Lymphocytic plasmacytic stomatitis in cats causes severe, painful inflammation throughout the mouth that profoundly affects eating, grooming, and quality of life, often requiring tooth extraction for management.
Cats with stomatitis experience severe chronic oral pain that profoundly compromises their quality of life. The intense inflammation makes eating acutely painful, causing affected cats to attempt to eat but recoil from food, drool, and lose weight. Grooming, a fundamental cat behavior, becomes impossible due to mouth pain, causing coat deterioration and associated welfare problems. Chronic pain causes behavioral changes including reduced social interaction, hiding, and irritability. The severe nature of the pain means affected cats live in constant discomfort that affects every aspect of their daily life. Cats often develop nutritional deficiency from inadequate food intake, creating additional welfare problems.