Tartar reduction?

Hi there. I took my cat in to the vet today and while she's fine, the vet did point out that her teeth were in pretty poor nick. My cat is only 2-ish years old so her teeth shouldn't be as discoloured/covered in tartar/plaque as they are. They're not beyond hope or anything - the vet didn't even mention scaling or cavities, but she did say I should give her these special biscuits to manage/reduce it. 

I'm almost certainly going to do so, but of course because it's a vet product these biscuits are going to be expensive. I'm wondering if there are any 'home remedies' or tricks anyone here has when it comes to taking care of their cat's teeth? Other than brushing them... I probably could get away with it without getting clawed too badly but that is rather a 'last resort'. 

At the moment she just eats tinned wet food. It's not horrible quality but it's not top of the range either. I would say she probably eats as well as I do in terms of food quality. She's quite a fussy eater, won't eat a bunch of brands and flavours. I also try to give her little treats every now and again, things like liver and raw chicken necks and fet, but she's never interested and her kitten gets a double helping instead. The only treats she will eat are sandwich ham and tuna. Can you believe this cat used to be a starving stray? 

(I also went and asked in a pet shop, and the woman there tried to convince me that cats needed grains and plant matter in their food to stay healthy. I thought things like grains, rice, barley and potatoes were added to cat food as fillers, but she kept insisting that they needed to eat decent amounts of it to get all the 'amino acids and vitamins' they needed... Am I confused on cat nutrition here or was she just trying to sell me rubbish?) 

Forget the boob in the petshop.   There are too many of these brainless imbeciles in the world - it gets frustrating.   

Too bad your cat wont take to the chicken necks or feet.  Those are very good.   

The chews I use are these:

http://www.virbacvet.com/products/detail/c.e.t.-oral-hygiene-chews-for-cats/dental-health/chews

It says they are proven to work.   Do they?   I haven`t done a study but I would tend to believe they do.

All my cats love them.   Both the chicken and fish flavor.

If you decide to try it... do not remove the outer skin of the plug.   It is not a wrapper.   It is meant for the cat to bite through.   Some people think it is a wrapper and remove it thus destroying its effectiveness.

Our 2-year-old had an extraction and dental cleaning just a few weeks ago. He eats grain-free canned with a few pieces of grain-free dry between meals for medical reasons (IBD).

Our vet recommended daily brushing, which we're working on, and failing that just a daily dose of enzymatic tooth paste for pets. He's getting Logic Oral Hygiene Gel and loves it. It breaks down plaque. He considers it a bedtime treat. There are other brands, e.g. with chicken or fish flavors.

@zoneout Mik and Min used to go NUTS over those things.... then I never saw them again at PetSmart....so forgot about them. I need to get some for Mikki. Thanks for the reminder. I didn't remember that they were considered a dental treat! Even better!

Malt said:

 I'm wondering if there are any 'home remedies' or tricks anyone here has when it comes to taking care of their cat's teeth? Other than brushing them... I probably could get away with it without getting clawed too badly but that is rather a 'last resort'. 

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Give tooth brushing a try anyways. You may be surprised that your cat likes it. My previous cat didn't have this teeth brushed until he was 8 and had several teeth removed. I was skeptical that he would let me poke around in his mouth but surprisingly he loved the pet tooth paste I used CET poultry flavored tooth paste and the CET cat tooth brush. My DMH is a rescue and she didn't like tooth brushing at first but now tolerates it every other day. My Aby has had his teeth brushed since he was a kitten. Here's a video of how to brush a cat's teeth: http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/pet-owners/cat-teeth

Dental chews is another option. The CET ones are the only ones I would recommend. They're fairly big treats with a rough texture so a cat really has to chomp and gnaw at it for awhile.

I would avoid liquid additives that are put into a bowl of water. A cat isn't going to drink enough water for the additive to have an effect on the teeth.

Some people here give their cats raw chicken necks and gizzards to gnaw on for dental health.

I have tried Greenies dental treats but they are too small to do any good. My cat just swallows them whole. Makes one wonder how they can even claim it prevents plaque.