Oh no! kitty's gum look red and ... (see pictures)

Hello,

My cat was fast fast asleep, so I finally had a chance to look at his face closely. When he is a wake he would not let me do so.

I can see that his gum is so red and one of the back teeth has a yellow matter on it.See for yourself:



Is this gingivitis and tartar? How bad is it? What can I do to remedy it without seeing the vet?

Also, can you see those small black dots on his chin? What are there? I recall I read something about cat's acne, is this acne or just hair follicles and dirt? (he is neutered by the way)

What should I do?

I know I should get a vet to see him, but no now. I can do that in 3-4 weeks only.

So please tell me what home remedies I can use.

Thank you.

Yes, it looks like gingivitis and tartar. You can start by trying to brush your cat's teeth. You can get a package with cat toothpaste and toothbrush or finger cot at a pet store or someplace like Target or Walmart, or order online. Of course, it could take a while to get your cat used to the process, but even getting l little of the toothpaste in his mouth will have some effect since it's enzymatic.

The black specks are feline acne. I use a flea comb to get most of it off my cats, but sometimes there are also sores that need to be cleaned. I've used Stridex pads which don't seem to bother them too much. I would stay away from alcohol and peroxide. Even plain warm water is better than nothing.

What kind of dishes are you using? Plastic dishes seem to be some of the worst culprit for holding bacteria which can cause both the acne and gingivitis. Many of our members have found that stainless steel or glass dishes work better.

It's still a good idea to take your kitty to the vet to find out if he/she recommends a dental and possibly antibiotics for the gingivitis. I don't think the acne usually needs to be treated medically, although I did use some antibiotic ointment on one of my cats when his acne was out of control.

GoldyCat said:

Yes, it looks like gingivitis and tartar. You can start by trying to brush your cat's teeth. You can get a package with cat toothpaste and toothbrush or finger cot at a pet store or someplace like Target or Walmart, or order online. Of course, it could take a while to get your cat used to the process, but even getting l little of the toothpaste in his mouth will have some effect since it's enzymatic.

The black specks are feline acne. I use a flea comb to get most of it off my cats, but sometimes there are also sores that need to be cleaned. I've used Stridex pads which don't seem to bother them too much. I would stay away from alcohol and peroxide. Even plain warm water is better than nothing.

What kind of dishes are you using? Plastic dishes seem to be some of the worst culprit for holding bacteria which can cause both the acne and gingivitis. Many of our members have found that stainless steel or glass dishes work better.

It's still a good idea to take your kitty to the vet to find out if he/she recommends a dental and possibly antibiotics for the gingivitis. I don't think the acne usually needs to be treated medically, although I did use some antibiotic ointment on one of my cats when his acne was out of control.

Click to expand...

Thank you GoldyCat for your quick reply.

Thank you for the valuable notes.

My cat hates being touched. I get a hard time trying to comb him. Let's hope I can find a way to get the paste in his mouth.

I've just tried using cat swipes to clean his chin, but he ran away once he detected the moisture. I went harsh and scruffed him, but he kept resisting and broke my heart, so I let him go.

Appreciate it.

You might try the flea comb without holding him. I have one cat who drools a lot due to chronic herpes. He hates to have him mouth touched but loves the flea comb under his chin.

GoldyCat said:

You might try the flea comb without holding him. I have one cat who drools a lot due to chronic herpes. He hates to have him mouth touched but loves the flea comb under his chin.

Click to expand...

Thank. I'll buy him one, and I hope he will allow me to use it.

Regards.

I use the CET toothpaste.    My furbaby loves the taste so yours may just lick it off your finger until you can hopefully get him comfortable with brushing.    I just use my finger and rub it on his gums  and teeth and its helped with his breath and build up he's had on his teeth


Others have recommended to me Biotene for more severe cases.  They have a toothpaste you can get too 

Lokhismom said:

 
I use the CET toothpaste.    My furbaby loves the taste so yours may just lick it off your finger until you can hopefully get him comfortable with brushing.    I just use my finger and rub it on his gums  and teeth and its helped with his breath and build up he's had on his teeth


Others have recommended to me Biotene for more severe cases.  They have a toothpaste you can get too 

Click to expand...

