TheCatSite.com › Forums › Our Feline Companions › Cat Health › Stinky breath!
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Stinky breath!

post #1 of 14
9/8/10 at 4:02pm
Thread Starter 
Hello all,

My 1 1/2 yo male cat, Oscar, has stinky breath. It's almost fishy but not. It's hard to describe, but not pleasant. My other cat Kattie doesn't have that smell. I work at a vet so am no stranger to the importance of dental care and disease in cats. I brush both my cats teeth every day with CET tartar control toothpaste and apply an anti plaque wax called clenz a dent wax. His teeth are in excellent shape. No tartar and the gums are healthy. He has no sores or anything in his mouth. I let my boss look at his mouth and said that it looks great and that some cats just have stronger breath than others. I feed good food. A mix of BB Wilderness and Wellness dry and a variety of canned. Just looking for opinions. He dosen't act sick or anything so maybe I'm overreacting.
Reply
post #2 of 14
9/8/10 at 4:13pm
In people, funky breath can sometimes be linked to GI issues like acid reflux. Is everything ok there?
Reply
post #3 of 14
9/8/10 at 4:46pm
Thread Starter 
Yup his digestion is fine too. He hasn't even vomitted since I got him, not even hairballs like Kattie lol. His poops are normal, urine normal. He runs around like a crazy cat getting into trouble. I even did a panel on him to make sure everything internally is ok which it is. Not even an elevation in WBC's which would signal infection somewhere. It is weird. I asked my boyfriend what he thinks and he says it's not bad, just typical cat breath. Maybe my nose is more sensitive...
Reply
post #4 of 14
9/8/10 at 9:54pm
what food does he eat? Did the panel cover organ function?
Reply
post #5 of 14
9/9/10 at 12:43pm
Thread Starter 
Oscar eats a mix of Blue Wilderness Chicken flavor and Wellness Salmon or Chicken flavor dry. I do rotate flavors and brands of dry pretty much any time I buy catfood. As long as I introduce it into the mix the cats are fine and have no digestion upsets. In the past I have fed Ca Natural, Felidae, Blue Spa Select ect. For dry I usually mix a grain in and grain free food. I try not to rotate fish into the mix to much but neither cat has had any urinary tract issues so far. They also get a bit of canned food twice a day. For canned I do rotate lots of varieties. They seem to like the cheaper foods better and I do give things like Fancy Feast, Friskies ect along with the better stuff like Wellness, Blue, TOTW ect. As for the panel it was a complete panel that included liver, kidneys, and internal function. I also did a fecal test on him while he was there and it was negative. He is a healthy cat, maybe it is worse when he eats fish flavors...
Reply
post #6 of 14
9/9/10 at 3:29pm
most likely it is the fish or artificial stuff in the canned... Sorry had to ask about the full panel as I have found there are vets who only run a CBC
Reply
post #7 of 14
9/10/10 at 12:44pm
Not that it's relevant, but I've never had a cat that had great breath. I would be concerned if bad breath got worse...you know...a change.
Reply
post #8 of 14
9/10/10 at 1:19pm
Our Leo has always had bad breath. He is 3 yrs old and very healthy, perfect teeth etc. He eats EVO and NB and the vets (regular and holistic) told us the bad breath is related to the way his digestive system breaks down the food. Nothing we can do about it.
Marina
Reply
post #9 of 14
9/10/10 at 2:47pm
^Maybe try a short course of probiotics to see what that does smell wise?


I have something worse than normal icky cat breath that I hope none of you ever have to smell. Cat breath after taking liquid doxycycline - having that breathed into your face is horrible.
Reply
post #10 of 14
9/10/10 at 5:19pm
I use Greenies for my cat Chester and his breath doesn't knock you over. Maybe try to see if he likes them and they may help. I wasn't sure Chester would actually like them because he was never a "treat" eater but I got some samples through my job and he gobbled them up! Now he gets them everyday. Just a suggestion. I hope you find what helps.
Reply
post #11 of 14
9/10/10 at 6:48pm
I never understood the point of a hard small treat like Greenies. Most cats do not chew, my own included. Greenies went down whole.

A larger treat, like the CET dental treats, get chewed up.
Reply
post #12 of 14
9/10/10 at 7:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by strange_wings View Post
I never understood the point of a hard small treat like Greenies. Most cats do not chew, my own included. Greenies went down whole.

A larger treat, like the CET dental treats, get chewed up.
Every cat in my experience is different because I know I see and hear Chester crunching away. There are few I am sure he swallows whole but that is a given. I also hear from a lot of cat owners and they seem to have good experiences with them as well. I agree that cats tend not to chew what goes in their mouth fully but Greenies seem to work for Chester pretty well. This is my experience and everyone's may not be the same. To each his own I guess.
Reply
post #13 of 14
9/11/10 at 6:52am
In the past, I noticed a definite difference between kibble-fed and raw-fed cats' breath. Not sure about tinned food, and I've never tried Greenies ...
Reply
post #14 of 14
9/26/10 at 1:07pm
I know this reply is a few weeks after your posting, but I had seen your post when you first asked about your kitty's bad breath. Today, I was fixing a new pot of kitty green oat grass seeds to grow for my three cats , and happened to read on the bag that not only are the greens great for digestion and fulfilling the craving for green roughage for cats, but that chlorophyll is a natural breath freshner for cats, and your post came to mind. I don't know if you use kitty greens or not, but it may be worth try! None of mine have bad breath, and they, too, eat seafood (Nat. Balance Salmon, wet and dry). I get my seeds from PetSmart, and be sure and use organic potting soil.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Cat Health
TheCatSite.com › Forums › Our Feline Companions › Cat Health › Stinky breath!