My Problem Child Kitty Has Gingivitis

Soooo I have 1 black kitty named Benny that I adopted from the shelter who is going on 11 months and an almost 3 year old orange tabby named Nemo that was abandoned by his old owners at my apartment complex.  I was reading up on dental work for cats because since Nemo is nearing 3 years old and I thought it was a good idea to get his first dental done in the near future.  Well on every site they said that a kitty's breath should not smell and if it does smell it is a sign of dental disease...and I remembered that my Benny has had bad breath shortly after i adopted him.  So tonight I checked both of their teeth...and guess who needs the dental cleaning?  My 11 month old Benny!  Couldn't believe it.  He has a red line across his gums near his teeth.    And the shocker, I've been brushing his teeth about 2x a week since he was 6 months old!  I haven't been brushing Nemo's teeth since he's not used to getting handled as much and his teeth pretty much looks perfect.  Benny needs the dental work this year ASAP before it gets any worse and Nemo can probably wait until hes 4 years old next year.  

And I'm so sad because Benny has been a problem child ever since I got him.  When I first got him he just kept getting diarrhea.  After trying various foods and going to the vet a few times his diarrhea is not a problem anymore since he is 100% on primal frozen raw nuggets.  But then he still had a persistent eye infection that would not get any better.  I took him to the eye specialist where it cost $150 for a general exam, and it turns out he is missing a right eyelid so his hairs are poking him in the eye. I opted for the treatment that doesn't cost thousands where I just need to put an eye lubricant on his eye 2-3 times a day so that it will soften up the hairs so it wont be as irritating.  And NOW he has gingivitis and needs dental treatment.  ><  This cat is driving me crazy!  I'm so thankful that Nemo is in perfect health and he's the one that's been living as a stray for possibly around 2 years.

Just wanted to vent.  Benny is full of personality and cuddles and I love him!  But sometimes I wonder how I ended up with such a problem cat.  I feel like all his good genes went to his looks and silky coat.  Please share your problem child kitty stories with me!

Just for reference:

Bennyben!  The problem kitty~~~


Nemo: Ex stray

Benny and Nemo sure are cute. I've been really fortunate not to have a cat that requires one medical intervention after the next, but I've certainly had problem kitties.  My old darling Milo desperately wanted to be alpha male instead of darling boy Wesley, who actually was alpha male.  He took to spraying and since Wesley couldn't let him get away with it,  Wesley sprayed in return.  So back came Milo for another shot.  And so on and so forth.     It took years before these two goofuses decided they actually were pretty fond of each other.  They had both been neutered since they were kittens, btw.    Also, they looked very much like your Benny (Wesley) and Nemo (Milo).  

Anyway, I'm sure you are not alone in having kitties where it seems it is one thing after the next.  This is a good place to vent about it.  Everyone understands!    

Oh wow yes behavior issues can certainly be just as maddening too. I guess it isnt too uncommon for boys to spray for dominance because i remember seeing someone else mention thay being a problem too.

Your babies are both so cute. I can understand having a problem kitty. Peaches my only indoor cat (I care for some feral cats also) has had issues since she was born. She was born here with her 6 other siblings.

She is allergic to almost every cat food out there and treats. She has IBD and is on medication. She has to have her anal glands expressed once a month. She also suffers from constipation.

In 2010 I decided to redecorate my living room, well she didn't like that and started spraying everything in my living room, walls and new furniture. It took almost a year for her to get over the new things in the house and stop spraying.

She is also very picky about her litter box, it has to be cleaned out after every use or she will sit in front of it and cry until I clean it out so she can use it again.

Your kitties are super cute! Both of mine are problem cats so I definitely understand too. One had diabetes and now has kidney disease, and the other had hyperthyroidism and now has IBD. Best of luck to you and Benny!

How come the cutest ones are always problems?? Benny is absolutely adorable and so is Nemo

I feel your pain about the dental problems! A thought on Benny's teeth: you might want to ask the vet about testing for the bartonella bacterium. Our cats needed dental cleanings at just under two years: Edwina's mouth was particularly bad, with terrible breath, red lines of gingivitis, and some buildup. Our vet tested both cats for bartonella and they both came back positive. We started them on antibiotics after the dental cleaning and started brushing their teeth, too. The bartonella testing wasn't super-cheap (especially the post-antibiotic testing, to see if the medication had worked) but it was cheaper than a cleaning! Anyway, a year later, the cats' mouths look and smell much better. And they love getting their teeth brushed.

It sounds like not all vets buy into the bartonella connection but our vet is a cat specialist and says she sees good success in lots of cats' mouths after antibiotics. Whether it was the bartonella treatment or the brushing, we're happy. Our cats, BTW, are Siamese mixes, and they're apparently particularly prone to having dental problems.

Good luck with Benny! He looks very sweet!

Snugglecat said:

 
Your babies are both so cute. I can understand having a problem kitty. Peaches my only indoor cat (I care for some feral cats also) has had issues since she was born. She was born here with her 6 other siblings.

She is allergic to almost every cat food out there and treats. She has IBD and is on medication. She has to have her anal glands expressed once a month. She also suffers from constipation.

In 2010 I decided to redecorate my living room, well she didn't like that and started spraying everything in my living room, walls and new furniture. It took almost a year for her to get over the new things in the house and stop spraying.

She is also very picky about her litter box, it has to be cleaned out after every use or she will sit in front of it and cry until I clean it out so she can use it again.