Cool. I loved the idea that it comes in poultry flavour. I just hope my kitty licks my finger, nit bite it.

I hope I'll find it where I live. I'm not in the states, and shipping to here takes a while.

Been to 3 pet stores and could not find any toothpaste

I bought him this:

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I know it is not for gingivitis, but at least it might help until I find a store that sells toothpastes.

Taty Caty said:

Been to 3 pet stores and could not find any toothpaste
I bought him this:

I know it is not for gingivitis, but at least it might help until I find a store that sells toothpastes.

Click to expand...

Can't see what it is you bought. Was there supposed to be a picture attached?

It would be useful to know what you have bought, but if it is one of the dental wipes or dental aditives to put in water it might help a little  but not as much as one of the enzyme tooth pastes.

I use a different brand to the others mentioned here - I use Logic poultry flavour with my boy and can get it on line, pet superstore, or from his vet who sells it for pretty much the same price.  It should help with reducing the tartar and plaque build-up and as a result the inflamation around the gum line.  It might be that your kitty is more prone to plaque build up and reacts to it with gum inflamation, and if this is the case it is important to maintain a good dental routine as soon as possible.

If you can find a source for an enzyme tooth paste, other options for getting your boy to take it if he won't lick it from your finger or the little silicon thimble you often get suppplied with the paste, you can wipe the paste off your finger or off a cotton bud onto his upper and lower lip so he licks it off. As others have said, as long as he takes the paste in to his mouth it will work to some extent, and if he likes the taste he may well move forwards to licking from your finger and then occasionally rubbing his teeth a little with the brush.

I understand it can be hard to get a cat to the vet quickly, but if you notice he is going off his food, or suddenly seems reluctant to eat it is really important you get him to a vet quickly.  Sometimes the gingivitis can result in severe pain and sores in the mouth which are not just on the gum edges but can be on the tongue and in the throat.  They can become infected as well and result in a high fever.  Trust me, I found out the hard way as didn't notice my boy Mouse was sick until it got to that stage and he was a very sick kitten by then.   Antibiotics and painkillers and several vet appointments to get things stabilized cost a lot more than if I had been attentive like you and seen it at this earlier stage and got him to a vet quickly, and my boy wouldn't have had nearly as much pain.

MServant said:

 
It would be useful to know what you have bought, but if it is one of the dental wipes or dental aditives to put in water it might help a little  but not as much as one of the enzyme tooth pastes.

I use a different brand to the others mentioned here - I use Logic poultry flavour with my boy and can get it on line, pet superstore, or from his vet who sells it for pretty much the same price.  It should help with reducing the tartar and plaque build-up and as a result the inflamation around the gum line.  It might be that your kitty is more prone to plaque build up and reacts to it with gum inflamation, and if this is the case it is important to maintain a good dental routine as soon as possible.

If you can find a source for an enzyme tooth paste, other options for getting your boy to take it if he won't lick it from your finger or the little silicon thimble you often get suppplied with the paste, you can wipe the paste off your finger or off a cotton bud onto his upper and lower lip so he licks it off. As others have said, as long as he takes the paste in to his mouth it will work to some extent, and if he likes the taste he may well move forwards to licking from your finger and then occasionally rubbing his teeth a little with the brush.

I understand it can be hard to get a cat to the vet quickly, but if you notice he is going off his food, or suddenly seems reluctant to eat it is really important you get him to a vet quickly.  Sometimes the gingivitis can result in severe pain and sores in the mouth which are not just on the gum edges but can be on the tongue and in the throat.  They can become infected as well and result in a high fever.  Trust me, I found out the hard way as didn't notice my boy Mouse was sick until it got to that stage and he was a very sick kitten by then.   Antibiotics and painkillers and several vet appointments to get things stabilized cost a lot more than if I had been attentive like you and seen it at this earlier stage and got him to a vet quickly, and my boy wouldn't have had nearly as much pain.

