Harvest is a handsome 4-year-old light tabby boy whose good looks and people-charming demeanor are sure to win your heart. Even cuter, this silly boy has a habit of sticking his tongue out, and the happier he is, the further out comes his tongue!

Harvest isn’t blowing raspberries, though. In fact, his wayward tongue is in part the result of some serious dental troubles. Harvest arrived at Tabby’s Place in early 2012 from a foster home where he’d been raised with his brothers. It was obvious from our first look at him that something was not right with this tabby boy – he would sit in his cage, mouth open and drooling. Upon closer exam, we discovered that Harvest had an extreme case of stomatitis.

A cat with stomatitis is suffering from an overactive immune reaction to his own saliva, plaque, and teeth. If the condition is caught early, the cat can usually be treated easily. Conversely, the longer the condition goes untreated, the harder it is to reverse. In Harvest’s case, he had clearly been afflicted for most of his life, and his mouth was incredibly tender and inflamed, bleeding from the slightest stimulation. You can imagine how uncomfortable our poor boy was, and why he couldn’t bear to close his mouth.

Since the surgery, Harvest has been taking steroids and is receiving a series of omega interferon injections in his mouth that are designed to stop the hyperactive immune response that’s caused him so much pain and inflammation. His mouth is greatly improved, but we will need to monitor him to be sure that his mouth stays healthy.

Even with all he’s been through since he came to us, Harvest loves people – perhaps he recognizes that he’s feeling better as a result of all his treatments. As soon as he catches your gaze, you’re all his, and he’ll love you absolutely. Cats are another issue, but Harvest is so sweet with humans that he’s hard to resist. Will you be his next admirer?