Our vet David Grant works his animal magic

QMY NINE-YEAR-OLD neutered ginger tomcat sometimes dribbles. It doesn’t seem to bother him and he still eats with no problems. Is this anything to worry about?

AIT DEPENDS on when he does it and how often. A few cats dribble when they see their food although this is much less common in cats than it is in dogs.

Some cats dribble when they are very contented and this will happen when they are on your lap, accompanied by loud purring.

Cats can also dribble when stroked and if this is a nuisance simply stopping the stroking will stop the dribbling. It will be easy to work out if this is the case.

But in a nine-year-old cat, particularly if dribbling occurs more continuously, I would suspect a problem with the teeth, gums or palate.

At his age it would be very surprising if your cat did not have a degree of tooth decay or gum disease, unless you have been able to brush his teeth from an early age.

Cats with dental disease may have a degree of pain but this doesn’t necessarily stop them from eating normally. If your cat hasn’t had a check-up with your vet recently, I would recommend one now.

David Grant MBE was a vet at the RSPCA Harmsworth Hospital for Animals. Write to him at Express Yourself, 10 Lower Thames Street, London EC3R 6EN. He is unable to enter into correspondence.