Click to expand...

Thank you for the informative input .I already got him an appointment this week. Can't see my kitty suffer :"(

Taty Caty said:

 
Thank you for the informative input .I already got him an appointment this week. Can't see my kitty suffer :"(

Click to expand...

I hope your little cat is OK and the inflamation and exzema resolve quickly.  Good to see the vet as soon as you can if only to rule out any further inflammation you can't see.  You see and read a lot of really scary stories about gingivitis but it can get better.  If you do what you are doing with the vet and follow advice people have given here your little cat has every chance of being one of the lucky ones:  Mouse is fine if I keep up the oral care routine, and he is a bouncy, happy, prize winning show cat despite how far I let things go with his health. 

MServant said:

 
I hope your little cat is OK and the inflamation and exzema resolve quickly.  Good to see the vet as soon as you can if only to rule out any further inflammation you can't see.  You see and read a lot of really scary stories about gingivitis but it can get better.  If you do what you are doing with the vet and follow advice people have given here your little cat has every chance of being one of the lucky ones:  Mouse is fine if I keep up the oral care routine, and he is a bouncy, happy, prize winning show cat despite how far I let things go with his health. 

Click to expand...

Thank you very much. 

What was the treatment for Mouse?  Did the vet do scaling? or put him on antibiotic?

And just curious, do you feed him wet or dry food?

Thanks.

Mouse was around 8 or 9 months at the start.  As he had severe tonsilitis and septic sores on his tongue and gums he was given pain killers and antibiotics. I was advised to feed him very soft food initially and to introduce the enzyme toothpaste once he would tolerate me putting my finger to his gums: as Mouse is such a trusting boy and very chilled he let me do that straight away and once he knew he liked it was happy to lick off my finger.

As soon as his gums were healed from the infection I started to introduce twice daily brushing his teeth using the silicon finger brush with the enzyme toothpaste, and transitioned him on to prescription TD dry food.  No problem with him liking or tolerating the food.  The gum inflamation came back a couple more times, probably a month or two apart, but his immune system seemed to get a bit stronger once he'd finished teething and then got to about 1 1/2.  I had to be very strict with both the toothpaste and the food because if I gave him any different food for a day or two, or missed the twice daily tooth brushing his gums would be red within 24 hours.  As long as I went back to the routine he was fine.  Now he's 3 1/2 his immune system seems OK with once a day brushing or tasting the toothpaste as long as I stick to the prescription TD food.  

His one additional food is a maximum ration of 6 Thrive freeze dried snacks (he loves the white fish).   Most of the other freeze dried snacks are very hard and he doesn't seem to like them, possibly because if his gums hurt a little they are too hard.   I like to add the protein as the TD prescription isn't as high in that as I'd like.  I tried to get him to eat sardines, chicken or other wet meat / poultry or fish but he wouldn't have any of it.   The TD prescription is dry food in very large pieces that have to be crunched down to be eaten and scrapes the teeth: not like ordinary dry food which cats tend to swallow whole.  Thankfully Mouse hasn't had any health issues related to dry food so far, and he is great at drinking water as long as he has regular access to dripping taps and a fresh bowl for when no one is around.  As the most acute health risk for Mouse is his oral health I have chosen to follow the prescription diet but I know others here on TCS have made different choices to control their cats' gum and dental health.  

