Cat dental problems?

[torinsmom]

I think one of my cats may have a dental problem. She is only 11 months old. She will cry out and scratch if you try to touch one side of her face. She eats like a pig, but will sometimes cry out when she starts to eat. I have a hard time looking in her mouth, but it does look red towards the back. It has been going on for a few months, but I have just realized that it may be her teeth(she is a Siamese and is not very social) She is a small cat, about half the size of her brother, but she is both shorter in length and height as well as weighing less than him. She seems to be proportionate and like I said she eats like a pig, so I don't think it is affecting her eating or growth. Her breath IS stinky though.

Anyone had to deal with this? I am wondering how much this is going to cost me. She and her brother already brought calicivirus into my house and made my Bengal cat sick($600 from two separate episodes) and I don't have a lot of money to spend right now. Still, I don't want her to hurt or for things to get worse, and now that I know there is a physical issue, I can't just ignore it.

Marsha

 

[HeatherH]

PLEASE take that poor kitty to the vet, especially if this issue has been going on "for months"!

Dental disease is unusual in a young cat, it could be any NUMBER of things. It sounds like the poor thing is suffering. I completely understand how expensive it is to care for sick pets, I just spent about $3000 on one of my cats...who has made a FULL recovery, thankfully. But it is our duty as owners to TAKE CARE of our pets, especially when they have a problem like this. Hopefully it will not be anything too expensive.

 

[torinsmom]

I am definitely taking her, but please understand that I haven't known about this for months! I knew that she didn't like to be held and that she made funny noises when she ate, but I really thought she was just trying to eat too fast, She really is a piglet. As my sister said when she fed the cats this past week "Blythe was batting clean-up for all the other cats!"

I just noticed that her breath was really stinky this past week and when I tried to look into her mouth today she cried out and tried to scratch me. I looked in the other side and she did not do that. That is how I figured out it must be something going on in her mouth. I probably would have noticed sooner if she was a cuddly cat and/or if she wasn't eating so well. So, thinking back, the symptoms have been there for months, but I just didn't connect the dots. Cats hide pain well, and most of the time she seems happy as a clam.

Anyway, I was more asking what kind of bill I can expect. I am hoping they will give her a checkup and some antibiotics to see if that will help before looking at surgery or anything drastic like that. I never even considered a dental problem in such a young cat. Maybe her a tooth did not come in right on that side or something?

Marsha

 

[lisajl]

Sounds like what you just posted. Maybe a tooth did not come in right.
Siamese are weird creatures. They can quite a few genetic problems, and maybe that is where it started. Where I work, depending on what it going on in there it could be around $300.
That is for anesth., surgery and antibiotics.

 

[torinsmom]

Sounds like what you just posted. Maybe a tooth did not come in right.
Siamese are weird creatures. They can quite a few genetic problems, and maybe that is where it started. Where I work, depending on what it going on in there it could be around $300.
That is for anesth., surgery and antibiotics.

I am learning that Siamese are weird creatures all right! I also discovered that Siamese are one of the most allergenic cats as well. I have had cats all my life and never had a problem. Then I got these two(both half-Siamese, but one got all the Siamese genes and one got tabby genes) and had sinus infection after sinus infection. Went to the allergist and found out I had a moderate cat allergy.

So, I will call and get an appt. on Monday. My vet is pretty good about giving costs before doing anything, so I will go for the least aggressive(and cheapest) first. Maybe they can at least figure out what's wrong without doing all the bloodwork. That's what usually maxes out my credit cards.

Marsha

 

[lisajl]

I am learning that Siamese are weird creatures all right! I also discovered that Siamese are one of the most allergenic cats as well. I have had cats all my life and never had a problem. Then I got these two(both half-Siamese, but one got all the Siamese genes and one got tabby genes) and had sinus infection after sinus infection. Went to the allergist and found out I had a moderate cat allergy.

So, I will call and get an appt. on Monday. My vet is pretty good about giving costs before doing anything, so I will go for the least aggressive(and cheapest) first. Maybe they can at least figure out what's wrong without doing all the bloodwork. That's what usually maxes out my credit cards.

Marsha

The vet I work for gives estimates. You can never be 100% that it will include everything. You never know what you will run into when you get in there. I hope everything goes well for your kitty! Good luck.

Lisa

 

[torinsmom]

Just wanted to give an update. I had a very hard time getting the kitty in for an appt. and they were not able to see her until yesterday. The only other choice would have been the emergency vet and they charge $100 when you walk through the door. So, kitty has inflamed gums and the vet was very surprised that she is eating so well and is a very healthy weight. One of her lymph nodes was also swollen and she had a slight temp. She said it could either be an infection or tumor, but it is not possible to tell which(without lots of bloodwork and possibly a biosy) until they try an antibiotic.

The vet was really shocked that a cat this young would have gums so bad. Then I reminded them that she and her brother gave my older cats calicivirus(kind of like cat herpes) The kittens had their shots, but I guess they can still carry it on their fur. Anyway, Pharaoh and Onyx both had it in October and then Pharaoh had a recurrence in March. So.....what the vet thinks(and hopes) is that Blythe had the virus without many symptoms, but then developed a secondary infection, which affected her gums.

Blythe is on antibiotics 2x/day for 2 weeks, as well as an anti-inflammatory for 3 days and a supplement that promotes dental health, probably for life. She will get rechecked on 7/14. The cool thing is that her breath already smells better. I am trying not to feel too guilty that I didn't realize she had a problem sooner. If only animals could tell us when they hurt!

Marsha

 

[lisajl]

I'm so glad you found an answer and she is doing better!

Yes, cats are pretty stoic and sometimes we don't know how bad it is until it is too late. That is just how they are.

Glad things are going well and here's hoping for a great checkup on the 14th!