Brushing the teeth is the best way to reduce plaque bacteria on the tooth surface but brushing depends on your cat’s tolerances and the cat owner’s ability to products can be directly applied by the cat owners such as a tooth gel or rinse products can also have ingredients in the chew or food that reduce the plaque buildup.
But then, what’s the correct way to brush your cat’s teeth, and what are the alternatives available?
What is Tooth Brushing?
Plaque bacteria is a factor in dogs and cats, and what removes plaque bacteria from the tooth surface is brushing.
Why Is Brushing Your Cat’s Teeth Important?
Brushing your cat’s teeth is important otherwise, it will create some gum problems and lead to death.
But How?
Let’s Discuss!
The Impact of Gum Disease on Cats
Believe it or not, you and your cat are more alike than you think. Gum disease affects both our pets and ourselves, and it starts with plaque.
You may think we brush our teeth to prevent bad breath but brushing disrupts the formation of plaque. Plaque is made up of bacteria and forms right after we brush our teeth. Bacteria are usually present in our mouths and form in the gum tissue at the base of each tooth called the gingival sulcus.
If brushing is never performed the plaque bacteria become more destructive and can start destroying the gums and bone that support the tooth. These changes happen in stages :
Gingivitis: This is the first stage where red inflamed gums are a sign of gingivitis. Gingivitis is the only stage that is reversible with a professional dental cleaning.
Periodontitis: If gingivitis is not treated, it will progress to periodontitis. At this stage, severely inflamed gums and bone loss are seen. Professional cleaning and treatment of affected teeth will help keep the teeth’s condition under control.
Pets who do not receive regular preventative interventions and variably will lose those affected teeth to extraction.
Fact: 80% of cats suffer from some form of gum disease.
How Can I Tell If My Cat Has Gum Disease?
The first indication that gum disease is present is bad breath or halitosis. If halitosis is present the best way to tell if your pet has gum disease is to lift their lips and look.
“Please be careful if your pet shies away from you when you approach their face. This behaviour could be a sign of oral pain, and touching the face could cause them to snap or bite you.”
- If there is potential pain, make an appointment to check your pet’s teeth at the veterinary hospital.
- If your pet is comfortable handling their face, lift the lips and look at the teeth and gums. Do the teeth surfaces have a brown buildup or tartar? Are the gums red and inflamed? Is blood present at the gum line?
- If any of these conditions are present, it’s time for your pet to have a professional cleaning.
Myth: Dry food doesn’t help cats clean their teeth. Cats don’t clean their teeth by chewing.
Fun Fact Question: You might be thinking, how do big cats clean their teeth?
Ans. Wild cats clean their teeth with prey’s bones.
How to brush your cat’s teeth
You can’t brush every cat’s teeth. Some cat’s personalities are just not compatible with it, but I’d say most cats can. The key to success is to start early. If you get them used to it when they are kittens, they probably accept it. If you have an 8 years old street cat, you may find it a little bit challenging or you may find it not worth your while to try to brush your teeth.
Tip: Try putting toothpaste on your finger and putting it in front of her just to see if she is interested in the taste. If she licks it, that’s a good positive sign.
There are other things we can do to take care of their dental health, but brushing your teeth is something you can do; if you can do it at home, it is effective, it is cheap and it can be kind of fun because toothpaste we use is special cat toothpaste. It’s chicken or beef flavoured. So, it’s kind of like a little treat for them. It’s quite a lovely way to bond with your cat. So what I suggest you do is:
- When they are kittens, get them used to having your fingers in their mouth.
- Massage their gums with a finger. A lot of cats really like this.
- You get in there, touch their teeth and play with her fangs.
- Now, you can take it to the next level, by taking a special cat toothbrush.
- To be honest, I prefer using a baby soft toothbrush that you can easily get from the pharmacy. I think they are quite good for cats because it has small bristles so they are quite handy.
- You just start applying them to the canines just the front of the mouth. You can use your fingertip to lift the lip little bit. And just get used to the notion of that there’s something brushing against their canies. Some cats may object and high-five you or wriggle away. That’s alright.
- All you need to do is practice day after day. Eventually, they get used to it.
- Then once they’re used to having their canines brushed, you can move on to the molars and it’s pretty hard to get at a cat’s molars.
- Usually, you just lift that lip up, get in and brus brush brush.
- Just massage that gum. You don’t have to go hard. Be quite gentle with it, it will be easier for the cat to accept it.
- It might take you a few weeks or a few months to get to this point with your cat. But as long as you go slow and steady, take your time and try to make it pleasant. They will let you brush your teeth.
How to Clean Your Cat’s Teeth Without Brushing?
If the pet will not allow you to handle its mouth or the pet owner is not physically able to handle it, then the best product is one that the pet takes in through feeding or chewing. Examples of these products are dental chews and dental diets. To list effective products, go to the Veterinary Oral Health Council.
FAQs
Q1. How Often Should I Brush My Cat’s Teeth?
Ans. Ideally, you should brush your cat’s teeth at least once a day. That is the very best you can do to keep your cat’s teeth healthy. If you can do it even a couple of times a week, that’s going to really help your cat’s oral health, but the goal would be every day.
Q2. How Often Do Cats Need Their Teeth Professionally Cleaned?
Ans. The professional cleaning is performed at your local veterinary clinic. Veterinary dentists recommend a professional cleaning yearly.
Q3. Are Anesthesia Free Dental Cleanings an Option for My Pet?
Ans. Some companies do anesthesia-free dental cleaning, but I urge all pet owners to read the documentation provided by the American College of Veterinary Dentistry to understand why this is not the best decision for their pet.
It is necessary to place pets under anesthesia for dental cleaning is essential because they will not tolerate having their teeth scaled and polished while awake.
Q4. Can You Use Human Toothpaste on Cat?
Ans. The use of human toothpaste is not recommended, mainly because of the high fluoride, not salt content which may lead to acute but more likely chronic toxicity problems as cats do not rinse and spit but they swallow the toothpaste.
Non-foaming toothpaste is recommended, but it is not critical. A flavour cats like is recommended as it will allow owners to burst their teeth for a longer period.
Q5. Are there alternatives to brushing?
Ans. While brushing is the most effective method, alternatives include dental treats, water additives, and professional dental cleanings.
Conclusion
Cats generally do resist but there are some other ways that you can apply like dental additives, professional cleaning, raw bone and catnip dental sticks. You can use Felisept finger pads instead of finger toothbrush, no pain and the cat will get it done easily.
Forcing your cats to brush their teeth only makes sense if they are open to it. Otherwise, leave your cat to professional cleaning and dental gels or additives. Even raw bones under supervision work great in removing plaque.
I hope you have gathered enough information about cat oral hygiene and dental problems to learn the right way to clean your cat’s teeth.
Have you ever brushed your cat’s teeth? Do share your story in the comment section.