Mary Allen
Dental care in cats is just as important as in humans, as teeth are essential for hunting and eating prey. We reveal what you should know about dental care.
And no matter how clean animals cats are, they too have to contend with bacteria in their mouths, which can cause bad breath, plaque, and gum damage. Dental care should therefore also play an important role in your own velvet paw.
How can you prevent dental problems?
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Be sure to act early because once the gum is inflamed, it will separate from the tooth. This creates cavities in which bacteria can collect. This leads to pain and, in the worst case, even loss of teeth.
Ideally, you should start with dental care before the cat changes teeth.
Unpleasant deposits such as tartar make things difficult for velvet paws. (You can read tips on how to prevent tartar in cats here.) Domestic cats are particularly at risk here, as they usually drink less and their saliva is, therefore, richer in minerals. While outdoor cats naturally rub their teeth on the bones of captured mice or other animals, domestic cats do not have this opportunity.
It is certainly possible to brush a cat’s teeth with special cat sets, but if you have not gotten used to it from an early age, in most cases it will not simply put up with it. Special treats, which are chewed for a particularly long time and systematically clean the teeth like chewing gum, and special feed can help here.
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Do not only feed soft or wet food but make sure that your cat also gets something to bite. Also, do not give the cat too much milk to drink. A little cat milk or diluted milk and natural dairy products are fine, but too much encourages tartar build-up and can cause gum inflammation.
If you want to brush your cat’s teeth, only use products that are suitable for animals. Mint may seem fresh to us, but cats are more likely to enjoy meat- or fish-flavored pastes and will certainly resent anything else.
What to do if the cat already has dental problems?
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Is the cat eating little or making strange noises? Do they discover dark deposits or bloody saliva? Does your furball suddenly have bad breath or not eat at all? All of these can be signs of gingivitis or signs of something worse. Then, to be on the safe side, visit the veterinarian. He removes all deposits under anesthesia and ensures that the beloved four-legged friend can eat normally again.
If the pet only has minor symptoms, you can make their life easier with certain foods. You can counteract inflamed or irritated gums with special feeds. Supplementary feed often helps with tartar and bad breath. This is easy to mix in and ideally dissolves the stubborn tartar.
If you want to help the cat naturally and not feed it something specifically, you can also try homeopathy. However, such a guide does not replace a visit to the vet in an emergency.
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Don’t jeopardize your relationship and your cat’s trust by forcing anything on her. When in doubt, it is better to go to the vet if your oral hygiene measures are ineffective and your cat does not accept other means. If the symptoms are acute, even brushing your teeth is no longer of much use. Going to the vet is then a must!
The teeth should also always be checked by a doctor to prevent danger. In this way, you can save your four-legged friend a lot of suffering.