Bad breath

[masster]

Hi,

I have a birman cat of 6 months old. It's very jumpy and very energetic. Very funny indeed. But... to be perfectly happy I need to find a way to get rid of its bad breath. What's worst is that when it licks herself for cleaning, it spreads that bad odour all over her body.

What could have caused that?
Is there any solution?

Thanks.

 

[gayef]

Have her in to the vet for a look-see at her teeth and gums ... it could be that she is teething (6 months old is about right for that to happen) and that could be causing the odor.

 

[laureen227]

i agree. altho my similar problem was with an adult cat, she eventually had to have some teeth pulled due to decay, which is where the odor was coming from. take her to the vet!

 

[eburgess]

It may be a problem with his gums. I'd get it checked out.

 

[xocats]

Sadie, just had her teeth cleaned. She had bad breath before it was done. Now her breath is fresh as a spring breeze.

Your kitten's mouth needs to be checked by your vet. Good Luck

 

[masster]

I took it to the vet. He said it's ok (???) I mentioned the teeth growing problem, then the vet said: "you know, it's like humans... some have bad breath, some don't..." I couldn't believe what I heard. And he was silber...

Anyways, better advice me in detail, please. Why could teeth growing cause bad breath? And could it be from some other digestive problems? Like gases from stomach?

And another issue... my cat doesn't clean itself too much. And it has a strong smell of urine. It is either very energetic, and I mean VERY, VERY energetic, either sleeps or eats. I think it spends less than 1 minute/day for grooming. After peeing or squating, it NEVER cleans itself! I had another bhirman cat for 10 years and I know she licked herself for hours...

Any advice? I'm quite worried, although every vet I asked said that if the cat eats and plays it's ok. And my cat does both. ESPECIALLY the playing part. (I don't have any flower pot unturned, furniture scratched and so on

)

Thx in advance.

 

[masster]

Or do i have to bathe it? If yes, how?

 

[ranger]

A vet said to me once about a long haired six month old boy- they're just like kids, at this age they don't always wash properly, they'd rather play.

If that's it then it's something they'll grow out of. The advice you've been given so far is really good- it sounds like teeth and gums need a very thorough check, did you feel your vet took you seriously enough? And failing that a general physical. Bad breath can be an indicator of a health problem. If that's ruled out then maybe talking to people here about diet and different foods might be helpful. There's some very good threads about bathing on the care and grooming board if you're reading up on that.

 

[rarepuss]

I'd take him to a vet because it could be several causes. good luck!

 

[masster]

Wow! Really???

 

[meiam]

i would definately see a vet to rule out possible health issues, but you can make homemade treats with activated charcoal in them that will cure bad breath http://www.dimensionebooks.com/catinfo.htm this web site may help