUE TO AGE

3/17/2006 1:03:31 AM

cats have freckles on their skin and in their mouth.

normal unless its bleeding or irritated/infected.

3/17/2006 12:24:49 PM

My white cat doesn't have them, but her son-the orange one-does. They started developing after about 2 years maybe. He's perfectly healthy, so I don't worry about it.

3/17/2006 12:30:23 PM

There's a pic of my cat's spotty gums

3/17/2006 6:38:45 PM

hey zip is your cat orange, too? because bethaleigh's is, and so is mine. maybe it's just orange cats?

3/17/2006 7:15:53 PM

http://www.scispot.org/archives/biology/lentigo_simplex.html
http://www.cat-world.com.au/Glossary.htm#L

Lentigo simplex. Common on orange cats. My parents' orange tabby has them on her gums.

[Edited on March 17, 2006 at 7:39 PM. Reason : .]

3/17/2006 7:38:29 PM

yeah... my orange tabby developed a few black spots on her gums as she aged... they showed up pretty early on... and then got really obvious after she passed the 10yr mark. nothing to worry about

3/17/2006 7:39:51 PM

yes, my cat is orange as well.

thanks again for all the info in here, i wasn't aware of this earlier, but like you guys are saying, its probably nothing to be concerned with

-ZiP!-

3/19/2006 6:35:22 PM

same thing on my orange tabby

3/19/2006 8:42:45 PM

same here. my vet laughed at me when i asked about it (of course i'd worked for him for years).

3/19/2006 10:05:13 PM

both of my cats had dark patches on the tops of their gums (inside their mouths) at 8 weeks... i figured it was like how their noses are different colors (black ,pink, mauve, etc.) or the pads on their paws...

3/22/2006 10:46:51 PM

I'm glad to know what that is, if my tortie ever develops it..

3/23/2006 12:51:23 AM

ours were orange tabbies and calicos

3/23/2006 2:15:32 AM

'teh cancer'

3/23/2006 3:30:23 AM