Brushing teeth

Recently my cat, Otis, who is only 2 had his teeth cleaned by the vet after she said his teeth looked like they were the teeth of a 6 year old. Luckily he didn't have any reabsorption lesions or other teeth problems once they were cleaned.

So I bought some poultry flavored toothpaste and a small cat toothbrush but I'm not sure how to go about doing it. I've done some research. And my cat loves the toothpaste. For the past 3 days I've had him lick the paste while I try to hold him still. He is a sweet cat so I don't think he will try to bite me but I can't keep him still enough to brush his teeth. The biggest issue is how to keep him still while I brush his teeth. I could have someone help me if you guys think two people would better than one.

Congratulations on making this decision 

Unfortunately l decided to do the same thing too late for one of my cats, but l do clean the other two's teeth. lt took me literally months to get to the point where l can actually clean them rather than just swipe in there quickly and hope l was getting crud off. l don't hold my cats, they know it's only going to last about 20 seconds and they get to taste the toothpaste.

l watched a youtube video that l followed by introducing first the brush, then the paste on the brush. Then taking very small quick swipes at the teeth, until now they just sit and put up with it. On the outsides of the teeth only. The only time l touch them is to lift the face up for a second to wipe across the front teeth - the sides l do without holding or touching the cat.

Thanks, for the tips. And at least your helping your kitties teeth now! I think part of my problem is that I am impatient and want my cat to accept brushing his teeth sooner. But I realized I've never really even pet his mouth/lips so I'm thinking of starting with that before trying to force the brush in his mouth. Luckily he adores the toothpaste, thinks he is getting a treat.  If anyone else has successfully gotten their cat to accept brushing their teeth, I would love to hear any advice.

You can get a small piece of gauze and wrap it around your pointy finger and rub it along their teeth.

My vet has suggested I try to brush my cats' teeth, too.  I have six cats, though, so this may be a bit time-consuming.      I'm thinking about it--maybe I'll get some toothpaste and brushes and see how it goes.  

I'm actually planning on getting a toothbrush set today. I checked Kismet's teeth and while they're not covered in plaque or anything, closer to the gums could be a touch whiter. I don't want to wait to be told by the vet if I can help it, but just prying her lip up to see her teeth is quite the task (she tries to fight me, but she gets a treat just before the paws come up). I need a second person to restrain her for claw trims, but I'm hoping since teeth brushing should be more frequent I can do it on my own. Hopefully since Mo is bigger, we can use the finger brush for him. Fingers crossed the toothpaste is as tasty as the internet reviews proclaim.

@betsygee maybe your cats can play monkey see, monkey do when they see one or two cats checking out and licking the toothpaste. If there's any benefit to having more than one cat, it's that if you can convince one to tolerate something, the others might be less wary about it.

@pinkdagger If you get the right flavor, my Otis goes crazy for the CET Poultry flavor so that might help. I always start and end teeth brushing with a lick directly from the tube. I also find the less handling the better because trying too hard can result in Otis slipping away from me. But he is a pretty mellow cat so that may be different for your Kismet.

Good luck in brushing your cat's teeth. For me it is not easy because I've been working at it for a couple of months and I still feel like I'm just smearing the toothpaste over his mouth and not actually brushing the plaque away.

@betsygee even if you have six cats the best you can do for your cats is to at least try to brush their teeth. My family has three cats,one cat hates me and and the other one is very hard to restrain so I don't brush their teeth, they are still young and haven't been diagnosed with any teeth problems. So if you could at least help a couple of your most willing cats that would be beneficial.

Thanks @SmartyFOJ! I went and got the Nylabone set (since it's the only one in stores here with a small enough brush), and both cats licked the toothpaste off both the brush and my finger. On the first day alone, without needing a second person to hold Kismet, I managed to get two strokes on one side and one stroke on the other followed by treats while she was lying in her basket. My boyfriend held Mo and I used the finger brush for two or three strokes on each side, and then a treat. So all's going well here already!

pinkdagger said:

 
Thanks @SmartyFOJ! I went and got the Nylabone set (since it's the only one in stores here with a small enough brush), and both cats licked the toothpaste off both the brush and my finger. On the first day alone, without needing a second person to hold Kismet, I managed to get two strokes on one side and one stroke on the other followed by treats while she was lying in her basket. My boyfriend held Mo and I used the finger brush for two or three strokes on each side, and then a treat. So all's going well here already!

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That's encouraging news!  Okay, I'm (semi) inspired.  I need to go to Petco today anyway, guess I'll look at the dental supplies they have.  

I also recommend this website as a starting point on how to brush your cats teeth http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/pet-owners/cat-teeth/entire-video.  

