Do any of you brush your cat's teeth? If so, do you use a brush or one of those finger things? What do you use for "toothpaste"? How often should it be done?

I do not brush my cats teeth. I have however had the vet clean their teeth.

At what age should I start having them cleaned or brushing regularly? He is 8 months old now, but I don't want to wait until there is already a problem.

At what age should I start having them cleaned or brushing regularly? He is 8 months old now, but I don't want to wait until there is already a problem.
Usually your vet will tell you at the annual physical if the kitty needs one. Raven and Nabu had their first at 2-3 yrs old. And have had several since then. Stimpy is 7 yrs old and hasn't needed one yet.

I only brush Raven's teeth, because he's the only one interested. He has his own pet toothbrush (it's battery powered). He likes to lick the toothpaste off, then bite it a few times. That's our version of toothbrushing.:lol3:

I do what I can to "brush" my cats' teeth. Niko likes to lick and bite the toothbrush if I put chicken flavored toothpaste on it. Crumbs won't willingly touch any toothpaste I've tried. I just put a tiny dab on my finger and smear it on her teeth and gums as well as I can before she rebels. Pet toothpaste has enzymes in it which are supposed to clean the teeth even if you don't actually "brush". BTW, if anyone knows of a fish-flavored cat toothpaste that Crumbs might not hate, please let me know! All I've seen in stores are poultry, malt or mint flavors.

For dentals, I go by what my vet says. Crumbs had one at age 6 and hasn't needed another yet; Niko just had her first one at age 10.

I try to brush Oliver's teeth after his monthly bath - some months he's more cooperative than others, but I still can't do as good a brush job as I'd like... I didn't get to rescue him from the streets til he was almost 3 so I didn't have the chance to start brushing as a kitten - I brush my dog's teeth all the time and she's never needed a vet cleaning (and she's 13!)... Oliver's 5 and at his check up last summer, Dr. Kathy said he didn't need a cleaning yet, but I'm sure he will eventually... I use one of those kitten tooth brushing kits from petco/petsmart... it's a toothbrush and beef flavored toothpaste (For my dog, I use a human toothbrush and diluted listerine - she's so funny when I brush, hehe)

My kitten's 9 weeks old right now - should I start brushing his teeth *now* to get him used to it? The vet said not to bother until a few weeks later (after his baby teeth have fallen out).

Also...
I brush my dog's teeth and have chicken flavored toothpaste. Can I use this for the kitten, too, or are there specific ones for cats? This one says "For Dogs"...

Well as much as he hates brushing and nail clipping, its probably a waste of money, lol, but I'll pick up one of the kits at petsmart this weekend and see how he reacts.

Also...
I brush my dog's teeth and have chicken flavored toothpaste. Can I use this for the kitten, too, or are there specific ones for cats? This one says "For Dogs"...

If it specifically says "for Dogs" on it, then don't use it on your cat... that goes for all pet products (including shampoos).... I don't think the kitty stuff is all that expensive, cant remember exactly