bad breath ?'s

Hi All~

Newbie here..

Some history first:
I adopted my baby, Milton, 2 months ago. When I got him, I was told he had mild URI and I had to give him pink medicine(i dont remeber the name) twice a day and some cream for his swollen, half open left eye. He is approx. 5 months old now. I had cats growing up but he is my first alone cat.
He is very affectionate and purrs all the time. He also has to come up to my face and try to lick my chin, mouth & nose constantly, I have never had a cat that did this.
1. Well, with his licking habit, I have noticed his breath smells terribly. He grooms quite a bit and it makes him smell also. I tried to brush his teeth(with a kitty toothbrush & kitty toothpaste of course). It didn't go over so well, the smell went away for maybe a day. I have checked his gums and they appear to be pink, and his teeth look white.
2. Another concern is that occasionaly it looks like he gets kind of an eye twitch in both eyes, he closes the eye half way and the lid seems to twitch and then it goes away. There is no gunk or discharge at all.
3. He still sneezes on occasion but it is less frequent.
4. I don't know if this is odd or not but I've never had a cat do this: He will play with his favorite toy(a pink wristband tied to a ribbon) by chasing it around and capturing it, after he captures it he struts around with the toy in his mouth. While he has the toy in his mouth he breathes very loudly and very heavily.
5. Also he grunts while he is eating.
He eats plenty of Nutro Natural Choice Kitten food, seems to drink enough water. His poops and pees are good. He dosnt seem to be lathargic(sp?). Am I being overconcerned?
Sorry this is so long and there is probably a bit excess information that is completely normal. I've never had a cat that had such bad breath before. I have not noticed him losing any teeth yet, this is the age they are supposed to right? Could that be causing the bad breath? Any ideas? Anything I can do to help him?
Oh, he was taken to the vet before I got him and I have the sheet from there. It says he was vaccinated for FVRC-P? at 11 weeks. Does he need any other vaccinations at this point?
I plan to take him to the vet next week, just in case. Is there certain tests or anything I should ask for? Or am I being completely overconcerned?

~miltonsmom

Hi! Welcome to TCS!

I don't have many answers for you, but Im sure someone will be along soon enough that can help you out more

Everything you have asked here will all be good questions for your vet!
I don't think you are being overconcerned, just a good mommy

As for vaccinations, I'm sorry I can't remember the names but yes your kitten should have his "boosters". After that he should get his "shots" yearly.

Are you going to neuter Milton? That is definately something to talk to your vet about and set up an appt for.

Thank you~
Sorry, I should have mentioned before, he is already neutered. That is something his rescue crew does with all their animals! He was found in somebodys backyard not moving and pretty skinny with URI and a half swollen shut eye.
He is now an indoor cat only, totally spoiled and he is the love of my life!
~miltonsmom

1. The bad breath is most likely from teething, since he's at the right age. My vet described it as "rotten hamburger" and I have to agree that's what L.S.'s smelled like. It should pass in a month or so as his adult teeth come in.

2. Sounds like what my mom calls "goo goo eyes". I've always thought of it as a sign of affections. Cats will blink slowly at each other when content, and it will even work between human and cat. Try returning it next time, he should like it.

3. My cat's will sneeze every so often, I think from always nosing around dusty places. If it becomes frequent or if he starts sneezing coloured gunk, you should call the vet and let him know.

4. It could be connected with the sneezing. But I know my kitten goes ballistic and just wears himself out to the point where he's heaving. Kittens tend to play hard.

5. He might be eating too fast. Sometimes my cats will make small grunts while eating, I just never gave it much thought before.

Hope this helps a little!

Thank you so much!
That makes me feel so much better!
I really appreciate your response, so does my Milton!

~miltonsmom