Cats hygiene

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

do you brush your cats teeth

 

[mom2rtk]

No. Sounds like dangerous work.

 

[22Tink]

Nope and I don’t plan to try it!

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

My oldest cat lost most of his teeth and I don’t want the kitty to lose hers

 

[Kitty 34]

Yup and definitely floss twice a day!!

 

[BrianL]

My oldest cat lost most of his teeth and I don’t want the kitty to lose hers

Well, your vet can perform a dental cleaning. It doesn't have to be done too often. Also, there are treats made specifically to combat tartar and other oral health issues, so try some of those.

I would not want to even attempt to brush my cat's teeth!

 

[sam_rogers]

If your cat is still a kitten, you can get them used to it. It's difficult to start with an older cat though. I'm not sure if it's the same in the states, but in the uk there are some enzymatic toothpastes that work just by getting it into the cats mouth so you don't have to physically brush the teeth.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Well, your vet can perform a dental cleaning. It doesn't have to be done too often. Also, there are treats made specifically to combat tartar and other oral health issues, so try some of those.

I would not want to even attempt to brush my cat's teeth!

Thank you

 

[marcyleecorgan]

I have tried... my cat never took well to it (c'mon! salmon-flavoured toothpaste!) but he loves the Greenies treats which supposedly are good for his teeth.

Of course we had to take him to the vet and have 8 teeth pulled when he got a nasty infection in one of his fangs.

The vet's best advice to us was, smell their breath (when it's not mealtime!) and as long as they don't have stinky breath, they're in good health. If they get gross breath, it's time to take them to the vet and do a dental cleaning.

 

[mom2rtk]

I have tried... my cat never took well to it (c'mon! salmon-flavoured toothpaste!) but he loves the Greenies treats which supposedly are good for his teeth.

Of course we had to take him to the vet and have 8 teeth pulled when he got a nasty infection in one of his fangs.

The vet's best advice to us was, smell their breath (when it's not mealtime!) and as long as they don't have stinky breath, they're in good health. If they get gross breath, it's time to take them to the vet and do a dental cleaning.

I'm actually a little concerned about mine right now. I've been noticing some bad breath. But she's 17 now and I don't want to risk sedating her to have it done. Just a simple trip to the vet for a check-up stresses her out.

 

[jasmom1022]

When we got our cats as kittens 10 years ago, I bought kitten toothpaste and a toothbrush. Never actually used it. Tomorrow, I take one of them for a tooth extraction.

After this, I will be asking the vet for advice. I'm willing to try the Greenies or other treats to avoid this in the future.

 

[disneychrista]

The vets I take my animals too recommends regular dental cleanings. But they are all older and the will put then under light anesthesia so it is not worth the risk.

 

[YoYoAurora]

Yes, and they love it. They ask to have their teeth brushed by bugging me until I get up and follow them into the guest bathroom and jumping onto the counter, then nuzzling their toothbrush. I started when they were kittens. They'll be 10 in August and have gotten raves from their vet for their dental hygiene. I use a soft child's toothbrush and gently brush over their teeth. Each cat has his own toothbrush and they're replaced every three months.

 

[mom2rtk]

Yes, and they love it. They ask to have their teeth brushed by bugging me until I get up and follow them into the guest bathroom and jumping onto the counter, then nuzzling their toothbrush. I started when they were kittens. They'll be 10 in August and have gotten raves from their vet for their dental hygiene. I use a soft child's toothbrush and gently brush over their teeth. Each cat has his own toothbrush and they're replaced every three months.

That is awesome. I bow to your greatness.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

Yes, and they love it. They ask to have their teeth brushed by bugging me until I get up and follow them into the guest bathroom and jumping onto the counter, then nuzzling their toothbrush. I started when they were kittens. They'll be 10 in August and have gotten raves from their vet for their dental hygiene. I use a soft child's toothbrush and gently brush over their teeth. Each cat has his own toothbrush and they're replaced every three months.

Lucky you! The best I can get out of my cat is that he opens his mouth wide for pills and swallows them without a fight. Which I realize is like Cat Magic.

Okay and he learned after many months of being a kitten purrito to just hold his paws out when I go to clip his nails.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Mine prior to the thread chewed on her tooth brush

 

[PollyannaMom]

Our vet gave us a little brushing kit, but we never really got away with using it. Even our fairly tolerant one isn't that tolerant.

So we do special stuff in their water instead, and I do think it helps. It's called OxyFresh.

 

[DisneyOma]

I'm actually a little concerned about mine right now. I've been noticing some bad breath. But she's 17 now and I don't want to risk sedating her to have it done. Just a simple trip to the vet for a check-up stresses her out.

Our almost 15 year old cat has horrible breath, but the vet said her teeth are OK - just a bit of tartar but at that age, what do you do? Her more serious issue is a kidney problem, she's at the vet for 48 hours to be rehydrated to see if that helps.

 

[mom2rtk]

Our almost 15 year old cat has horrible breath, but the vet said her teeth are OK - just a bit of tartar but at that age, what do you do? Her more serious issue is a kidney problem, she's at the vet for 48 hours to be rehydrated to see if that helps.

Our 17 year old stopped eating 3 years ago. She was wasting away fast. She crawled in a corner one day and wouldn't come out. I still think she went there to die. We had taken her to the vet and they looked at her teeth. Said that a couple of teeth looked slightly red, but that wasn't bad enough for her to stop eating. Couldn't find anything else. Gave her fluids and took her home. We kept trying to get her to eat to no avail. Went back to the vet's office when our regular vet of 25+ years was back in. He didn't find anything either. He also commented on the teeth, and said that while they didn't look that bad, if it was his cat, he'd remove them and hope that was it. It was so hard on her to be put under at age 14, but once she came out of that she never stopped eating. Howls at me if I'm 30 minutes late feeding her (she graduated to canned food after losing the teeth). We're still loving our bonus kitty time at age 17.

I'm so sorry your cat is having kidney issues. That's certainly one of the concerns in an elderly cat. I hope the fluids help and you get some bonus kitty time too.

 

[DisneyOma]

Sadly, we just had to put her down. Tinkerbell had renal disease and they couldn't get it under control. She stopped eating, she had a subnormal temp, and the IV hydration didn't work to lower her blood creatine levels.