My cat has a black area in her mouth and red gums. Is it serious?

The pictures are a little blurry. With what I see in the pictures her gums look normal with a small amount of gingivitis. I would recommend brushing her teeth with a cat approved toothpaste daily to help her gums. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

What I see in the picture is a change in color where the gums meet the hair line. This is something I see just as cats age. Sometimes in orange cats the skin will become black in pigmentation. Other times you will see a blue color. I would just continue to monitor it for now. If it gets bigger to you can take Schmidt to the vet for a quick check but I do not think it was related to the dental

That looks like pretty painful gingivitis. There also may be some lesions on the neck of the canine tooth (FORL). Your vet will inspect the whole mouth and may suggest a tooth cleaning under anesthesia where the teeth are also cleaned underneath the gingiva. Unfortunately the teeth can look very clean, but underneath the gingiva bacteria congregate and cause tooth decay, inflammation, and, in serious cases, heart and kidney disease, This is not an emergency, but should be addressed soon.

I would recommend getting your vet to check this closely, it appears in the pictures that the lower canine is making contact with the gum and chronic irritation can cause inflammation, scarring and occasionally tumour changes

Gingivitis presents as redness and swelling of the gums. The black line you see may be tartar on the tooth itself or, if on the gum, natural pigmentation. You can try a small fingerbrush that may be tolerated a bit better. Daily brushing is recommended for maximum benefit. If he is a chewer, you can provide various chew toys and chewable treats.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Chanel. She appears to have advanced periodontal disease. Her teeth have both tartar on them as well as a very inflamed gumline. She will need to see her veterinarian to be anesthetized for a dental cleaning. There is most likely an infection in her mouth that is painful to her. Cleaning not only the teeth, but under the gumline is very important. It will keep her healthier and happier. I hope this information helps!

It is difficult to tell form the picture alone what is going on with your cat's lips unfortunately. It almost looks like she/he has a sore or even infection in her/his whiskers and commissure of the mouth. I would recommend you take your cat to your vet for an exam. She/he may need antibiotics to resolve this and possibly pain medication is she/he is is uncomfortable. I would also be concerned there may be sores in the mouth that need to be addressed if you are seeing them along the outside. It is possible your cat licked something toxic or caustic causing these problems. I would look around your home to see if there is anything she/he could have gotten in to. I hope your cat improves quickly!