Mary Allen
Brushing a cat’s teeth is like clipping a tiger’s claws. Nevertheless, regular dental care is important for house cats. An expert explains why and how best to proceed.
20-year-old Sumo doesn’t think much of brushing his teeth. The cat would be in the very best hands. Its owner Thomas Baumgartner is a veterinarian at the Sonnenhof animal clinic in Derendingen, SO, and specializes in dental problems in cats and dogs. He is also President of the Swiss Association for Veterinary Dentistry (SSVD). But sumo is not impressed at all. Baumgartner: “I don’t even need to get close to his head, he’ll take off.” So the veterinarian speaks from his own experience when he says: “Cats are not very cooperative when it comes to oral hygiene.”
The statistics show how important dental care is. “By the age of three, 70 percent of cats have gum problems and from the age of four every third cat has problems with their teeth,” says Baumgartner. Even Kater Sumo is already missing a few molars.
The problems often go beyond simple tartar. “A lot of cats suffer from bone-degrading cells, which literally eat away the tooth.” The cause of the so-called feline odontoclastic resorptive lesion (Forl) is not known. Cats have been affected for centuries, as skull finds from the Middle Ages show. But despite intensive research, the treatment methods are still very limited. In addition to pain therapy, affected teeth must be extracted.
Alarm Signal Bad Breath
The second most common disease is the so-called gingivostomatitis. This is a massive inflammation of the gums that can extend into the throat. The main cause of this is stress. In the worst case, there is a risk of losing all your molars.
What all diseases in the oral cavity have in common: They are often recognized very late because the cats do not whine about it and in most cases continue to eat. “They just chew on the healthy teeth,” says Baumgartner. That is why dental disease in cats is also called silent suffering. “If the problems showed up on the skin instead of in the mouth, people would be much more likely to take their cat to the vet.” The veterinarian admits that it has also happened to him that he did not immediately recognize dental problems in his own animal. It is therefore important to pay attention to any changes.
“Halitosis is always a warning sign,” says the specialist. Sudden recoil when eating, loud smacking, heavy salivation, or funny swallowing can also be signs of problems with the teeth. So good care is important. Baumgartner also makes his professional colleagues responsible: “There is a lot of catching up to do in the veterinary profession.” The teeth should be checked at least at every vet visit.
Annual Teeth Cleaning
In order for brushing your teeth at home to work, the cats have to get used to it very early on. Preferably directly after the change from milk to permanent teeth. This usually happens between the ages of four and six months. “If you don’t start practicing with your cat early enough, you’ll probably fail,” says Baumgartner.
There is no shortage of tools. From three-headed toothbrushes to finger cots to toothpaste with a meat or fish flavor, you can find everything in specialist shops. However, it is enough to rub off the plaque on your cat’s teeth with a cotton swab or a cloth, says Baumgartner. Because new plaque forms within 48 hours, it would be ideal to brush your cat’s teeth every two days. But Baumgartner remains realistic: “Once a week would be a very good cut.”
If this is not possible, as is the case with sumo, food can also take over dental care to a certain extent. Anything that the cat has to chew on properly is suitable. “Birds or mice are best,” says the veterinarian. If you don’t have a good hunter at home, you can find special feed for cleaning your teeth in specialist shops. It is important that they contain a lot of woodchips and that the tooth presses into the food when eating. Wet food with too much sauce is not optimal. “The animals usually swallow it without chewing.” Another option is to have your teeth cleaned every year. The vet removes the tartar and polishes the teeth.
The prices for this may differ regionally. At Baumgartner in the Sonnenhof veterinary clinic, they amount to around 200 francs. If individual teeth also have to be extracted, it is around 300 francs. It’s hardly worth it to mend broken teeth. “You never know if you can actually save a tooth,” says Baumgartner. Cats also get along well with gapped teeth. Even without molars, they can still chew. “The gums become harder – comparable to babies chewing on the crust of bread.” The vet even has toothless patients who still catch and eat mice.
For all treatments in the oral cavity, the cats are anesthetized and intubated. “Many owners are put off by the risk of anesthesia,” says Thomas Baumgartner. But this is much smaller than the risk of bad teeth, and the cat always feels better afterward, according to the veterinarian. Because: “Cats also suffer from toothache as we do, they just don’t show it.”