How to clean cat's teeth?

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whc216

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Both my cats are super shy. It took me awhile to pet them but I still cannot pick them up.

It's been about 1.5 years and picking them up is just very stressful process for me.

Now, I am trying to brush their teeth because they are 2.5 and 3.5 years old and I feel like I should start taking care of it. I can already smell somewhat noticeable bad breathe from them.

I know there are annual or bi-annual teeth cleaning thing but honestly, I am somewhat worried about anesthetic and cost and etc.

I heard there is non-anesthetic but I heard that it is also painful so I want to do something in home regularly in order to prevent this situation in future.

I bought a cat brush and tried to brush but ok, not only I got huge scratches on my hand, but also both cats start running away from me and somewhat ruined the trust. I mean I tried to make them feel comfortable first and tried to use it but once they see the brush, they just run away and I had to scruff them or something to do. I also put a little bit of butter at the end of brush to attract them but they do not come to me anyway because of brush.

I think I already gave them a bad experience about brush from past two trials and I don't think I can use that anymore :(

What should I do to maintain them (cats) health teeth and/or gum? I've been also using the one that put on water but I cannot find that much difference. Any tip or suggestion would be appreciate! Thank you so much.
 
pinkdagger

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I tell myself bad breath is very subjective to cats. They lick their butts, and lots of cat food already smells like farts.


Did you get cat toothpaste too? Cat toothpaste is a key here because they make them in flavours cats like. Some malt, some chicken, some just plain vanilla. A lot of people use CET, but I was only able to find Nylabone (for cats) at my local store. Scruffing and forcing just scares them away, so based on your post, I would say to cut your losses with those initial attempts and start fresh.

Get a toothpaste. You may not even want to put it on the brush yet - let them sniff it, let them lick it off your fingers. When they react well to the toothpaste, give them treats. I would let Kismet sniff the toothpaste, give her 1/4 of a treat. Lick the toothpaste, another 1/4 of the treat. Lick the toothpaste off of the toothbrush, another 1/4 of a treat (not all at once, in steps over the course of days or weeks). At some point, hopefully the positive association with the toothpaste will transfer seamlessly to the toothbrush.

I like to catch Kismet when she's napping in a basket that's about eye level to me. She's kind of drowsy, and I can pet her, mush her lips around, and take a very quick peek at her teeth. If she fights me, I let go immediately. This is a process you need to go at on their terms, not yours. If it takes them years to learn to accept tooth brushing, it's better than never knowing or trying it at all.

At this point (maybe 5-6 months after I started introducing brushing), Kismet will perk up when she sees me grab the toothpaste and toothbrush. She'll come to me, and she still doesn't like to be restrained, but I'm determined to make brushing her teeth a one-person job, even when she's wide awake and wanting some toothpaste.

Don't make them hold still longer than they want. If they're squirming, let them go. I tend to get three or four swipes on each side of my cat's mouth before the paws come up to push the brush away. Once she's had enough, I hold the toothbrush still and let her lick the rest of the toothpaste off because she loves it. She doesn't even need a treat afterwards anymore, the toothpaste is her treat.

If you can already see plaque, brushing won't get that off - only a dental will. Brushing may just help prevent further accumulation. Unlike people, cats lap water into their mouths and swallow, so there's far less opportunity for them to get those water additives swirling around in their mouths, especially near the gumline where plaque likes to stick. Some people like to use raw bones that can rub up against teeth, so things like chicken necks or wings, if you're comfortable with feeding raw.
 
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whc216

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pinkdagger said:
 
I tell myself bad breath is very subjective to cats. They lick their butts, and lots of cat food already smells like farts.


Did you get cat toothpaste too? Cat toothpaste is a key here because they make them in flavours cats like. Some malt, some chicken, some just plain vanilla. A lot of people use CET, but I was only able to find Nylabone (for cats) at my local store. Scruffing and forcing just scares them away, so based on your post, I would say to cut your losses with those initial attempts and start fresh.

Get a toothpaste. You may not even want to put it on the brush yet - let them sniff it, let them lick it off your fingers. When they react well to the toothpaste, give them treats. I would let Kismet sniff the toothpaste, give her 1/4 of a treat. Lick the toothpaste, another 1/4 of the treat. Lick the toothpaste off of the toothbrush, another 1/4 of a treat (not all at once, in steps over the course of days or weeks). At some point, hopefully the positive association with the toothpaste will transfer seamlessly to the toothbrush.

I like to catch Kismet when she's napping in a basket that's about eye level to me. She's kind of drowsy, and I can pet her, mush her lips around, and take a very quick peek at her teeth. If she fights me, I let go immediately. This is a process you need to go at on their terms, not yours. If it takes them years to learn to accept tooth brushing, it's better than never knowing or trying it at all.

At this point (maybe 5-6 months after I started introducing brushing), Kismet will perk up when she sees me grab the toothpaste and toothbrush. She'll come to me, and she still doesn't like to be restrained, but I'm determined to make brushing her teeth a one-person job, even when she's wide awake and wanting some toothpaste.

Don't make them hold still longer than they want. If they're squirming, let them go. I tend to get three or four swipes on each side of my cat's mouth before the paws come up to push the brush away. Once she's had enough, I hold the toothbrush still and let her lick the rest of the toothpaste off because she loves it. She doesn't even need a treat afterwards anymore, the toothpaste is her treat.

If you can already see plaque, brushing won't get that off - only a dental will. Brushing may just help prevent further accumulation. Unlike people, cats lap water into their mouths and swallow, so there's far less opportunity for them to get those water additives swirling around in their mouths, especially near the gumline where plaque likes to stick. Some people like to use raw bones that can rub up against teeth, so things like chicken necks or wings, if you're comfortable with feeding raw.
Click to expand...
 
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pinkdagger

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Maybe try placing treats close to the toothbrush so they get comfortable getting close to it again, and then start placing treats on top. If they like being brushed or petted, spending time on your lap, or in a certain bed, keep the toothbrush nearby or on that special spot so they can get used to having it close to them when they're feeling comfortable and happy otherwise. Just try to include it in their happy time - but not directly. There's no need to directly approach them with it at this point. Get them acclimated to seeing it, but not interpreting it as an object associated with fear. If they don't react to it anymore, you can move forward with the toothpaste on brush too.
 
sophie1

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You might consider clicker training your cats.  It's a great way to build trust, and you can use it to train them for things like this.

Definitely get their teeth checked before brushing - if they have gingivitis the toothbrush may hurt them and that will not help your cause.

I second pinkdagger's suggestion to let them lick the toothpaste off your finger at first.  Then you might put some toothpaste on the brush and leave it out for them to inspect.  They'll eventually come to see it as a non-threatening object.

It's less clear what to do from there.  There's a video put out by Cornell university (search for it on youtube) but that method didn't work for my cats.  Instead, I used the clicker training to get them to associate having the toothbrush in their mouth with a treat.  I'd say "Brush", touch the toothbrush to their teeth on the side, then click and treat.  Eventually I started leaving it in their longer before clicking, and then taking a few brush strokes, etc.

One of them never really learned to like brushing, but he tolerates it if I get him when he's relaxed and sleepy (not asleep though).  The other one enjoys it.  I call him ("come"), tell him "up" (so he will jump up on the counter), then tell him "sit", then "brush".  He gets a bit of treat after each few seconds of brushing.  Then I let him lick the brush afterwards, and he thanks me with head butts.  So cute!
 
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