Spica's breath stinks! (she's not even a year old)

I've noticed that her breaths stinks. Does anyone else have this problem or is this a symptom of something I should be worried about? She isnt a year yet, so she could still be teething I guess....can that cause it? I looked at her teeth today with a mini flashlight and had grandma help hold her. They look white and seemed ok, but it's hard to see because Spica did not like her mouth open. I'm not sure if it's normal or not because all of my cats except her are outside(live out in country). What made me post this is I dont like her breath smelling and because it makes me worry that something is wrong. I think it's just left over food because lastnight we were playing and she started to chew on my finger and there was some of her cat food on my finger. I feed her Iams kitten and 9 lives or friskies canned food a couple times a week now. I've been giving her less can food (was a can every other day) the last several weeks so I wondered if it could be that.

If you can't get a good look in her mouth, suggest that you have a vet look at her. You want to look for red or inflamed gums. Bad breath can be a sign of gingivitis, pharyngitis or stomatitis. My little Oscar has stinky breath and I just had him at the vet this week. He has the start of gingivitis (at 6 months old) and we are running some tests to see what could be causing it so young. Typically it comes from tartar build up, but when a cat is young, usually it has other causes (URI / calicivirus / FeLV / FIV / tumors / other???). As a stretch, diabetes or severe kidney disease can also cause foul smelling breath.

Of course it could just be her reaction to stinky cat food. When is her next vet exam scheduled?

Originally posted by Momofmany
If you can't get a good look in her mouth, suggest that you have a vet look at her. You want to look for red or inflamed gums. Bad breath can be a sign of gingivitis, pharyngitis or stomatitis. My little Oscar has stinky breath and I just had him at the vet this week. He has the start of gingivitis (at 6 months old) and we are running some tests to see what could be causing it so young. Typically it comes from tartar build up, but when a cat is young, usually it has other causes (URI / calicivirus / FeLV / FIV / tumors / other???). As a stretch, diabetes or severe kidney disease can also cause foul smelling breath.

Of course it could just be her reaction to stinky cat food. When is her next vet exam scheduled?

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I did notice slight redness around some of her teeth, but I thought that was just because she was teething, that's y I didnt mention it in the post. She's healthy and very active. I've never had any problem with her having colds except when she was a tiny kitten. I doctored her and brought her in and she's not got sick since.

Iams smells better than cat chow that's why I switched her over several months ago...if it's the food would her breath smell like the Iams?

I just looked at her teeth again and in the back on her left (the right side when facing her) side top of the mouth where the teeth are is a white spot with red around it. Is that a tooth coming in or does she have some sort of infection possibly?

halitosis is not normal and the kitty should be checked by a vet.

Originally posted by hissy
halitosis is not normal and the kitty should be checked by a vet.

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So it's not caused by teething or her food between her teeth?

How serious is this....do I need to get her to the vet tommorow or can it wait a few days? Saturday is Valentine's day, Sunday they are closed, Monday is President's day, if they are closed on both holidays and I have to wait untill next week she will be ok since she's had bad breath a while right? If I had known it was anything other than teething I'd have taken her as soon as I knew...I've never noticed breath before in a cat because my other cats are outside.

Amber, no it it not an emergency, but it is a concern as it can signify a health issue or gum disease. It just needs to be checked by a vet- and not diagnosed over the internet.

BuckyBee
I'm hoping it wont hurt a few more days since she's had this problem a while. I know they are higher, but since she is healthy eating, bathroom using, and acting fine other than her breath I think she'll be ok. Sorry about your kitty! I hope its ok! Thanks and the same for your kitty!

So if the answer to every question here is 'take your cat to the vet' what is the point of even having this forum?

Originally posted by hissy
Amber, no it it not an emergency, but it is a concern as it can signify a health issue or gum disease. It just needs to be checked by a vet- and not diagnosed over the internet.

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Thanks Hissy. I just wanted to know if this is something other people have faced like behavior problems, but since I know this isnt a normal problem Spica will be making a journey to the vet. Atleast it's not something serious and it can wait a few days.

Yknow, cats breath in general just doesnt smell good. I have never seen or had a cat that's breath didnt stink.. and they never had any kind of gum problems. Saki's breath smells like onions to me Or perhaps maybe I have just never smelled SUPER STINKY cat breath.

I never met a cat yet that didn't have bad breath

'Knock you out when the cat yawns in your face' breath would be cause for concern, yeah. But fishy, stinky breath is normal for animals that eat a meat and fish based diet, is it not?

So if the answer to every question here is 'take your cat to the vet' what is the point of even having this forum?

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I was kinda wondering about that too.

