If your cat's jaw becomes locked in place but the cat is not in a heightened state of pain, he may still suffer from a form of temporomandibular joint dysfunction, commonly known as TMJ, that is quickly remedied at home with veterinary consent. But be careful--serious and extremely painful causes for the condition exist that are relatively diverse and demand immediate professional veterinary intervention--home treatment will not work in these cases. So before you try to fix a feline jaw problem on your own at home, contact the cat's veterinarian for consent to proceed.
Things You'll Need
- Pencil or pencil-diameter wooden dowel
Instructions
Place the pencil or wooden dowel of approximate pencil diameter laterally across the cat's back teeth. You are using this tool as a leveraging device to help unlock the cat's jaw safely.
Using your fingers around the cat's muzzle, lightly try through small attempts at muzzle manipulation to locate a naturally more relaxed upper/lower jaw configuration. Do not use force. Instead, just try to get a sense for an opening or entry point that is a possible passage area for slipping the cat's jaw back into place. If the cat's jaws are not at all manipulative, stop all attempts and call the cat's veterinarian immediately.
If a slight jaw mobility spot presents itself, use your fingertips to pinch the cat's jaw closed using a delicate touch, and thereby attempt to get the pencil or dowel laterally behind the last row of teeth nearest the throat, with the cat's mouth in a fully closed pose. If you're not successful within just a few minutes, seek immediate veterinary attention; some TMJ dysfunctions mean that intravenous pain sedation and surgery will be needed to bring about restoration of full jaw function.