Cat drooling

My female cat is 8 months old. She suddenly started drooling some thick saliva and it smells like she is rotting! I checked her mouth and can't see anything swollen, ulcers, stings, etc. She's hungry but not eating. I have called various vets but the fastest anyone will see her is 3 days... I am concerned. What could this be?

Hello - this cat sounds uncomfortable.  I wonder have you explained / described the situation to the vets on the phone because it sounds to me as though it might be an emergency.  Asking your own, registered vet (who has an undesputable duty of care to you) for phone triage may be helpful.  If they still determine that the situation is not an emergency that's up to them, but its important that proper triage takes place.

Drooling is usually a sign of nausea - sickness - or of trauma (pain).  It can also be down to a neurological (nerve) problem, or sometimes to changes in the tongue.   Triage is the process of assessing a case, in particular with regard to how urgently it needs to be seen.  Lots of vets in the UK send their emergency phones to a different vet after about noon on a Saturday, when costs may also increase.  We would be interested to hear what happens next with this case.

Three days is too long for a small cat not to eat.