After Mouse's oral health issues settled he started to have some eye issues and the vets concluded his mouth problems were almost certainly down to an unusual initial presentation of Feline Herpes Virus.  Whether we will ever know exactly what causes his oral problems, I still see plaque build up on his teeth almost instantly if I don't useboth the toothpaste and the TD biscuits, and believe he is prone to plaque build up and tartar just like some people are, and the gum inflammation that results.  He stays well when I follow his routine and he doesn't get really stressed - at which point it is his runny eye that happens these days rather than gum infections.  He has so far avoided aneasthesia, de-scaling, and tooth extraction and if I can I wish to keep it this way.  The TD food and the enzyme toothpaste do cost money but not nearly as much as de-scaling or surgery would, and less risks too.  Good luck to you too.      Hope the visit to your vet goes well. 

MServant said:

 
Mouse was around 8 or 9 months at the start.  As he had severe tonsilitis and septic sores on his tongue and gums he was given pain killers and antibiotics. I was advised to feed him very soft food initially and to introduce the enzyme toothpaste once he would tolerate me putting my finger to his gums: as Mouse is such a trusting boy and very chilled he let me do that straight away and once he knew he liked it was happy to lick off my finger.

As soon as his gums were healed from the infection I started to introduce twice daily brushing his teeth using the silicon finger brush with the enzyme toothpaste, and transitioned him on to prescription TD dry food.  No problem with him liking or tolerating the food.  The gum inflamation came back a couple more times, probably a month or two apart, but his immune system seemed to get a bit stronger once he'd finished teething and then got to about 1 1/2.  I had to be very strict with both the toothpaste and the food because if I gave him any different food for a day or two, or missed the twice daily tooth brushing his gums would be red within 24 hours.  As long as I went back to the routine he was fine.  Now he's 3 1/2 his immune system seems OK with once a day brushing or tasting the toothpaste as long as I stick to the prescription TD food.  

His one additional food is a maximum ration of 6 Thrive freeze dried snacks (he loves the white fish).   Most of the other freeze dried snacks are very hard and he doesn't seem to like them, possibly because if his gums hurt a little they are too hard.   I like to add the protein as the TD prescription isn't as high in that as I'd like.  I tried to get him to eat sardines, chicken or other wet meat / poultry or fish but he wouldn't have any of it.   The TD prescription is dry food in very large pieces that have to be crunched down to be eaten and scrapes the teeth: not like ordinary dry food which cats tend to swallow whole.  Thankfully Mouse hasn't had any health issues related to dry food so far, and he is great at drinking water as long as he has regular access to dripping taps and a fresh bowl for when no one is around.  As the most acute health risk for Mouse is his oral health I have chosen to follow the prescription diet but I know others here on TCS have made different choices to control their cats' gum and dental health.  

After Mouse's oral health issues settled he started to have some eye issues and the vets concluded his mouth problems were almost certainly down to an unusual initial presentation of Feline Herpes Virus.  Whether we will ever know exactly what causes his oral problems, I still see plaque build up on his teeth almost instantly if I don't useboth the toothpaste and the TD biscuits, and believe he is prone to plaque build up and tartar just like some people are, and the gum inflammation that results.  He stays well when I follow his routine and he doesn't get really stressed - at which point it is his runny eye that happens these days rather than gum infections.  He has so far avoided aneasthesia, de-scaling, and tooth extraction and if I can I wish to keep it this way.  The TD food and the enzyme toothpaste do cost money but not nearly as much as de-scaling or surgery would, and less risks too.  Good luck to you too. 

    Hope the visit to your vet goes well. 

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Thank you.

So it seems that it is a life-long condition.

The vet told me today to stick to dry food, which frankly goes really against my heart. My cat was so fine until I started introducing dry food on a daily basis. I chose a good quality one (Applaws) which is grain-free.

Anyway, I have nothing to do but give things a try and pray.

I appreciate your time. Thank you for all the informative details.

Say hi to Mouse.

You can also try to see if he will eat raw food like beef and pork or chicken. The tougher the meat, the better it will clean the gums.

