Meet Lars, My Sensitive Athlete

Let me introduce Lars, the household athlete and professional snuggler. He is sleek, a little muscular tank in a velvet jumpsuit and he melts into cuddles like warm butter. He also happens to be one of the most sensitive souls I have ever met. New person in the house? Lars will analyze from a safe, very far away observation deck. Slight change in routine? He notices before I do. A doorbell, a dropped fork, a dishwasher gurgle? All filed under “suspicious" and worthy of bolting out of the room as quickly as possible. His body is sensitive too, which brings me to his most recent dental adventure.

The Mystery Spot on His Tooth

One morning Lars rubbed the side of his mouth on a paper towel roll and left a tiny smear of blood. Cue the vinyl record scratch. I lifted his lip and saw a little moist red bump on the side of a lower tooth. It looked like angry gum tissue pushing up from the surface. I did what any concerned cat parent does. I researched. Everything pointed to tooth resorption, sometimes called resorptive lesions in cats.

What resorptive lesions are, in normal person words

Cat teeth can develop spots where the hard tooth material starts to break down. Cells called odontoclasts begin dissolving the tooth from the outside in, often right at the gumline. It is painful and the gum can grow over the defect, which is why it can look like a red, wet bubble on the side of the tooth. There is not a filling that fixes it. The standard treatment is extraction of the affected tooth, or crown amputation in certain cases, so the pain source is removed.

I booked the vet visit. The exam matched what I found, so we scheduled a dental cleaning with x-rays. Once Lars was under anesthesia they found a second lower tooth beginning the same problem, so both were removed. He received the usual post-procedure support at the clinic. Cerenia for nausea, Onsior for pain and I went home with a few days of Onsior to continue. I thought we were over the worst of it.

The Scary Morning After

I expected a sleepy cuddle bug who would eat a soft breakfast and nap. That is not what happened. The next morning his face was puffy, he was drooling, he would not eat and he barely let me touch him. I was so scared and cried while calling the vet because my brave little athlete looked horribly miserable. The clinic took him in for the day and he got fluids, extra pain medication and careful monitoring. By evening he was groggy but clearly more comfortable. I was still quite traumatized from what I had seen that morning, but so thankful to have him back home and much better off.

That day taught me a lot. Lars is not only emotionally sensitive, he is physically sensitive to pain and inflammation. He needed more pain control than the typical cat.

Our new plan for Lars

My vet added a big note in his chart for any future procedures, noting that he requires more aggressive pain management. Here is what we will consider next time, always under veterinary guidance.

• Pre-visit planning. Early appointment, quiet room if possible, carrier lined with a worn T-shirt that smells like home.

• Pre-emptive pain control. Discuss adding medications before and after the procedure, for example a longer course of Onsior or another NSAID if appropriate.

• Local pain blocks. Ask if nerve blocks during dental work might help so the surgical area is numb from the start.

• Nausea support. Keep Cerenia on board so pain is not made worse by an upset stomach.

• Anxiety help. Sometimes we use gabapentin before vet visits, which helps Lars to mellow out.

• Home setup. Soft food, shallow bowls, a warm quiet room and a reminder to myself to expect extra drool and a little swelling while the meds settle in.

• When to call. Refusing food after the first day, worsening swelling, feverish ears or hiding that looks different from his normal style.

The heart of it

Lars is a tender boy with a linebacker body. He wants to be close, he loves big and he notices everything. He is sensitive and strong. He just needs a plan that respects how his body feels things.

If your cat ever leaves a little blood on a random object, take a peek inside the mouth and call your vet. Those tiny red bumps can mean tooth resorption and timely care makes a huge difference. And if your cat reacts more intensely to procedures, you are not failing. You just learned something important about how to advocate for them next time.

Tonight Lars is stretched across my lap, purring like a small engine and looking handsome with two fewer teeth and a lot more fan club. Sensitive boys unite. We got you.