Cat drooling while purring and asks to be petted

This barn cat is drooling while purring. He likes the attention so much that he asks for more by tapping the man on his face, which is completely understandable. Cats do drool sometimes when purring as they are contented but purring does not uniquely signal contentment.  It is a more complex signal or symptom.

Drooling often means mouth health problems, particularly stomatitis, an inflammation of the mouth. You'll see it in neglected domestic cats or feral cats. Drooling when content has its origin in the nursing kitten who is ready to receive milk from his/her mother's breast. Drooling is preparation for the moment. I guess it is the production of saliva to digest the expected meal. And sometimes cats drool when kneading their owner as it replicates the kitten-mother relationship when feeding. It is an example of adult cats being kept in a permanent state of kittenhood in human-to-cat relationship.

Barn cat taps man on face for more petting please. Screenshot from video on this page.

Poor oral health is one of the most common cat health problems per insurance claims. It is a particularly common problem as cat owners tend to ignore it. They can't see into their cat's mouth to check except fleetingly when their cat yawns. And wet food can exacerbate, it is believed, tartar on the gum line. Dry cat food does not really help clean teeth although I feed my cat Hills Oral Care which I believe does help somewhat and he likes it (too much actually). It is a large pellet so cats have to chew on them more. I believe that normal sized kibble pellets are too small as some cats swallow them whole. Dry cat food is addictive because it is sprayed with animal digest which is designed to taste great to a cat. The food itself is tasteless.

Try and check your cat's mouth for oral health. It is very important. Gingivitis precedes stomatitis. One sign is bad breath. This may help diagnose stomatitis.

Poor oral health is in the top 10 feline health problems.