I think there are many reasons cats' gums can become inflamed, and sometimes it is just a temporary phase.  As your cat seems to be having allergy responses to something (given the skin reaction too) who knows, things may resolve or at least improve with some work to eliminate what ever is triggering his inlammatory response.  Did the vet say anything about the exzma when you were there?

If you feed dry I would suggest a dental dry food rather than a standard one as ordinary dry food will not scrape any of the plaque from your cat's teeth as compensation for the generally higher carbohydrate levels of the food and views of many that dry food contributes to health risks like crystals.  That said I fed my previous cats on mainly dry food and they were healthy kitties living to good ages of 17 3/4 and 21 3/4, and Mouse is as sleek and shiny as cats come and has a coat that wins him first prizes and adoration wherever he goes...  @starbuk  makes a good point too as many of the people using the Raw and Home Cooked Food section of the Nutrition forum have cats with dental and gum health issues and feel that this type of diet has worked well.  The details of cat nutrition can be pretty daunting but a good look around the various bits of the nitrition forum and related articles might be helpful if the only advice your vet had was to feed dry!  Here are a few that might be useful given the discussion here in your thread so far.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/does-dry-food-actually-clean-your-cats-teeth

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/gingivitis-and-stomatitis-in-cats

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/raw-feeding-cats-types-of-raw-diets-feeding-options

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/feeding-raw-to-cats-safety-concerns

http://www.thecatsite.com/f/65/raw-home-cooked-cat-food

starbuk said:

You can also try to see if he will eat raw food like beef and pork or chicken. The tougher the meat, the better it will clean the gums.

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MServant said:

 
I think there are many reasons cats' gums can become inflamed, and sometimes it is just a temporary phase.  As your cat seems to be having allergy responses to something (given the skin reaction too) who knows, things may resolve or at least improve with some work to eliminate what ever is triggering his inlammatory response.  Did the vet say anything about the exzma when you were there?

If you feed dry I would suggest a dental dry food rather than a standard one as ordinary dry food will not scrape any of the plaque from your cat's teeth as compensation for the generally higher carbohydrate levels of the food and views of many that dry food contributes to health risks like crystals.  That said I fed my previous cats on mainly dry food and they were healthy kitties living to good ages of 17 3/4 and 21 3/4, and Mouse is as sleek and shiny as cats come and has a coat that wins him first prizes and adoration wherever he goes...  @starbuk  makes a good point too as many of the people using the Raw and Home Cooked Food section of the Nutrition forum have cats with dental and gum health issues and feel that this type of diet has worked well.  The details of cat nutrition can be pretty daunting but a good look around the various bits of the nitrition forum and related articles might be helpful if the only advice your vet had was to feed dry!  Here are a few that might be useful given the discussion here in your thread so far.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/does-dry-food-actually-clean-your-cats-teeth

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/gingivitis-and-stomatitis-in-cats

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/raw-feeding-cats-types-of-raw-diets-feeding-options

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/feeding-raw-to-cats-safety-concerns

http://www.thecatsite.com/f/65/raw-home-cooked-cat-food

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Hello,

Sorry for my late reply, I was travelling.

Update:

Kitty had a dental procedure. I got him the enzymatic tooth paste which I'm using twice a day. I tool 3 weeks for it to arrive.

The vet suggested dry food, and said that dental food is better, but they don't have any in their hospital or store. I checked all pet store in my country, and none of which has it.

I finally found out that another hospital have Royal Canin dental cat food, but it is prescription only, and that their vet needs to see him.

What I'm worried about that Royal Canin dental food is mainly junk!

Here are the ingredients:

Chicken by-product meal, brewers rice, corn, brown rice, corn gluten meal, chicken fat, wheat gluten, powdered cellulose, rice hulls, dried plain beet pulp, calcium sulfate, natural flavors, sodium bisulfate, fish oil, DL-methionine, potassium chloride, L-lysine, vegetable oil, psyllium seed husk, sodium silico aluminate, fructooligosaccharides, calcium carbonate, salt, sodium tripolyphosphate, choline chloride, vitamins [DL-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), biotin, niacin supplement, D-calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B₆), riboflavin supplement, vitamin A acetate, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B₁), folic acid, vitamin B₁₂ supplement, vitamin _D3 supplement], hydrolyzed yeast, taurine, trace minerals [zinc proteinate, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite, copper proteinate], rosemary extract, preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid.

