Teeth & Gums

Does anyone use a specific product to delay gum issues?

Brushing is best. Nothing else really does much good.

You can also feed raw meat or buy them toys they like to chew on.
For example: I have this mouse toy that has pockets for treats. So my cat has to chew on the mouse to crumble the treats so the crumbs fall out.

I've heard raw gizzards. If your cat isn't fussy, perhaps you could try it.
I knew Bo would never go for raw gizzards so I cooked them a tiny bit... well, he still won't eat them lol

Raw gizzards are good.

Or you can also try raw (NOT COOKED NOT COOKED) bones.  Chicken wing tips (the smallest part), or bones from a Cornish hen, quail or rabbit.  Make sure some meat is on the bone, too; it's more appealing.

Thank you for all the responses.

A year or so ago, I started a product:

PetzLife Oral Care gel~ for my chihuahuas and it works well for them

My older cats wont let me get into their mouths (I did NOT raise them)
But, I am wondering if I should try using it on young kittens I choose to keep.
I think next month my new golden baby girl will be coming home, and I
Would like to keep dental and gum problems away.

This product is supposed to be all natural with salmon oil.

Any opinions?

We use tooth diet (or T/D) by Hill's. Our cat eats the up like treats and our vet always tells us that she has really good teeth and gums for a cat of her age.

Thanks CalicoJack....I appreciate your imput.

Is Hill's T/D a dry food?
How does it compare. to other foods nutritionally?

I prefer wet & raw foods to dry ,BUT I did adopt an older girl
who is a dry food addict.

MaryAnna said:

Is Hill's T/D a dry food?
How does it compare. to other foods nutritionally?

Click to expand...

Our cats loved it, and would always pick them out and eat them first when mixed into their regular dry food.  It is high calorie though, and I am still trying to decide if I want to but a supply of it (I was using a free sample) or just elect to brush my cats' teeth.

MaryAnna said:

Does anyone use a specific product to delay gum issues?

Click to expand...

Brushing is best. Raw chicken bones are good too but mine won't touch them so I use toys and I give them feline Greenies as treats on a daily basis. They are at the vet's twice a year and I am very emphatic about dental check ups during each visit and will do what is necessary, including a cleaning if needed. My cats graze on a small amount of kibble every day but I have very little faith that the kibble does a whole lot for dental care. Yes, there may be *some* benefit depending on what the kibble is treated with but as a whole dental program I have my doubts.

I am interested in this topic too.

I use Prescription Hills t/d since a few years from

recommendation of vets. They never have teeth

problems (I'm talking of my indoor cats, but the

outside cats (or the one that is still outside) eat

the same thing).

Problem is: one of my cat doesn't like

this food, and never eats it. I checked

on the web for an alternative, and I

found out some people think Prescription

Hills t-d is basically... a scam, and does

nothing for cat teeths! Others seem to think

any dry food is good for cat teeths.I'm

confused.

I don't mind brushing but if there was

indeed a gel or something I could put

on my cats's teeths about once every

week, I would be more comfortable

with that.

Regarding food, I use different brands

(both wet and dry), but I never mix

anything. It's one brand of dry food at

a time. Unfortunately, the cat go crazy

with the less quality dry food than when it's

time for Science Diet or Prescription Hills.

They go crazy for Whiskas Temptation "treat food"

that I sometimes add to dry food they eat less,

and they just jump and eat those few chunks

before anything else.

The reason I bring this up is that, to me

the Ingredients in Prescription Hills and

Whiskas Temptation seems similar.

But of course I'm always told the Temptation

food is crap and for fun only. And

Prescription Hills is the good food?

Yet both are By-Product Chicken added with

vitamins.. I don't get it.

I'd rather pay more for Whiskas Temptation

and just feed that if it was as healthy

as the other dry cat food. See where

I'm getting at? I get the feeling that more

expensive = better food. Treat food

is always the most expensive. Why?

MaryAnna said:

Thanks CalicoJack....I appreciate your imput.

Is Hill's T/D a dry food?
How does it compare. to other foods nutritionally?

I prefer wet & raw foods to dry ,BUT I did adopt an older girl
who is a dry food addict.

Click to expand...

It is a dry food, although I don't give it to her as her regular food - just as a treat. 

Thank you for all the responses

MaryAnna said:

Is Hill's T/D a dry food?
How does it compare. to other foods nutritionally?

Click to expand...

Terribly. The only 'meat' it has is chicken by-product meal. If you are feeding raw, you are already doing a much better job than that food could ever do.

Absinthe said:

Our cats loved it, and would always pick them out and eat them first when mixed into their regular dry food.  It is high calorie though, and I am still trying to decide if I want to but a supply of it (I was using a free sample) or just elect to brush my cats' teeth.

Click to expand...

Keep in mind that just because your cats loved it doesn't mean it's a good food.
Kids love McDonald's, but that doesn't mean it's good for Them.

