Horrible kitty breath

what exactly causes horrible breath? My stray cat Willoughby (or as we have been calling him, Apathy) has absolutely foul smelling breath. His teeth look almost perfectly clean. I am guessing him to be about a year old. His gums look normal, part pink and part gray. They gray part looks natural, not like it is discoloured. ButI could be wrong. What is making his breath smell so disgusting?

Here is a picture of Mr. Stinko, he farts really bad too...

A healthy kitty's breath should not have a foul odor.
Bad breath for my kitties has always been the telling sign that they needed a cleaning.

Get Willoughby to your vet ASAP.
He is a good looking boy.

I agree that a vet check is in order. If there are teeth problems causing the smell, they can also contribute to heart and other organ problems later, so it is important to get them taken care of if they are a problem.

This article talks about how to examine your cat's teeth:
http://cats.about.com/cs/dentalhealt...amineteeth.htm

From my cats, the only time they got foul kitty breath was when they had absesses in there mouth. That was quite a few times too. I agree with the others, you could at least call your vet and ask him if he has any suggestions on what to do for it. He might give you an idea on what could be the problem.

Ok well I followed the examination steps and his gums are bright red just around the teeth but the rest of them look healthy pink. There are some spots of greyish gums but I think when they said gray tartar buildup I think they mean the teeth not the gums. He has a little yellowish on his back teeth, not much though. I will have to run him to the low cost clinic and have them take a look and tell me what they think. They will also refer me because I don't think they do cleanings.

Thanks!

In addition to seeing the vet you may want to use a dental hygiene gel as part of a regular rotuine. I use Logic Oral Hygiene Gel and its is great. My oldest cat (Gizmo) smells absolutely fine when he breathes near me or slobbers all over me! I have really noticed a different with the state of his teeth too. He was really bad before...even after a dental cleaning from the vet.

Its a gel which you just put a pea sized blob of in their mouth or on their paw to lick..and that's it. It doesn't require rinsing.

It's not always teeth. Sometimes a foul odor can be associated with gastric problems, sinus issues, or even inner ear infections. And a specific smell (sickly sweet, ammonia like) could also point to diabetes or kidney failure.

Good thing he going to be looked at- as he came to you as a stray you have no history, and a good checkup never hurt anyone.

when i took Rikki in to be fixed, the vet noticed his breath wasn't too pleasant. after blood tests to make sure it wasn't anything super serious, the vet determined that Rikki is actually allergic to the plaque on his teeth. he gave me some gruesome looking chicken 'shudder' flavoured toothpaste and a toothbrush and told me to brush his teeth. (Rikki's teeth, not the vets ) fortunately for me, Rikki loves to knaw on the brush side himself so i don't have to hold him down and do it myself. his breath is fine now. just a thought.

p.s. Willoughby is a very handsome fella!

Can I ask what exactly does foul breath mean? Dita has what I would categorize as Kitty Breath! It smells a lot like a fish market. Would that be a foul smell? It seems to smell the worst when she gets up from her afternoon nap.

I know it may sound a bit weird, but what exactly should a cats breath smell like?

That's what it's supposed to smell like.

Originally Posted by ckeller

Can I ask what exactly does foul breath mean? Dita has what I would categorize as Kitty Breath! It smells a lot like a fish market. Would that be a foul smell? It seems to smell the worst when she gets up from her afternoon nap.

I know it may sound a bit weird, but what exactly should a cats breath smell like?

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Horrible Kitty Breath
I used the term foul in my earlier post to describe a cat's breath that is it is extremely unpleasant to the senses.
When our kitties yawn in our face and we want to faint
it is time for a vet appointment to rule out illness or dental problems.

Originally Posted by distol

when i took Rikki in to be fixed, the vet noticed his breath wasn't too pleasant. after blood tests to make sure it wasn't anything super serious, the vet determined that Rikki is actually allergic to the plaque on his teeth. he gave me some gruesome looking chicken 'shudder' flavoured toothpaste and a toothbrush and told me to brush his teeth. (Rikki's teeth, not the vets

) fortunately for me, Rikki loves to knaw on the brush side himself so i don't have to hold him down and do it myself. his breath is fine now. just a thought.

p.s. Willoughby is a very handsome fella!

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Thanks! He is a hansome boy isn't he? What is the name of this toothpaste the vet gave you? Brand name? Is it the same as the kind you can get from Pet Smart?

i don't put any toothpaste on his brush. i tried it once or twice and he had no use for it. i just let him gnaw on the brush. seems to work. every month or two i buy him a new one and he goes to town on that one.

i don't know the name of the stuff that the vet gave me. it was over a year ago. i do remember the package saying 'enzymatic toothpaste for cats and dogs.' i think it was a vet brand. (why i remember that is really beyond me ) and of course the 'shutter' poultry flavour.....ewww!

if you rub a little catnip on the end of the brush and let your kitty go at it, it would probably be enough. like i said, Rikki's breath is just fine now.

as far as what a cats breath should smell like....how to explain....if you can smell his/her breath distinctly when your nose is like a foot away from their mouth....time for a check up. that's how i determine it anyway.