how to clean cats teeth

Dental care for cat

Do I need to clean my cat's teeth?

Like people all animals need dental care. However if people and wild animals can do it by themselves the home cats do not actually have the ability to do that. We all know how a terrible toothache is and how it affects us. The same situation is with our pets so it is important to take care of the cat's teeth so they do not have the pathology of the dental system. Such emergency threatens not only the toothache but also a violation of the digestive process or inflammatory bowel disease (due to microbes from the mouth).

What dental disease can a cat have?

Most often veterinarians face the following dental diseases: dental plaque (as long as it not treated, the tartar will appear), caries (without treatment can lead to more serious diseases – periodontitis, pulpitis, osteomielitis), as well as teeth anomalies. As you can see all of these diseases can cause serious health problems for cats, that's why it is better to prevent them. For this you must pay attention to dental care.

Dental diseases prevention

The prevention methods of cat's dental diseases are quite simple. All you have to do is to regularly inspect the mouth cavity of cat (or inspect it by a veterinarian), regularly clean the cat's teeth as well as design the diet for your pet correctly (read all about cat food here). Inspection of cat's mouth is needed one or two times a month. Before the inspection you have to calm your pet. It is not necessary to do this procedure when the cat is irritated or aggressive.

Dental care for cat

For what should you pay attention during such inspection? The answer is simple: the color of tooth enamel, the presence of plaque or stains, the condition of the gums and the cat's reaction for the light press on teeth. Thus a healthy cat's enamel is white or cream with a yellow tint and the mucous membrane of the gums is pink (with no bleeding and cracks). Lack of response to light pressing indicates absence of pain; so the teeth are all right.

How to clean your cat's teeth

The procedure of cleaning cat's teeth is carried out using a toothbrush, a finger wrapped with a cloth or cotton swab. A toothpaste is used but a specific one, for animals. Also note that the toothbrush should have soft bristles because hard bristles can damage the gums of the cat causing pain. Furthermore the brush must be small enough to fit easily in cat's mouth.

The cat's teeth cleaning is the same as human. Fast and careful up and down movements with brush or other tool cover as much as possible of the teeth surface. Cleaning itself does not last long; otherwise the animal becomes nervous and begins to escape. Besides, it is best to teach this procedure to a kitten.

How to Clean Your Cat's Teeth (Video)

What kind of food favour cat's dental health

The best for the cat's dental health is dry cat food. Biting solid granules cat cleans its teeth from plaque. Furthermore there is special food for cats with additives that dissolute dental plaque.

If you have found a spelling error, please, notify us by selecting that text and pressing Ctrl+Enter.