TheCatSite.com › Forums › Our Feline Companions › Care & Grooming › Can you brush their teeth??
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Can you brush their teeth??

post #1 of 10
4/25/11 at 5:52pm
Thread Starter 
I know you can brush dogs teeth, but what about cats??

Zoe LOVES getting up close and personal in your face. And holy geez does she get gross breath especially after wet food :S

So it makes me wonder if there is any kind of kitty-toothbrush stuff? even to just brush with water. I imagine it would also be good for her since she rarely gets raw meat chunks so doesn't get the whole texture thing.

Is it safe? upsides? downsides? I know I'd have to take her into the vet again to double and triple check her teeth/gums before doing anything (she just had a visit end of Jan and was told she's perfectly healthy, but just to be safe and know there isnt any sensitivity...)

Any experiences?
Reply
post #2 of 10
4/25/11 at 6:46pm
ya you can buy some toothpaste for cats.. my cats won't let me even try brushing their teeth even with the toothpaste that they are suppose to like the taste of.
Reply
post #3 of 10
4/25/11 at 7:13pm
Yes, there's cat and dog tooth paste - to be more exact it's "pet tooth paste" and works for both.

You vet likely sells kits. I use CET brand (since my vet sells it), which can also be purchased in a kit. The kit includes the finger brush and a small tooth brush. All but the fussiest cats can get used to some degree of dental care if you're patient with them.
Reply
post #4 of 10
4/25/11 at 8:07pm
I don't brush my cat's teeth, but they sure put up a fuss when I check them.

If you're exclusively wet feeding, and don't want to brush, I'd toss em a couple greenies treats (my cats get around 3 a day each).

They taste good, and they are essentially just a rich oversized mid-grade kibble. Its mainly just the mechanical action of crunching on them that helps scrape the tooth, and it has a couple ingredients that are supposed to be good for dental health.

Alternatively, you could just get a proper specifically tailored dental kibble, and serve a bit everyday. One thing is for sure though, if your kitty has stinky breath, and its not right after eating a fishy food or similar, then something is wrong (may not even be a brushing issue, but perhaps acid reflux or something else). Dental disease is very common in older cats. As you already know, occasional vet visits for proper cleaning are in order just like for yourself and kids, as its the only way to remove already hardened calculus.
Reply
post #5 of 10
4/26/11 at 7:53pm
I've used Petz Life gel before, it's a product that improves tartar and also helps their breath without brushing. You can use it as a toothpaste if you want to brush teeth but it also works by just applying it without a toothbrush.
Reply
post #6 of 10
4/26/11 at 10:01pm
I brush my cats teeth! They didn't like it when I first started but after they got used to it they do very well. I put the kitty up on the bathroom counter, lift up their gums and brush their teeth. The toothpaste I got is the special kind for cats. Each of my cats has their own tooth brush. I brush their teeth every couple of days.
Reply
post #7 of 10
4/27/11 at 4:24am
I also use Petz Life gel. My Griffin gets horrible bad breath if I don't brush his teeth occasionally. Both of my cats (but especially Griffin) HATE having their teeth brushed though, so I always wrap them up snugly in a towel and recruit my DH to hold them down while I handle the toothbrushing with both hands free. In general my boys are pretty tolerant cats, but me sticking anything in their mouths is where they draw the line!
Reply
post #8 of 10
4/28/11 at 6:22am
I have used dental wipes on both my cat and dog. The dog does really well and I have no problem getting her to comply. Jake, the cat on the other hand is just awful. I have tried the finger brush, the wipes and also a kit from the vet after he had his teeth cleaned. He just doesn't like it at all. He eats both wet and dry and I give him a daily dental treat. I also tried a dental spray by Petz Life. Once again, the dog did fine with it, but Jake absolutely freaked having something sprayed in his mouth.
Reply
post #9 of 10
4/28/11 at 8:49pm
Thread Starter 
ah awesome

I used to brush my old dogs teeth but didn't know if there was a kitty-alternative.

Both our cats get a mix of wet and dry in the morning and at night (otherwise they aren't huge fans of how the dry tastes since both were used to really bad dry food and now we're at the in-between step. So 1/8 cup dry mixed with a 1/4 of a 2 meal can of wet per cat per meal.) with once a week all wet food with the really good wet food...

But wet food breath really is dastardly and we don't want to discourage Zoe from being affectionate since Floyd isn't a snuggler (we want at least one cuddly cat!!)
Reply
post #10 of 10
4/29/11 at 1:31pm
I just take my in my small bathroom and don't give them a choice on the brushing. No towel needed. I set them in my lap, give them a quick brush, and a few treats. The two that won't take treats while in the bathroom will get them after they've left the bathroom and are in a more comfortable room, and will get extra pettings.


Unfortunately, they now all associate that bathroom with treats (not tooth brushing, oddly) and a few will run right in when the door is opened and hop up on the toilet seat to wait for their treat. And one of them is an extremely fussy cat that complains and struggles against everything - luckily she loves food.
Most of them will also sit right outside the door, so as soon as I'm done with one I can open the door and pull another cat in - while trying to keep the ones that just had their teeth brushed from coming back in for another round (and treat).

Routine, a room with no distractions or hiding places, letting them get used to it, and a reward works for mine. Not letting stereotypes, such as cats won't allow this, discourage you from the onset helps, too.

I found the finger brushes too cumbersome and slow. The quicker you can do this the more likely you are to get it done.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Care & Grooming
TheCatSite.com › Forums › Our Feline Companions › Care & Grooming › Can you brush their teeth??