Halo is a nine month old kitten. She’s practically new! How did she get stomatitis at such a young age?

Stomatitis, also called lymphocytic plasmacytic gingivitis is a cruel condition cats can get at any age and no one really knows why they get it. One theory is that it may be an immune response to bacteria that collects on the teeth. Another theory suggests exposure to feline calicivirus or feline herpesvirus as a catalyst. And yet another theory points to Bartonella Henselae as a possible culprit. However, some of these theories can’t explain various aspects of the condition. For instance, if Bartonella was a cause, why don’t antibiotics cure it? If dental bacteria was to blame, why would some cats have oral lesions at the far recesses of their mouth once their teeth have been extracted?

For many cats, without lesions at the oral fauces, the removal of all the teeth is curative. Once their teeth are gone, the gums go from red, swollen and angry, back to pink. Some cats, however, continue to experience lesions which require medication to control. Stomatitis is a painful condition. It’s best to address it as soon as possible.

Halo, and two of her siblings, have this frustrating condition. Breeders have also seen this in certain cats, so there may be a genetic component to it. We rescued the kittens when they were about 12 weeks old. At that time, their adult teeth were coming in, so we didn’t think anything was out of the ordinary. But as they got older, their breath was still bad and their gums were still very red.

Halo had her surgery this past week and it went very well. You can see in the before photo how swollen and red her gums were. Imagine if your gums looked like that. It would be very hard to chew, or brush your teeth. Eventually, gums that swollen would hide cervical line lesions (cavities) and it would be very difficult to clean her teeth. Pulling Halo’s canines were also an option, but I requested they remain to maintain the shape of her face. Sometimes, with all the other teeth gone, the gums around the canines calm down and return to a normal pink. I hope this will be the case for her, as it has been with some of the other WLCA cats that have had full-mouth extractions.

With that surgery complete, Halo is recovering well and on her way to a much healthier and pain-free mouth.

Halo’s gums before extractions

Halo’s gums after extractions