FOPS

[Ilovecrumpets]

Hello

Just wondering if there are any vets around or anyone with experience of FOPs.

I’m hoping I’m just being paranoid but I’m really concerned about my little Burmese boy. He was neutered at the vets today and was quite stressed by the experience. Since his return he has been constantly pawing at his face, opening his mouth wide and sticking his tongue out. I rang the vets who said he had been doing it there and not to worry as he is just teething.

It seems a really extreme reaction to teething to me and he wasn’t showing any signs at all this morning. Of course I googled it and came across FOPs. I’m really worried now given he is a Burmese. I posted this morning about how important he is to us as a family as he has really helped my DS who Ian struggling atm.

I will obviously take him to the vets tomorrow if it continues. Just wondered though if kittens do excessively claw at their faces during teething? Or if it is FOOd is that usually manageable?

Any chance it’s related to the anaesthetic? Tube down throat? If you haven’t seen it before could it be that?

Has he eaten anything. Harry paws at his jaw sometimes after he's had dry food. We think it might get stuck in the gaps between his teeth.

I hope he's ok.

Thank you both for replying.

No he hasn’t eaten.

I’m hoping it might be the anaesthetic. Googling though it really looks like the symptoms of FOPs and he is a Burmese. I see that it can occur during teething and is linked to stress.

I really hope it isn’t. Or it can be managed if it is. It’s silly but I’m in tears. It’s been such a rubbish year and he helps my DS so much.

If he’s been starved and denied water and anaesthetised then it could just be that. Hope so.

Yes I’m trying to be reassured that he was obviously doing this at the vets as they noted it. Maybe the anaesthetic combined with teething pain is causing it. I really hope so. Aside from worry about the cat himself I don’t think my DS could cope with anything happening to the cat ☹️

My kitten isn't a Burmese but she was doing exactly this after being spayed. She was really distressed and clawing at her face, stretching her mouth and generally very upset.
I took her back to the vets and they found that being intubated had hurt her mouth and that her gums were extra inflamed from also teething.
They gave her extra pain medication and she slept most of the night and was fine the next day.
I hope this helps you

Thank you for posting @Aph413 it really does help - actually that was what I presumed it was likely to be until I foolishly googled ...

He hasn't been grooming/licking at the surgical site has he? The taste of the antiseptic used on the skin might be making him react like this?

Thinking back, Harry has also done this when he had a sore mouth (he's long past teething!). We took him to the vet and it turned out he had mouth ulcers that time, but he's done it every time he's had a problem with his mouth or jaw.

@missmouse101 Yes he has - although i keep trying to stop him when he does. They also flea treated him but obviously on his scruff.

He’s being a bit distracted by my other kitten atm and is at least playing between the clawing episodes now.

Thank you all for replying - I’m on my own and it’s been a crap year that I’ve almost become programmed to expect the worst and just went into a total panic.

Thanks @PinkSparklyPussyCat I - rather sadly - have lurked on the littertray for quite a while before getting the cats and always enjoy handsome Harry’s updates

I reckon it's just that then. When I used to be a vet nurse years ago, male cats weren't intubated as it's a v v short op. But, the hair was removed and skin thoroughly disinfected and surgical spirit applied before the op and left on. It sounds to me like it's just the residual bit of that he is tasting and it's bleuuurgh! You have done the right thing having him neutered. A good meal, drink and sleep and he'll surely be fine.

Thanks @missmouse101 it does seem to be retriggered when he tries to eat unfortunately ☹️. He starts running backwards pawing. I guess I just have to wait and see how he is in the morning and then deal with it then if needed. Maybe it is jus teething and for some reason being neutered has caused him to notice that pain.

Oh dear, that sounds like a bit of mouth/tooth pain in that case. Poor little sausage.

Yes. It doesn’t really make sense to me as to why he would be reacting so much to teething pain and why it would have just suddenly come on when neutered when he had no symptoms at all this morning

I'd not seen it with either of my other cats but my poor little girl really didn't do well with the after effects of anaesthetic and her teething. The nurse when I took mine in mentioned sometimes it can make their face feel strange. Much like when you've had a filling and the numbness is wearing away. She was right as rain the next day though so hopefully your little kitten feels much better tomorrow

I hope so although missmouse is right as a male he wasn’t incubated. I have to say looking at videos of cats with FOPs it is exactly what he is doing and he doesn’t seem to be able to settle. If it is that I really hope he doesn’t have it too bad and it is treatable☹️.

It feels like nothing is going right at the moment.

I’ve seen several of our cats post ga and they all react differently. I would wait until morning.

We never had a collar for ours, he’s highly strung, he didn’t bother with the area.

Thanks Fluffy - I guess I just have to hope it’s the GA ( by chance my other cat had a bad GA reaction and clawed his eyes). It’s upsetting to see him like it. He can’t seem to settle at all.

What is FOPs?

Feline Orofacial Pain syndrome. It is pretty rare though so I’m hoping this is just me being paranoid and over zealously googling.

In fact I’d like nothing more than to have to post tomorrow that all is ok and feel slightly ridiculous at my overreaction.

How is he this morning?

Hello everyone

Just an update to say little kitten is much better this morning and is hardly face pawing at all. Thank you very much for being so kind when I was being frankly a bit ridiculous last night. Not sure why I got in such a panic as usually very sensible around the animals . It had been a bit of a stressful day so maybe that was it.

Anyway picture of the kitten relaxing with his best friend

If it's any reassurance, my cat did the clawing at the mouth tongue stretched out thing when he was teething. Very distressing to see. I think I recall the vet prescribed him a painkiller, and he was back to normal after a day or 2.

I do hope your kitten's feeling better soon.