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I'm giving him normal canned food, but him gums are still red! And he still has bad breath.

What do you advise me to do? Should I take him for Royal Canin prescription, or just keep him on wet food with the use of the tooth paste?

Thanks.

I don't know where you live but if you have access to either Amazon (Amazon UK any way) or Zooplus you can order prescription Hills TD Prescription Diet dental food as long as you are able to tick and confirm your vet has prescribed.   I can't say if the ingredients have any less 'junk' than the Royal Canin but the Hills TD Prescription is what Mouse has been on since he was about 9 or 10 months old.  So far he is in very good health and his gums have stayed in nice shape as long as his food and teeth cleaning routine have been followed.  Lapse and you soon know about it!

My decision was based on urgency of health issues and on that I had to agree with Mouse's vet. Without the prescription food plus daily dental routine Mouse gets red, inflamed and painful gums which are prone to secondary infection. He then struggles to eat, feels unwell and hides away, and quickly needs veterinary care with antibiotics and pain relief.  Those issues are more pressing than any potential long term issues from food which might not be as nutritious, or potentially cause christals or other urinary health issues in future.    

It is awful seeing them in pain with this.  Good luck with finding a suitable source for the food and your cat's oral problems getting under control.  The toothpaste alone should help and if you add the dental food in as well fingers crossed you will have as much success as I have had with Mouse.  

MServant said:

 
I don't know where you live but if you have access to either Amazon (Amazon UK any way) or Zooplus you can order prescription Hills TD Prescription Diet dental food as long as you are able to tick and confirm your vet has prescribed.   I can't say if the ingredients have any less 'junk' than the Royal Canin but the Hills TD Prescription is what Mouse has been on since he was about 9 or 10 months old.  So far he is in very good health and his gums have stayed in nice shape as long as his food and teeth cleaning routine have been followed.  Lapse and you soon know about it!

My decision was based on urgency of health issues and on that I had to agree with Mouse's vet. Without the prescription food plus daily dental routine Mouse gets red, inflamed and painful gums which are prone to secondary infection. He then struggles to eat, feels unwell and hides away, and quickly needs veterinary care with antibiotics and pain relief.  Those issues are more pressing than any potential long term issues from food which might not be as nutritious, or potentially cause christals or other urinary health issues in future.    

It is awful seeing them in pain with this.  Good luck with finding a suitable source for the food and your cat's oral problems getting under control.  The toothpaste alone should help and if you add the dental food in as well fingers crossed you will have as much success as I have had with Mouse.  

Click to expand...

Thank you.

I'm in Kuwait.  2 Tubes of CET tooth paste cost $13.98, while shipping them cost $14.34. So shipping is more expensive than the items themselves!

I've just tried ordering "Hill's Prescription Diet t/d Feline Dental Health", and Amazon told me:

Sorry, this item can't be shipped to your selected address.

I guess foods can not be shipped to where I live.

I was thinking of getting him the prescription of Royal Canin, and serving it once a day (say, at night time for instance) to work as a scraper for his teeth. Do you recommend this?

If it does not work, I'll serve it as a sole source of food.

Another question if I may, do you brush Mouse's teeth, or do you just let him lick the paste off? My cat won't let me brush his teeth, so he's simply licking the paste. Actually, at the beginning, he refused to lick it because it was so sticky, so I was mean enough to smear it on the upper part of his paw, and eventually he had to lick it.  After a while he got used to it and enjoyed licking it from my finger.

Thank you again for sharing the valuable information, and say hi to mouse from me and my kitty Lulu.