Mary Allen
Just like humans, cats also lose their baby teeth. This process of changing teeth can be difficult for some cats and even painful or at least uncomfortable. Here’s how you can help your pet during this time.
Born toothless, kittens develop 26 milk teeth after two to three weeks. At about the age of three or four months, cats start to change teeth, and the milk teeth are followed by 30 permanent teeth. As in humans, the milk tooth crowns are pushed out of the jaw by the new fixed teeth. As soon as you notice the following symptoms in your kitten, you can assume that it is on the way: Increased salivation, your pet likes to chew on hard objects, eats food more slowly, or leaves it out altogether. Some fur noses also have a strong bad breath.
Make the Time of the Change of Teeth Pleasant
It is best to give your house tiger wet food during this time, this causes the least problems as it is easy to chew and digest. You can also offer some dry food that the cat can help itself with as needed. A hard stick or hard cat toy can also give your velvet paw-some relief as she can chew on it during the change of teeth.
When to the Vet?
Some cats have very serious problems when changing teeth: they can hardly eat, they may even get diarrhea, fever, or gingivitis. In this case, you should not hesitate to consult a veterinarian. He can then determine whether more serious problems than the change of teeth are behind it. Sometimes a homeopathic remedy, which your veterinarian can also recommend, can help.
If Some Milk Teeth Remain
Sometimes it can happen that so-called persistent milk teeth are preserved. Such teeth remain in the cat’s jaw after the change of teeth and are not replaced by a new one – this can lead to a misalignment of the cat‘s teeth. Under certain circumstances, these remaining milk teeth must therefore be extracted by a veterinarian. Otherwise, tartar or gingivitis can easily form in the resulting narrow spaces between the teeth.
Made It!
After about eight months everything is usually over and your pet has the teeth of a real predator. By the way: If you don’t find any fallen-out teeth in your home when you’re about to change teeth, you don’t have to worry: the small milk teeth are often simply swallowed when eating.