Cat minus 8 teeth

[Lectrice]

I adopted a five-year-old cat named Jack who had to have eight teeth removed because of severe gum disease. He doesn’t appear to like dry kibble. I was told to add water to his dry kibble for the first two weeks plus some wet food once a day. It has been a month since his surgery, And he still seems to ignore the dry kibble. So I add water to it and then he is fine with it and of course loves his chicken wet food as well. I’ve been told That eating kibble helps to keep teeth free of tartar buildup, and so I worry that he’ll lose the rest of his teeth If all he eats is soft food. On the other hand it must be difficult to eat dry pellets if you don’t have any molars. Are there any suggestions for how to handle this situation?

 

[nurseangel]

Bless you for adopting! My Elsie has very few teeth, but doesn't have any problem eating wet or dry food. My guess is that your kitty just likes the wet food better. It is possible that he does have trouble eating dry food. I would recommend consulting the vet for advice. There are kitty toothbrushes. but I've never tried them. I wish I could provide you with better advice. Best of luck (someone will probably come along who has more experience with this situation) and welcome to TCS!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Once his mouth has healed, he would be able to eat dry food with no issues - if he liked it. There is a on-going, likely never to be resolved, debate about whether or not there is any benefit to dental health from dry food. Most on this site will tell you no. I can only tell you that one of my 3 cats who lost a few teeth (when he was older) strictly ate soft food. The other two were on dry most of their lives, and Feeby at 15+ yo has only begun to show signs of tartar buildup, and a bit of gingivitis. So, for me, dry does/did seem to make a difference. BUT, genetics probably more than anything else play a role in dental health, just like human beings. And, at his age, with losing the teeth that he has already lost, it is likely genetics are behind it.

If you are concerned about it, there are dental treats that can be given to cats, should he like them. You could also consider trying a dental rinse and/or even possibly a finger type toothbrush in lieu of an actual toothbrush. Once you could get him used to that, you could give a toothbrush a try.

 

[Lectrice]

OK, thanks for the suggestion. I will check into the toothbrush, and continue with the “kibble soup” that he seems to like. .

 

[LTS3]

Dry food doesn't keep teeth clean. Many regular vets have zero clue about proper dental health. Here's a TCS article:

Does Dry Food Actually Clean Your Cat's Teeth? - TheCatSite

Cat food is always a hot topic on our forums. There are so many things to consider when deciding which diet is best for your cat that debates can be lengthy, and occasionally heated. When dry food is brought up, we sometimes hear people mention its anti-plaque qualities, often tooted by their...

thecatsite.com

It's fine to only feed canned food to your cat for the rest of his life It's a lot healthier than dry food.

 

[jen]

I am also on board of dry diets do nothing for teeth unless it is really big kibble they have to chew down or something like a dental treat designated for that sort of thing. Even still it is hard to say. It is like saying if we eat hard dry biscuits and never brush our teeth the biscuits will keep the tartar away. Ridiculous. If you don't brush your cats teeth they either get lucky and have good dental genetics, or they are unlucky and have bad dental genetics.

A cat with no teeth or fewer teeth CAN eat dry kibble once the mouth is healed, as most cats don't chew their little kibbles other than the original crunch, many just swallow whole. Which is another reason why dry food is ineffective against dental issues. I am assuming a 15 year old cat who is just beginning to show signs of tartar build up never had a dental before so it is unknown the true condition of the gums and the roots of the teeth which is just as if not more important than the visual looks of the outside of the teeth.

Anyway, I would be wary of giving a male cat only dry food anyway as that just leaves them always dehydrated and dehydrated male cats get blocked so easily, they also are more prone to things like diabetes and kidney disease on all dry diets.

A lot to think about.