This forum is for information and support and general purposes, it is not to take the place of a vet diagnosis. Halitosis can be a signal that something is wrong with the cat, it can also be caused by inferior food or something the cat ate that was not on the food plate. But how bad would you feel to find out that someone had a cat with a pressing medical issue and came to a forum and asked a question and no one said, take the cat to the vet, and the cat died? Even our vet techs, Sandie, Traci and our resident vet DebE will always say the same thing, kitty needs a vet-

No online advice can replace direct veterinary intervention. If you suspect that your cat may be ill, please contact your vet immediately. You are welcome to look for advice in the health forum while waiting for that appointment, but never delay proper veterinary care while waiting for internet advice. Remember that cats, and especially kittens, are very adept at keeping pain to themselves, and delaying treatment may cause irreversible damage.

When we first got Solaman he was about two years old. His breath was just awful!! He was due for his shots so asked the vet about it while we were there. Low and behold he had some tarter build up on his teeth causing the problem. The vet recomened a teeth cleaning so we went ahead and had that done. His teeth were sparking white after the procedure and his breath was 98% better. To be honest I don't think it will ever smell fresh but it is much better. BTW the vet did recomend only feeding him wet food as a special treat every once and a while. He said his problems were caused by too much wet and not enough dry food. I don't know how true that is but we have followed his advice and almost two years later his teeth still look good.

Well, since the internet isn't yet equipped with live smell, it is really way too difficult of an issue to help give advice on. What may be really stinky to one person could very well be normal animal breath to another.

I don't think my cats' breath smells at all.

Yes, this board is here for advice, but how would any of YOU feel if your 'over the net advice' was to be followed, only to result in the death of the animal? One thing I have seen in spades here over the course of 3 years us that many people want a free solution to their cats' medical problems. The best advice ANY of us can give is to let a living, breathing vet examine the cat if you are concerned about a health issue.

I totally understand that many things do need the attention of a vet. It just seems like no matter what is posted here, how big or how small of an issue in every single thread, the answer is always the same 'take your cat to the vet.' I've since stopped posting issues about my cats here because if I wanted that kind of advice I'd already be at the vet *shrug*

Sorry Sicy, but that's the position of the site. I don't think we would be very responsible to suggest otherwise, not to mention in this litigious society, leave ourselves open to lawsuit.

A couple of you posted that all cat's breaths stink, it may be possible I'm overreacting. I've never smelt the breath of my other cats because they are outside. Spica's I notice when she's laying on my chest or when she's sniffing around my face. Considering I dont know what 'normal' breath for a cat would be I'm not certain if this is normal or not. I'm still gonna take her to the vet, because I would like to know how to clean her teeth anyway.

Originally posted by hissy
This forum is for information and support and general purposes, it is not to take the place of a vet diagnosis. Halitosis can be a signal that something is wrong with the cat, it can also be caused by inferior food or something the cat ate that was not on the food plate. But how bad would you feel to find out that someone had a cat with a pressing medical issue and came to a forum and asked a question and no one said, take the cat to the vet, and the cat died? Even our vet techs, Sandie, Traci and our resident vet DebE will always say the same thing, kitty needs a vet-

No online advice can replace direct veterinary intervention. If you suspect that your cat may be ill, please contact your vet immediately. You are welcome to look for advice in the health forum while waiting for that appointment, but never delay proper veterinary care while waiting for internet advice. Remember that cats, and especially kittens, are very adept at keeping pain to themselves, and delaying treatment may cause irreversible damage.

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I dont know if that was directed to me or to Sicy, but if it was to me: I posted this thread to find out if bad breath was a normal thing and if I needed to get treats or something. Knowing now that it's not normal I'll take her to the vet. I didnt want to take her until I found out if this was normal or not 'cause we all know how us 'mommies' can overreact. I would never delay to take Spica or any of my other cats if I saw signs of something serious or that she wasnt acting right. Since Spica has never acted any different this whole time I thought this was just a normal thing and a common problem and that she just had bad breath from food between her teeth since when she chewed on my finger she left food on it. I'm still going to take her to the vet because I'd like to know ways to help with her breath normal or not. I just wanted to know what everyone else does about it....but it turned out it's not normal.

Originally posted by BuckyBee
Gothic: Coco, my Siamese, is in good health and spoiled rotten. You just don't want her to breathe in your face. She has Peridontal disease, and we need to get her teeth cleaned and some more of the wonderdrug.

Take care of that kitten. Just remember that kitties are just little people in fur coats.
BuckyBee [/b]

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Sounds like Spica! She's very active and acts normal for her age. She's just in need of a mint! Mainly a vet to check her and let me know how to keep her teeth clean if that's the reason her breath is bad.

I will take care of her. I take care of all my cats. They are my only children and my best friends.