Chewing on nothing

[Sunny]

I think it's just clearing their mouth of something. Does it accompany a yawn, so after they do the mouth smacking or chewing much like a human would?

If you've ever had that popcorn stuck in your mouth feeling, and a cats mouth is as or more sensitive, if you had a loop of carpet, fur or something else stuck around a tooth how would you get it out as a cat?

When my boys do the nose-mouth inhaling routine when they smell something on the rug, I remind them that it's their butt, scent, or something else they put there that they are smelling!

The nom noms motion of taking air bites a friend called shadow eating. A few months after adopting my boys, Ra would position himself and stare at us, twisting his head completely sideways 90 degrees, and taking miniature bites out of the air. I almost choked on my dinner when Ra did it for me and when I'm cooking or eating to this day, he tells me when it's good and wants a bite.

They have trained ME so when I get ready to feed them, I tilt my head to the side and ask if they are hungry. Oi vey. LOL!!

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/29725782/IMG_0706_WMV V9.wmv

P.S. I can't avoid them getting on the counter, particularly for Ra headbutt time coming home from work. After I took this, I shushed him off the counter, even though it's my dinner I'm making I have to keep to cleanliness standards and no hair policy at all times during meal prep.

 

[Sam]

Maybe your cat is Manti Teo's version of cats and thinks there is a treat to chew on just saying.

 

[SpartacusTheSavannahCat]

I have an F1 that has always done this, she's over 6 years old now. I don't know why, and I've taken her to the vet and they don't see any reason for the behavior either. It's usually when she's settling down for a nap or cuddle though, not when moving about or doing something else. Not sure why she has the habit, but she does and it doesn't seem to do her any harm...

My vet calls this Bruxism (teeth grinding) which is a sign of pain and may indicate a serious problem like chronic renal failure, dental problems etc. He said it would be really hard to diagnose. We had already gone through 5 surgeries with Spartacus as he has a condition called idiopathic cystitis. It is not caused by food as surgery confirmed there was no crystals in the urine. Apparently stress can cause bladder wall lining to thicken then cause urine blockages. We no longer have any problems since last surgery but I have notice that Spartacus grinds his teeth occasionally and was worried. Would be nice if this behaviour is nothing more than a habit.

 

[SpartacusTheSavannahCat]

Thunder, our F2, likes to 'chew' on nothing. At first I thought he picked up something off of the floor and was really chewing on it, but observing him carefully the past couple of months, he will actually just start 'chewing' on nothing. Last vet visit they looked at his teeth and in his mouth but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Does anyone else have a cat that likes to chew on air?

How is your cat now? My kitten does this as well and hope that it isn't due to pain. Vet says it will be hard & costly to diagnose. He said if he is generally healthy & acting normal, then we can wait and see if a problem develops. Don't want to put him through anymore aenesthia (he has had 5 surgeries already for idiopathic cystitis) but I also don't want him to be in pain. However, if this is a common thing amongst Savannah's, then I won't worry so much.

 

[Patti]

I don't think it's too common in cats, Savannahs or otherwise, but not convinced that pain is the only cause for it. I've seen a couple of my cats do this from time to time but it is so rare that I've not really thought much of it. They certainly don't seem to be in any pain at least!

 

[Carykd7kau]

My Regulus does this quite often when he is hungry. He will lay the side of his jaw against my hand and chew .. I think it is his way of telling me to feed him.

 

[Renee]

Loki does this when he is sleeping, a bit if a smacking sound and the mouth movement. Not sure if it is the same thing or not.

 

[SpartacusTheSavannahCat]

I don't think it's too common in cats, Savannahs or otherwise, but not convinced that pain is the only cause for it. I've seen a couple of my cats do this from time to time but it is so rare that I've not really thought much of it. They certainly don't seem to be in any pain at least!

Thanks for replying. My boy does it every day. I might just take him in for an ultrasound to check know his digestive system (he tends to chew on lots of things including his cat tower) and check on his teeth growth as it seems to be a little slow for his secondary molars to fully protrude. I was actually searching this site for dental problems and only found this thread. I just want to give him more time before aenesthia again. Poor little guy has had too much of that in his short little life. I hope pain is not the only cause of Bruxism. Would be nice just to k ow for sure. Sure wish they could talk! Thank you.