Cleaning cats' teeth advice

I have just adopted an 8 year old moggie from Cats Protection. She has tartar and mild gingivitis which we were told about when we got her. We purchased some stuff to put in her water to clean her teeth but she doesn't drink when we put it in there. We are now giving her dental treats from Sainsburys to clean her teeth. She is really fussy about her food (won't eat anything by whiskers!) and therefore not sure if we could give her other treats. Is this enough to keep her teeth clean? We are taking her to the vets in six months as per cats protections advice but at the moment they said we didn't need to do anything. 

Hello, I recently took my 12 year old in to have his teeth cleaned, after repeated discussions with our vet and a LOT of reading on the subject. It was stressful to think of him being "put under" but I think very important to be pro-active with this issue. What can happen to cats as a result of neglected gum issues is scary. SImon did fine, he was a little groggy for a few hours after but has recovered nicely and I have no regrets about taking care of this. Just make sure your vet knows you are concerned, and ask them how many dentals they do on cats - it may make you feel better to know how experienced they are at it. Also it is expensive to have done, but these little creatures trust us to take good care of them so it's worth it.  

I don't believe the dental treats do much - if anything. That is just marketing. I gave both of my cats dental treats daily and one of them developed plaque build up and sore gums but the other did not.

Good luck with your baby, it sounds like you are on top of things in getting regular care for her and I would guess your vet will let you know when it's time to take the next step.

Personally, I think the most effective way to clean your cat's teeth is to either let your cat gnaw on raw bones or to brush them yourself.  Since my cat doesn't like raw meat atm, I've opted for the brushing.  I was really nervous at first since she hardly tolerates me clipping her claws, but it's actually not too bad.  There are plenty of How To videos on Youtube.  Just make sure you get enzymatic cat toothpaste which will still help a little even if you can't get too much brushing done at first. 

You'll have to start slow so don't expect your cat to happily brush all her teeth in the beginning.  First get her used to the brush, then the toothpaste, then to touching her mouth, then to brushing one tooth, etc....

Good luck!  It's definitely worth it.  My cat needed a dental last month and it was $$$$$$!!

jennielouises said:

 
I have just adopted an 8 year old moggie from Cats Protection. She has tartar and mild gingivitis which we were told about when we got her. We purchased some stuff to put in her water to clean her teeth but she doesn't drink when we put it in there. We are now giving her dental treats from Sainsburys to clean her teeth. She is really fussy about her food (won't eat anything by whiskers!) and therefore not sure if we could give her other treats. Is this enough to keep her teeth clean? We are taking her to the vets in six months as per cats protections advice but at the moment they said we didn't need to do anything. 

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Once the plaque is there only a dental will get it off, but once clean you can start brushing your cats teeth with a cat teeth cleaning kit.  That's the most effective way of preventing build up.

jennielouises said:

 
I have just adopted an 8 year old moggie from Cats Protection. She has tartar and mild gingivitis which we were told about when we got her. We purchased some stuff to put in her water to clean her teeth but she doesn't drink when we put it in there. We are now giving her dental treats from Sainsburys to clean her teeth. She is really fussy about her food (won't eat anything by whiskers!) and therefore not sure if we could give her other treats. Is this enough to keep her teeth clean? We are taking her to the vets in six months as per cats protections advice but at the moment they said we didn't need to do anything. 

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I would take the cat to the vet now to treat teh dental issues. Untreteated dental issues can become much worse over time. The stuff that is put into water doesnt' work beause cats just dont' drink enough for it to have any effect. And, as you've seen, some cats won't drink if they know there's something "off" with the water.

Most dental treats don't do anything, unfortunately. The only ones I recommend are the CET ones but I'm not sure if you can get those in the UK.

You can try to brush your cat's teeth but it won't be too effective until your cat has the current dental issues addressed. Use only pet safe toothpaste. Most pet stores have this and toothbrushes.

Really can't see her letting us brush her teeth. At the moment she is in a 'i'm going to bite you' mode so highly doubt she will let us go near her mouth

jennielouises said:

 
Really can't see her letting us brush her teeth. At the moment she is in a 'i'm going to bite you' mode so highly doubt she will let us go near her mouth

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Our two cats are similar: they're also young, have enough gingivitis and tartar that they needed a full-on dental cleaning, and are not keen on having their mouths probed. But they love the toothpaste (CET, seafood flavor) that I bought from the vet and the cat with the larger problem even lets me brush her back teeth a bit. Nobody is more surprised than I am. I think the key is going slowly and finding a toothpaste the cat thinks is a treat.

I myself find this hard to believe!

Good luck!