Did your kitty just cuddle you and left you with a wet residue?
Most first-time cat owners wonder whether or not the wet residue is even normal, and, sometimes take their kitties to the vet because they think that there’s something wrong with their feline friend.
Well, that’s not the case though.
A cat usually has a wet nose and it is completely normal and something you shouldn’t freak out about.
In this blog post, I will answer the question, “Why are cats’ noses wet?” along with some other important information.
Let’s start.
Why Are Cats’ Noses Wet?
Cats usually have a moist nose which is completely natural.
Cat’s noses are wet primarily due to fluid production from sweat glands on the nasal planum (hairless nose skin), although some of the moisture also comes from drainage of the inferior tear duct (lower tear duct), which drains normal tear fluid from the surface of the eye.
Having a wet nose has a couple of functions.
- It has a small role in regulating body temperature by evaporative cooling
- Being wet can help make scent particles adhere, improving the sense of smell
However, a wet nose is something that’s more concerning that a wet one and should be looked into as soon as possible.
Moist or Excessively Wet?
Your kitty’s nose can change from dry to moist to dry and to moist again during the day for various reasons.
So, if you cat has a moist nose, it shouldn’t be a concern and neither should a dry nose on any particular time of the day. However, what should be concerning is if your cat has a considerably wet or a dry nose the entire day.
But, how wet should be your kitty’s nose for it to be concerning?
If your kitty has an underlying illness like an upper respiratory infection, this will be one of the signs. Cats that have respiratory infections have a nasal discharge and may even have a dripping nose as well as a cough.
In some cases, cats also get a stuffy nose which can cause discomfort. Signs of discomfort include sneezing and having difficulty in breathing.
Other Illnesses
Signs of dehydration, lethargy, or weakness are a cause for concern and you should visit the vet in this case.
Cats are excellent at hiding that they’re ill so, it is hard to understand what the cause could be for the signs of their illness.
My Cat’s Nose Is Dry?
This is a cause of concern and you should take your kitty to the vet if your cat mostly has a dry nose. In most cases, though, a dry nose is usually nothing.
Following are some reasons why your kitty may have a dry nose:
- Grooming or licking
- laying in the sun or under a heater
- Being in a room with bad air circulation
This, in itself isn’t a problem because it is has a known and legitimate cause and the nose will usually moisten quickly enough again after leaving the place, or stopping the grooming.
Some cat races simply have this habit and that makes it yet even harder to diagnotize.
Final Words: Why Are Cats Noses Wet?
Cat’s noses are wet primarily due to fluid production from sweat glands on the nasal planum (hairless nose skin), although some of the moisture also comes from drainage of the inferior tear duct (lower tear duct), which drains normal tear fluid from the surface of the eye.
Having a wet nose has a couple of functions.
- It has a small role in regulating body temperature by evaporative cooling
- Being wet can help make scent particles adhere, improving the sense of smell
Do you have questions? If so, leave them in the comments, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
My cat always has a dry nose, shes 10yrs old an suddently its completely wet, like real bad, not dripping but wet to the touch, theres no other signs.
I definitely found many parts of this article to be quite confusing. One could almost say there was a ’cat’astrophe. Wet/moist noses may or may not be a concern. Also, dry noses may or may not be a concern. – Seriously, that deserves some ‘a paws’.
The earlier comment was correct in disputing the use of “diagnotize” as there is no such word! However, the word “inferior” was correctly used in this context. But the statement “However, a WET nose is something that’s more concerning thaT a wet one and should be looked into as soon as possible” is incorrect as it should state “However, a DRY nose is something that’s more concerning thaN a wet one and should be looked into as soon as possible”. and I would have expected this to have been corrected following the previous comments – maybe this will be done now!
When did this make sense in any form of the English language “However, a wet nose is something that’s more concerning that a wet one and should be looked into as soon as possible”
Also when do you “diagnotize” anything?
Is it an Inferior tear duct or interior?
Sometimes typos are just that but when you have this many and grammar mistakes it makes it very hard to take the information you are publishing seriously! If you have an editor this is horrible if you don’t have someone you don’t know read it over before you publish anything.