Giacometti said:

I am interested in this topic too.

I use Prescription Hills t/d since a few years from
recommendation of vets. They never have teeth
problems (I'm talking of my indoor cats, but the
outside cats (or the one that is still outside) eat
the same thing).

Problem is: one of my cat doesn't like
this food, and never eats it. I checked
on the web for an alternative, and I
found out some people think Prescription
Hills t-d is basically... a scam, and does
nothing for cat teeths! Others seem to think
any dry food is good for cat teeths.I'm
confused.

I don't mind brushing but if there was
indeed a gel or something I could put
on my cats's teeths about once every
week, I would be more comfortable
with that.


Regarding food, I use different brands
(both wet and dry), but I never mix
anything. It's one brand of dry food at
a time. Unfortunately, the cat go crazy
with the less quality dry food than when it's
time for Science Diet or Prescription Hills.

They go crazy for Whiskas Temptation "treat food"
that I sometimes add to dry food they eat less,
and they just jump and eat those few chunks
before anything else.

The reason I bring this up is that, to me
the Ingredients in Prescription Hills and
Whiskas Temptation seems similar.
But of course I'm always told the Temptation
food is crap and for fun only. And
Prescription Hills is the good food?
Yet both are By-Product Chicken added with
vitamins.. I don't get it.

I'd rather pay more for Whiskas Temptation
and just feed that if it was as healthy
as the other dry cat food. See where
I'm getting at? I get the feeling that more
expensive = better food. Treat food
is always the most expensive. Why?

Click to expand...

You are probably right that Temptations and Hills t/d have very similar ingredients, but don't replace real kibbles with treats. Treats do not contain all the vitamins and minerals they need and are not a complete diet.

There is a very strange relationship between price and quality. On one hand we have Hills which is very expensive, but is crap food. On the other we have expensive kibble like Blue Buffalo and Evo which are much better. Ingredients matter more than anything else. More than brand, more than price, more than colorful packaging.
:nod:

Thanks Minka.
I appreciate all opinions here.

You're welcome ^^

Seconding, thirding and fourthing all the anti-kibble and pro raw recommendations.  I'm sure someone has said it, but would you clean your teeth by eating biscuits (ie kibble)?  Doesn't work too well - in fact, it promotes decay as my own dentist keeps telling me (not that I clean my teeth with biscuits!!  But any form of carb converts to sugar and then acid attack on the teeth).

I can attest that raw works.  Bones for sure, but also just chunked meat they have to work and shear with their teeth.  We ditched the kibble a year ago (our cat is 2), but have always fed bones and chunks, so I couldn't work out why 2 vets said he had a bit of tartar on his teeth.  I thought it was just a money spinning thing, and lo and behold, when we took him to a FELINE SPECIALIST (unrelated to teeth), she checked him over fully and said 'Gee, he's got good teeth'.   

Moral of the story:  feed chunks, feed raw bones, don't feed kibble, beware of cat toothpastes (another money spinner and I'm sure I've read something saying why not to use at some point - never use human in any case), if you can brush it's the gold standard.  And be an educated patient-advocate for your cat as vets are not all ethical - or aware they are manipulated by big business - or all knowing.

Thanks Tammy

I choose RAW and Nature's Variety for young ones.
I adopted one older, carb addicted, kitty and I feed her Life's Abbundance Dry~
But I am open to suggestions on getting an older cat to try RAW or canned....
She just refuses anything but dry...

Thanks again to all!

Ooooh, MaryAnna!  I'm sure you will get some super help from the raw feeders.  Maybe post the question in the raw feeding forum to highlight it to the right people?  They are pretty good with tricks to help a carb addict kick the habit.  Also, if you browse that forum, you will pick up tonnes of info.  We were lucky and had a cat who'd been taught to eat a wide variety of foods, so pulling the kibble was done overnight no probs.  He'd scoff it in a minute though if he saw it again...it truely is 'drugs' or 'junk food' as we call it!

Best wishes!!

Ok' I'm not ready to feed raw food because

I do not trust it. I do not want to bring in

diseases that if don't kill my cat in a matter

of days, can be hazardeous for me, and meat

that can attract flies in a matter of days. Actually

I'm not a fan of meat myself, though I feed cooked

chicken occasionnally to my cats. I think animals

eat raw in nature because they don't have any choice,

but humans have fed cats since centuries: they are

probably used now to our diet, to people giving them

leftovers.

I prefer stick with combining wet and dry food,

but I just need vets with their ethics unbiaised

by food companies funding their scholarship

or providing income to their business, tell

me simply what is the best brand of wet food

allover, and what is the best brand of dry food

allover. That, with the little cooked leftovers

once in a while, I hope will be enough.

I thought Fancy Feast looked good

a product, but maybe it's chicken made

of plastic. I dunno.

I guess for teeths I'll have to brush

them. I wish I could spray fluoride

or something like that.

Thanks.