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Have you tried any type of raw food?  Really does wonders for digestion issue cats.  But understandably, not everyone can do this.

LisaHE said:

 
I feel your pain about the dental problems! A thought on Benny's teeth: you might want to ask the vet about testing for the bartonella bacterium. Our cats needed dental cleanings at just under two years: Edwina's mouth was particularly bad, with terrible breath, red lines of gingivitis, and some buildup. Our vet tested both cats for bartonella and they both came back positive. We started them on antibiotics after the dental cleaning and started brushing their teeth, too. The bartonella testing wasn't super-cheap (especially the post-antibiotic testing, to see if the medication had worked) but it was cheaper than a cleaning! Anyway, a year later, the cats' mouths look and smell much better. And they love getting their teeth brushed.

It sounds like not all vets buy into the bartonella connection but our vet is a cat specialist and says she sees good success in lots of cats' mouths after antibiotics. Whether it was the bartonella treatment or the brushing, we're happy. Our cats, BTW, are Siamese mixes, and they're apparently particularly prone to having dental problems.

Good luck with Benny! He looks very sweet!

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Thank you for the suggestion.  I think I actually do want him to get tested for that because of his diarrhea issues too.  I also read on other websites about the connection of bartonella and juvenile gingivitis.  I know it varies from vet to vet but was the bartonella testing over 100? 200?  Just want to brace myself, haha.  I'd probably take Benny to low cost places for his teeth.  The Dallas SPCA charges bout $150 and Texasforthem charges about $115...much better than private practice I'm assuming.

Oh my goodness your problem child Benny is so adorable! I had to LOL when I read all his good genes went into his good looks and beautiful coat! I can definitely relate to the problem child though- mine is my 10 month tuxie boy Buster. But it helps that he is so cute!

Sorry about the gingivitis though, I hope the dental solves the problem. Very smart of you to start brushing at a young age!

kittyluv387 said:

 
Have you tried any type of raw food?  Really does wonders for digestion issue cats.  But understandably, not everyone can do this.

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For @Snugglecat: I agree about raw food! Our cats love commercial raw food (mostly Primal and Rad Cat, with a tiny bit of Stella & Chewy's) and do very well on a combination of raw and canned foods. They don't have IBD but one has a particularly sensitive stomach.

Originally Posted by kittyluv387
Thank you for the suggestion.  I think I actually do want him to get tested for that because of his diarrhea issues too.  I also read on other websites about the connection of bartonella and juvenile gingivitis.  I know it varies from vet to vet but was the bartonella testing over 100? 200?  Just want to brace myself, haha.  I'd probably take Benny to low cost places for his teeth.  The Dallas SPCA charges bout $150 and Texasforthem charges about $115...much better than private practice I'm assuming.

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Oh, good! I think it's worth testing for, particularly since, as you mention, some research seems to implicate Bartonella in a whole slew of disorders. (Side benefit: eliminating the risk of cat scratch fever. I know a human who had to be treated for that!) Anyway, our initial testing was $60 per cat (the bill says "Febart" and "National Labs"--I think there are limited places that do the testing). It was the post-antibiotic testing (to be sure the treatment worked) that was expensive: $150 per cat.

Good luck!

March is both the kitties' birthday month!  Benny will be turning 1 and Nemo will be turning 3.  They both have dentals scheduled for next Wednesday (Happy Birthday to them lol).  Scary!  They're going to get an ECG for their hearts, dental x-rays, and bloodwork before their procedure.  Hopefully they both come out of it fine ><.  I have no idea how much the Bartonella testing is at my vet but I told them I wanted Benny to get tested for that at the same time since he developed gingivitis at a young age.  It'll be around $370 for each of their dentals...eek!  I'll be poor for my own birthday in March lol.

I have a 1 year old Mainecoon just had his one year check up because he started sneezing and coughing learned he had gingivitis pretty bad and has a cavity already. I was shocked! Had the Bortonella
test done and waiting for the results. Really anxious to see how this plays out, will know by Monday.

Terese said:

I have a 1 year old Mainecoon just had his one year check up because he started sneezing and coughing learned he had gingivitis pretty bad and has a cavity already. I was shocked! Had the Bortonella
test done and waiting for the results. Really anxious to see how this plays out, will know by Monday.

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Wow, that is young for such serious problems! Let us know how the Bartonella test comes back. This thread is two years old but between antibiotics to treat Bartonella and brushing the cats' teeth, their mouths still look pretty good! Fingers crossed, T Terese , that you're able to resolve this.

Benny ended up not having Bartonella. Just a problem cat haha. After the dental i just brushed his teeth every other day (or tried to) and it kept his teeth in decent condition. After 2 years he's now due for another dental. Whereas with Nemo he needs a dental every 1.5 years because i cant really brush his teeth. Let us know about the test results!

kittyluv387 said:

Benny ended up not having Bartonella. Just a problem cat haha. After the dental i just brushed his teeth every other day (or tried to) and it kept his teeth in decent condition. After 2 years he's now due for another dental. Whereas with Nemo he needs a dental every 1.5 years because i cant really brush his teeth. Let us know about the test results!

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There are a lot of those problem cats out there! I'm glad the brushing helps, though, that's good to hear.

I think that's odd that a cat so young has dental problems. Bad breath can also be a sign of digestive issues. Has the vet actually looked at the cat's teeth yet? Oh, I wish you luck. Repeatedly going to the vet can be a financial drain, but what are you gonna do? Right?