Teeth and Diet

Cats live for up to 20 years and during this time not many will have their teeth brushed! Dental problems are therefore very common in cats, especially as the animals get older. Most cats would certainly resent having their teeth brushed even though this is the best method of preventing dental problems. In many cats other methods must be used to ensure good dental hygiene and health.

Cats in the wild would probably not live as long as our cosseted feline friends. They would also have a much tougher diet than tinned cat food! The action of crunching bones and sinew of their prey would certainly help to keep their teeth more healthy. ( Just listen to all the crunching when your cat eats a mouse!) As a result of these two factors the dental health of our domestic cats is often very poor.

When we think about the oral health of felines we must remember that their teeth are designed to be very effective at chewing and crunching. Cats have little use for their incisors so these are small. Their canine teeth are very large and are used to bite and hold on to prey. Their molars (carnassial teeth) are incredibly effective at shearing and cutting meat (unlike our molars which are designed for grinding food down). If we always feed our cats on soft, moist diets the teeth will not be used properly and it is an unfortunate fact that when the body is not used in the way it was designed to work it starts to go wrong.

As a result of this modern diet and the general longevity of cats these days vets very commonly see dental problems in these animals. (In fact it is unusual to come across adult animals without gingivitis!) As cats get older they may suffer from a number of dental problems such as resorptive lesions and gum disease. These are painful conditions and if untreated will have a negative effect on the quality of life. If possible it is always best to try to prevent these problems in the first place. This can be done by promoting good oral hygeine in your cat's mouth.

There are many different products available which help to keep the oral environment healthy. Cats often benefit from being fed with Hills t/d which is a dry food with a special structure to help remove plaque from the teeth as the cat feeds. I have seen this demonstrated and it certainly does seem to be very effective. I am not convinced that other mainstream dry foods do much good. (We wouldn't have clean teeth just because we ate biscuits all the time would we?) Although dry foods in general are better than the tinned varieties, at least as far as dental health is concerned. Another of my favorite products is Logic gel which is given orally to the cat and helps to kill harmful bacteria in the mouth. Of course the gold standard in oral hygiene is to brush every day, but realistically it is often virtually impossible isn't it? If you do intend to brush your cat's teeth then try to start when your cat is a kitten. If you try to start brushing an older pet's teeth for the first time you may encounter resistance and could possibly get bitten or scratched.

Questions Answered

dental (rabbit) (25-Feb-07 04:23PM)

Antoinette asks: Coco's teeth grow so fast that we have to trim them about every 2-3 weeks. Is there something missing from his diet that would cause this? ... view

loss of tooth (cat) (26-Feb-07 12:33PM)

Glenn asks: My cat has lost a tooth and I'm worried its not normal. He is 6 months old. His gums were angry but seem to have settled down but he is dribbling ... view

bad breath (dog) (16-Feb-07 01:47PM)

Yvonne asks: My jack russell pup is losing his baby teeth, but he has really bad breath, he is fed on a dry mix we checked his teeth they all seem OK no ... view

Teeth grinding. (rabbit) (10-Feb-07 03:27PM)

Toni asks: Nibbles has just started grinding her teeth. She's not eating normally but is drinking. She also seems a little lethargic. What could be wrong? ... view

Cat Worry (cat) (27-Jan-07 07:58PM)

Pamela asks: Hi, I have a cat, Voodoo, who is around 15 years old. Recently I've noticed he's been dribbling more than usual and biting his tongue. He always has fresh water ... view

Rapid weight loss (cat) (05-Feb-07 07:54PM)

Naomi asks: My 15 month old cat has suddenly lost weight to the point of the hips showing. She also has developed very bad breath. She isn't drinking excessively and her urine is ... view

Has my cat had a fit? What caused it? (na) (04-Feb-07 12:31PM)

Lesley asks: My cat had a funny turn this morning - after behaving completely normally. He suddenly appeared to stagger around the room trying to get to the furthest edges and bumping ... view

Stomach problem in cat (cat) (06-Feb-07 02:18PM)

Terry asks: I have a 10 month old male cat. His poo has always been quite soft since we've had him but now it has become very runny with some blood in ... view

Dog's Health (dog) (01-Nov-07 04:17PM)

William asks: My dog is around 11 years old, possibly older (we received her as she was taken from a bad owner seven years ago) and is a Yorkshire Terrier. She has began ... view

eye infection (cat) (31-Jan-07 06:30PM)

Pauline asks: Our 8 month old cat has had a few eye infections since she was little, the most recent of which was about 2 weeks ago in her left eye. We gave ... view

Excessive Drooling (dog) (31-Jan-07 09:27PM)

Helen asks: Jake is excessively drooling from the right hand side of his mouth, wetting his bedding and furniture. I took him to the vets where they said it was nothing to worry ... view

not eating (cat) (31-Jan-07 12:24PM)

Sally asks: He's not eaten for nearly a week and doesn't seem to have been to the toilet. He's started to make a growling noise occasionally. I'm taking him to the vet and ... view

Behaviour & Hygiene (cat) (08-Feb-07 09:35PM)

