Do you brush your furbabies teeth???

starryeyedtiger

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 5, 2005
Messages
22,317
Purraise
20
Location
USA
I'm just wondering who else out their brushes their furbabies teeth? I brush ALL of mine's teeth several times a week to help reduce buildup and keep peridontal disease at bay. Just simply brushing their teeth really keeps a lot of other dental/health problems at bay as well
I know whenever we do an adoption at our shelter we talk about the importance of prevention/etc- and we mention teeth brushing/proper dental care as part of that as well. I'm sure some people wonder at the thought of brushing a cat or dogs teeth and how they'd react to it- but i can personally say for my gang ALL of them do well- they just sit there and let me brush their teeth
I also start brushing my foster animals teeth at young ages when i have puppy/kittens- stimulating their gums can help soothe teething animals and help deture from chewing on furniture/etc. So who out there brushes their furbabies teeth??? If you don't- it's never too late to start!!
It really adds to their quality of life and reduces their odds of developing problems down the road. (It's also a lot cheaper to brush their teeth on a regular basis than it is to shell out a lot of cash for a dental scaling
Whiskey, our Carolina Dog that we adopted recently has a very bad case of what we suspect to be peridontal disease. He's going in to get his teeth scaled and cleaned very soon- poor dog- it hurts for him to eat sometimes and he smacks his gums all the time- this could have all been prevented had his previous owners brushed his teeth. The cost of having teeth scaled around here varies from vet to vet (i called around for several quotes between the vets we use- i got quoted $71 at the lowest price and $105 at one of the higher prices).

Do you brush your pets teeth? If so what type of toothbrush do you use? I use the little green slip that fits over my finger to brush theirs with a pea sized amount of toothpaste
 

natalie_ca

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 2, 2006
Messages
21,136
Purraise
223
Location
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
No I don't. But Chynna doesn't seem to mind my poking my finger around in her mouth when she's sleeping, LOL She kind of gets a mini gum massage during our cuddle time
 

pekoe & nigel

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Jan 28, 2007
Messages
916
Purraise
1
Location
Canada
You know, I never really thought about doing it. Is there a way to gradually get them used to it? Should I just start fussing around their mouths a little more and trying to stick my fingers in there? Do you find it's hard to do, with their mouths being so tiny and all?

Something tells me that Nigel will be properly terrified if I try to brush his teeth, although Pekoe might be pretty receptive.

P.S. Natalie_ca Chynna is just a beautiful cat.
 

tierre0

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 17, 2007
Messages
7,256
Purraise
1
Location
on the shores of Georgian Bay
Sassy is very good about having his teeth brushed, I generally do his about 3-4 times a week, I use one of the baby toothbrushes that you can get in any drugstore. They just fit over your finger. I use cat toothpaste I pick up at the pet store. I haven't tried to do Linus's yet, we have just progressed to the point were I can clip his claws without to much trouble. He does seem interested when I do Sassy's and he has tasted the toothpaste. I think it I take it slowly I will also be able to do his before to long as well.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #6

starryeyedtiger

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 5, 2005
Messages
22,317
Purraise
20
Location
USA
Originally Posted by Pekoe & Nigel

You know, I never really thought about doing it. Is there a way to gradually get them used to it? Should I just start fussing around their mouths a little more and trying to stick my fingers in there? Do you find it's hard to do, with their mouths being so tiny and all?

Something tells me that Nigel will be properly terrified if I try to brush his teeth, although Pekoe might be pretty receptive.
I've never had any problems with it!
Mine are all VERY used to being handled so they're also great about bath time, getting their nails done, and any medical work i need to do on them
Definitely go ahead and start- your kitties will benifit from it
Just start poking around in their mouths a little bit when you pet them/brush them and get them use to you messing with them. (start off just a few seconds at a time and build up). Then gradually start using the little slip on finger tooth brush (you can get them at any pet store- walmart and target sell them too!-cats do better with them because they're smaller and easier to use- but if you prefer- you could use a soft bristled child's toothbrush) Scruff the kitty at the nape of the neck gently with one ahand and with the other one then you just brush
(it's not hard at all and most kitties do VERY well once they get used to it!)
 

crazyforinfo

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 26, 2006
Messages
6,773
Purraise
4
Location
Philly
It's easier to bath my kitties then brush there teeth. I too have that finger brush and they just don't like the feel of it. They do like the toothpaste so I just give them a small bit. Benson would eat the whole tube if I let him. I was giving it to them 2-3 times a week.
I kinda forgot about it the last few weeks cause I hid the box from Ben(and myself). I use an Enzymatic Toothpaste & it's poultry flavor.
 
Top