My cat is missing teeth

Hi All,

I am taking care of a stray/neighborhood cat and he is missing a few teeth. It all started in September '06 when I came home from work, his lower left fang was crooked. It fell out on its own, but I had no idea what caused this. At the time I could only assume someone broke it, or my cat somehow got his tooth caught on something. Either way, it was sad and depressing to say the least. That night my cat curled up in a ball because he was in pain.

A few months later the same thing happened- this time it was his lower right fang. Again I felt helpless, because I couldn't afford to take him to the vet. Again he curled up in the ball, and the only thing I could do was comfort him by being next to him. Then this past September (coincidence?!) he lost his upper right fang, and at this point I was pretty much out of luck and ideas.

This evening I found a white thing in his food dish, and I assume it is a chunk of his rear teeth cracked off.

I think you know what I'm getting at, what in the world do I do at this point? I'm thinking it's poor dental hygiene, but brushing this teeth is at times next to impossible (he has sharp claws). In terms of his teeth, he has his upper left fang left and what is left of his other teeth. Any advice would be of great help.

Thanks,

Dudemar

I highly suggest a vet visit. His teeth falling out to me, says something is wrong. Can you look in his mouth to see if he has a lot of black/brown stuff on his teeth?

Thanks for responding,

From what i can see when he meows (which is the only time my cat will let me look in his mouth), his teeth are definitely a tinge of yellow. There are some deposits of brown in the crevices of his teeth.

Right now I'm in monetary debt; and although I don't technically own this cat, I feel I should take care of him... I love him too much.

Dudemar

His teeth might be so rotten they are literally falling from his mouth.

If you cannot afford to get him vet care, check around to see if a no-kill shelter can take him in. You can also check with local humane societies to see if they know of any low-cost vet clinics. If he has not been neutered that needs to be done as well.

If you didn't care about him, you would not be here. And sometimes caring is tough.

Originally Posted by white cat lover

His teeth might be so rotten they are literally falling from his mouth.

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It's a sad truth, but you may be right. Because he's a stray I don't think anyone has brushed his teeth in his life.

Originally Posted by white cat lover

If you cannot afford to get him vet care, check around to see if a no-kill shelter can take him in. You can also check with local humane societies to see if they know of any low-cost vet clinics. If he has not been neutered that needs to be done as well.

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He's definitely neutered, but he has his hyper moments.

Originally Posted by white cat lover

If you didn't care about him, you would not be here. And sometimes caring is tough.

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I do love him, and as he ages I want him to have some teeth. Thanks for the advice.

Dudemar

Baby Girl's front top two teeth are missing. It's weird--her teeth are clean and her gums are healthy; apparently she's never had those teeth, or else they were knocked out a long time ago. It's possible for a cat to be missing teeth and it's not a problem--the vet said her mouth is fine; she just doesn't have those two teeth. Baby's only a year and a half old, so I'd already figured as much--gum disease in a cat so young is not very common anyhow.

Hi everybody,

Well it's been well over a month since I first posted, and I've been brushing my cat's teeth. It's been hard but I think he's getting used to it! At first his gums bled a lot, but it is now bleeding far less and he tolerates my brushing better than ever. It still bleeds on a few tender spots, so it's a progressive effort. I am hoping it's at least a little effective, he seems to be a lot happier.

Dudemar

At the first opportunity i would still take him to see the vet just incase theres any infection in his gums, especially when their still bleeding

Definitely, as soon as I get the money. I am a poor college student so it'll take a bit of time.