@pinkdagger I am glad that things are going so well for you and your cat Kismet! Learning to brush Kismet's teeth before any major problems come up will save you money and Kismet pain.

@betsygee I'd love to hear how things work out with you and cats. 

I am hoping to use a gauze wrapped around my fingers  soon.  I generally do a few smears on Otis' teeth with my fingers and then use a small toothbrush to attempt to scrape away the plaque.  The finger brush I have is too big, I'm hoping to try out using a gauze pad instead of my plain fingers since that is more abrasive on his teeth. 

If you can find this kit somewhere, the little white toothbrush in it works great with my cats:


My cats like the poultry flavor. I've been brushing their teeth for a few months now and one cat's teeth are fairly white now. The other had ORANGE on her teeth at the beginning of this and now it's a faint yellow. 

I use Bucacat enzymatic toothpaste that my cat LOVES! The enzymes dissolves the plaque, and I only have to make sure that it sticks on her teeth. Luckliy she quickly accepted the toothbrush, and she jumps unto my lap to get her teeth brushed. She is very easy to handle, both in temperament and size, so it easier than I expected. Many cats seem to love bucatat. (I live in Sweden where that toothpaste is very easy to find).

Well, I got a couple of toothbrushes and the toothpaste.  I started with Zoe--she actually has a bit of an obsession with my electric toothbrush and I have to keep it in a drawer or she will munch on it, so I figured she'd be a natural for toothbrushing.  She did lick the paste off of my finger but wasn't excited about letting me get the brush near her mouth.  This is going to sound funny, but usually in the morning when I'm getting ready for work, she jumps up on my bathroom counter, looking for fun things to chew on, so I think I'll leave the toothbrush out with some paste on it and see if she goes for the bait, just to get used to have it in her mouth.  Baby steps.

Then I tried with my old guy Travis, he has the most horrible cat-breath!  And to my absolute surprise, he had no problem with it.  Sat there quietly while I brushed his teeth!      I couldn't believe it.  I guess I was a bit skeptical that anyone is really able to brush their cat's teeth.    

So, one down and one in the works.  I'll get more brushes (guess I'll have to put their names on each one LOL) and see how it goes with the other ones.  

Great to hear! I think going in with the mentality that it's next to impossible is good because it sets you up for pleasant surprises, haha!

Both of mine tolerate it. I just dove straight in while they were kittens - so they learned that when I brought the brushes in, that it was inevitable. Artemis (Ragdoll) doesn't seem to have any interest in the toothpaste (CET Poultry) and so just fusses a bit while I'm doing it. Jessie (Red ticked tabby) LOVES the taste of it (it is her treat after I finish), but STILL fusses while I'm doing it. I'm following instructions as best I can, but maybe it is just more irritating than flavorful. Dunno.

BTW, same for clipping claws - no careful and gradual thing (clip one claw, treat... etc.)... I just tried to do them all each time. I feel blessed that both of them just get into that "let's just get this over with" state of mind (a bit more fussy with the claws, though). Yep, it is good when they tolerate it, better than fighting it. 

I started my kitties out early in life with claw clipping, that's no problem.  But it never occurred to me in a thousand years to brush their teeth.

I bought a kit in petco and the toothpaste was chicken flavored. I started brushing Foleys teeth but Idk I just stopped he didnt run away or anything but his face looked really uncomfortable. He did like the toothpaste though. I also got some sort of "mouthwash" which you add to their water and it's supposed to replace the brushing. I was doing that as well and they were drinking the water but then they stopped so I just stopped putting it in it. I guess I should go back to brushing [emoji]128523[/emoji] also I just have one toothbrush and two cats [emoji]128556[/emoji] should I get another toothbrush? [emoji]128512[/emoji]

betsygee said:

 
I started my kitties out early in life with claw clipping, that's no problem.  But it never occurred to me in a thousand years to brush their teeth.

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Exactly, it wasn't until a couple years after having our cats I that I realized that people should brush their cats teeth and the vet having to clean Otis' teeth  gave me the motivation I needed to start brushing their teeth. 

It's great to hear so many of you have been at least somewhat successful at brushing your cats teeth!

My boy tolerated brushing with no problem on his left side, but I have a hard time doing the right, so I had to literally force it on him which he didn't object. So, I still manage to do both sides, just one side with ease, one side with a little force, lol. I did'n't start him young, he was 3 when I started brushing his teeth, but it took nearly a year of touching on his cheek, mouth, massaging before I start.

This is the first time I hear that cat teeth needs to be brushed. Is it really mandatory. I can't quite imagine how my kitten would allow me inside her mouth. I can't even make her open it (when she took pills).