Cats & their Teeth

sambuka41

I'm hoping for a little advice on my little man's teeth! Jack is male 5 year old cat and he had three teeth out yesterday. I am a bit shocked because I had him at the vet in September and they noted that he would need a clean before the end of the year but didn't mention anything about major problems. he went off his food about 2 weeks ago, I was going away and I assumed it was that but now it's likely it was the start of his teeth problems.

He only gets 1 pouch of wet food a day, and the rest is dry food.

So should this have been seen? Is there anything I can do to help keep the rest of his teeth in good condition? Is it common for cats to lose their teeth at 5?

I know there are little brushes for dogs, and I'll probably lose a hand trying it, but if it keeps his teeth then he'll just have to suffer it. He's so young. I know I should have asked the vet but I was in shock.

Thanks for any help

SillyMangoX

I'm going through this as well, my Cream is really prone to gingivitis and when he was just a year old he had to get 3 teeth removed. I think that it can be a genetic component in many cats so maybe it's something along those lines? I haven't made any attempt at brushing teeth though, I think there is non rinse tooth paste you can use on them but I'm not sure how well that would go down!

sambuka41

Yeah, Jack will murder me if I try with the toothpaste but maybe he'll get a few more years. Ah he broke my heart yesterday with the blood around his mouth and he was still stumbling around from anesthetic

He'll def be in need of cheering up, so he'll (and I) will be looking forward to his Secret Santa prezzie.

Rommie

Raw chicken wings or drumsticks if you can get them to eat them work wonders. One of mine had to have two teeth out and a clean. Within a fortnight the plaque was building up again. Since I've started giving him chicken wings they have made a huge difference to his teeth

SillyMangoX

I've been giving Cream cooked prawns, he really chews them well so I wonder would they have the same type of effect?

sambuka41

Rommie wrote: »

Raw chicken wings or drumsticks if you can get them to eat them work wonders. One of mine had to have two teeth out and a clean. Within a fortnight the plaque was building up again. Since I've started giving him chicken wings they have made a huge difference to his teeth

Don't mind my ignorance, Jack is my first cat I've only had dogs and chicken bones are a no no for dogs. Are they ok for cats? I'm sure he's be delighted with them!!

SillyMangoX

sambuka41 wrote: »

Don't mind my ignorance, Jack is my first cat I've only had dogs and chicken bones are a no no for dogs. Are they ok for cats? I'm sure he's be delighted with them!!

Any raw bones are fine, even for dogs, It's the cooked ones that splinter. In saying that my dog god the carcass off roast chicken almost every week for 15 years and it never did her any harm, was just lucky I guess!

Rommie

Raw bones are perfect for both cats and dogs. Be careful though with wings and remove the skin as they can have trouble chewing it. I cut the wings into three pieces and give them one piece at a time. It can take a while to get them used to it but persevere! One of my cats has perfect teeth and gums because she chews everything, even the dog toys, so just the chewing itself can make a huge difference.According to my vet gingivitis is getting more and more prevalent in cats, my boy who had the teeth out isn't even three yet and has had a diet of dry food from day one, including the ones specifically for oral care- whole lot of good it did!