Dry vs. Canned Food for Dental Health

I have two sister kitties (Zukua and Eureka), both are litter mates and will be 10 in December. We just had our annual exam and blood work and everything looked great, except of course Eureka needing to loose about a pound. 
Eureka (ReeRee)

I guess you're right. I'm thinking "dog" with the chewing thing I guess. I'm going to switch them entirely over to canned food with you're thought because I think it's way better for them instead of feeding dry half the time. Does anyone do any kind of dental maintenance? I do this with my dogs but started when they were puppies. I'm not sure my older gals would appreciate the intrusion. I guess I was doing okay with them requiring their first cleaning at nine years old.

There's a Cat Site article about this topic here that's also worth reading.

Your cats did well getting to nine years old without a cleaning @jabojenny! Ours have the genetic component the article mentions (they're Siamese mixes) and needed cleaning before they were even two. Their mouths are looking much better after that, antibiotic treatment for the Bartonella bacterium (which our vet says seems to contribute to many cats' severe dental problems), and nightly toothpaste, usually with some brushing. If you're concerned about your cats' teeth, I'd definitely recommend trying brushing: our cats love CET's seafood toothpaste so much it's like a treat for them. I remember one or two Cat Site members saying their cats' dental health improved with just toothpaste and not much/any actual brushing. (I'll admit that I can't always get much good brushing in on our squirmy cats.)

You mentioned chew toys: our cats have these Petstages Dental Health toys and like them a lot, though I'm not sure how much they actually chew them. We do wonder, though, if our gnawing cat -- who had less of a gingivitis and plaque problem -- is doing herself a favor by shredding paper and (eek) biting into books.

Beyond all that, switching to only wet food might help with Eureka's weight gain!

Most important: your cats are beautiful! Is Zuzu a lynx mix?

Thanks for that info Lisa I'll check that link out. Can I get the toothpaste you're talking about on Amazon? I'm assuming yes and I'll also look at the dental toys. My poor cats get their toys stolen by the dogs so I need to be careful with them LOL. I'm not sure what Zuzu is but she's a keeper! I've been told since they both have "M's" on their foreheads they might have some Maine Koon in them somewhere.

Yes, you can get it on Amazon. We buy the kits (like this one) at the vet's office: our cats like the little brushes. The vet sells lots of the finger brushes but our cats aren't really into that. (Though one loves to lick the toothpaste off it.) Apparently lots of cats like the poultry toothpaste but we haven't tried that one yet. (I'm of the "if it ain't broke" mentality as far as feline toothbrushing goes.)

And watch out for those toys!

Good luck!

I researched the topic and the overwhelming consensus was that the most reliable way to good dental health was through regular tooth brushing and professional cleaning, if needed.

I really don't think that kibble does much for the teeth, except maybe the prescription dental diets. I'm pretty sure that if I told my children's pediatric dentist that I was going to substitute eating hard pretzels for brushing teeth, they would not approve.

Both of my cats were adopted as adults and one of them was adopted as a senior. (Age 14 approx.) The senior cat has spent most of his life eating mainly kibble and his teeth don't look very good.

My felines eat a grain free canned food diet and I brush their teeth every day. We just sort of put it into our nightly routine. Right after the human kids brush, I take care of the fur kids teeth. We use a malt flavored cat toothpaste. I've found that the cat toothbrush that I like the best is the one that fits over my finger.

I don't find it very difficult to brush their teeth. Sometimes my 3 year old pitches a worse fit and is more difficult to deal with than the cats. LOL!

I had no idea you could get toothbrushes for cats.  That's neat.  I'll have to check it out.

Yes, I purchased mine on Amazon. I'm sure that you could probably get them at a large pet store as well, such as Petco.

Crazy4Strays said:

 
Yes, I purchased mine on Amazon. I'm sure that you could probably get them at a large pet store as well, such as Petco.

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Just watch out for kits that don't have brushes too big for a cat's mouth! That's all one of our indie local stores sells -- I just buy CET kits from our vet. I remember someone mentioning a vet who even gave out toothpaste samples. (Alas, ours doesn't!)

And yes, brushing is part of the night routine here, too: the cats start herding me to the bathroom for toothpaste if I'm late!