David asks: Moggy has recently started to approach his water bowl and, before drinking, he paws the floor, as though he was in the litter tray. What does this mean? Forgot to mention, ... view

Kidneys (cat) (25-Jan-07 11:27AM)

Julie asks: I have been told that Moses kidneys are getting smaller, why would this be and he keeps being sick? ... view

Over grooming (cat) (27-Feb-07 06:09PM)

Michele asks: Thank you for your response. My cat has had a once over by vets and no flea problems. Her hind legs and stomach are bare due to over grooming. ... view

hair loss (na) (14-May-07 12:02PM)

Simon asks: One of my cats has lost his fur down both legs, around his anus and about 3 inches from his tail up his back. He appears healthy, eating & drinking well. ... view

One of my cats pooped on the carpet (cat) (28-Mar-07 03:26PM)

kittiei asks: My cats are both almost 3 and yesterday one of them pooped on the carpet in front of my door. I live in an apartment and have been there for almost ... view

Cat skin problem (na) (01-Feb-07 01:42PM)

Emma asks: My cat who is 8 months old has been continually scratching. I assumed it was fleas and recently got him a flea collar. However since he has had the collar his ... view

What is FIV (gerbil) (30-Jan-07 10:01PM)

Lynette asks: What are the symptoms of FIV? ... view

Constipation (cat) (25-Feb-07 06:59PM)

Joyce asks: Snowy has had problems for quite a while. He seems to be constantly having problems with his bowel movements. It may take him several attempts, over maybe half an hour of ... view

Your Questions Answered

Injured Wild Owl 30-Nov-07

Kelly asks: I found an owl this morning, very small but adult. It flew into a power line. It's still alive. ... view

swollen hind leg 20-Nov-07

Zshai asks: I have a 6-day-old bunny who has a swollen hind leg. I saw her mama step on her but ... view

Sick syrian hamster 08-Nov-07

Sara asks: Hi. My syrian hamster is 2 and half yrs. old. The last 24 hrs I have noticed a big ... view

lack of sleep 07-Nov-07

Bill asks: We have a 14 month old Yorkshire terrier, which goes to bed at around 6.30pm, because I have MS ... view

wet tail 06-Nov-07

Evelyn asks: Can a young hamster be successfully treated for wet tail and what would it roughly cost? ... view

Alfie 06-Nov-07

Elaine asks: Hi Sam Thank you. Alfie has no feeding time he just has food in his bowl when he wants it ... view

Guarding problem 05-Nov-07

Elaine asks: Alfie is a terrible guarder and will take your hand off if you try and retrieve an object he ... view

White Gums and Dark Stool 02-Nov-07

Leslie asks: My 8 week old American Bulldog has really white gums, around the eyes is also white. She has dark ... view

Dog's Health 01-Nov-07

William asks: My dog is around 11 years old, possibly older (we received her as she was taken from a bad ... view

behaviour 31-Oct-07

Debby asks: Hi Max is very lively of course but he seems to get very excited and bites the children, not ... view

Blood in dog's stools 31-Oct-07

Lee asks: Hi. We recently got a 3 year old Labrador from a friend. From what we can see she has ... view

upset stomach 30-Oct-07

kat asks: About three days ago my dog started acting like she was sick; diarrhoea and vomiting along with excessive sneezing ... view

Blood in Poo 28-Oct-07

Mandy asks: Treacle is now 9 wks old and had her first vaccination two days ago. I have noticed that at ... view

neutering 27-Oct-07

ashen1956 asks: 3 days ago Molly-Mae gave birth to 5 kittens. How long should I wait before having her neutered and ... view

Ordering Insulin Online 26-Oct-07

Purdie asks: Purdie is diabetic and I'm keen to find a way of reducing the cost of the treatment. Currently ... view

Fleas and skin problem 26-Oct-07

Joanne asks: I have two cats, a neutered tom and his sister. They are 6 and a half yrs. old. They ... view

My cat has a hole in its stomach! 23-Oct-07

Sarah asks: My cat has a hole the size of a dime in its stomach. He doesn't seem to be ... view

labrador vomiting bile and nearly passing out 22-Oct-07

Paul asks: Hi there - our five year old male labrador is generally in very good health - excellent appetite, plenty ... view

Guinea pig fits 22-Oct-07

Renate asks: My guinea pig is acting strange. I've only had him around a week and he's running as if spooked ... view

feeding 22-Oct-07

Terry asks: Is it safe to feed my GSD raw chicken wings, he is 16 months old and is 37 kg? ... view

© vetask.com Springing Dragon Limited 2012 | Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy | All Rights Reserved | All Trademarks observed | No responsibility taken for links to external sites or any content beyond our control | Views expressed by contributors or forum users not endorsed by vetask.com. Disclaimer: The content of this website is based upon the opinions of the authors and contributors, unless otherwise stated. Individual articles, extracts, and any links to external sites are based upon the opinions of the respective author(s). The purpose of this site is the sharing of knowledge and information and you are encouraged to make informed healthcare decisions for animals in your care based upon your research and in consultation with your vet.