cleaning cat's teeth

[torpid]

Unless some super hi tech lab came out with something recently, there is no such thing as a cheap treat or cat food that significantly helps cat teeth remain clean and without tarter. Those tarter control treats are generally unhealthy and do not help teeth much at all. In fact, it is not really believe any more that feeding dry food is noticeably better than wet food in this regard. There have been a lot of studies that seem to indicate this.

There are "dental chews" but they are not too cheap, like $30 for 100 of them. But they are nowhere near as effective as brushing your cats' teeth.

How old is your cat? If it's young then you are more likely to get the cat to accept it.

I would strongly recommend against the "today I'm going to force your mouth open so just sit there and take it, cat" approach. Instead you can ease your cat into the process, by only touching them around the mouth when they are calm and/or purring, then using a bit of paste on your finger, then cloth, then a brush.

The toothpaste is more of an enzyme. The act of brushing is not as important as getting the paste where it should go. Most cats have the most problems on the front part of their teeth, so if you can just rub the paste onto the front part of their teeth, that's already better than treats and the like.

 

[zugzoog]

My understanding is that the best way keep your cat's teeth clean is to regularly feed them meat with bones in them (chicken wings and chicken pet mince with bones still in it are a great and cheap source).

As the cat eats the bony food, the bones scrape the teeth clean. The other aspect is that as you are feeding the cat "natural" foods, there is no added sugar to encourage dental deacy. And finally, feeding you cat unprocessed meat means NO CAT BREATH!

While you might not have to brush your cat's teeth frequently if you feed them correctly, regular inspections are still extremely essential in picking up any problems.

 

[AaronB]

Originally posted by: virtualgames0
Or you could try retraining it between your legs.. and then brushing it with your hands.
My bro brushes his cat's mouth once a week.. I guess that's how he does it, since he always does it alone.

For some reason, sticking a pissed-off cat between my legs doesn't seem like such a good idea.

 

[aircooled]

Dental at the vet every 5 to 7 years... I would not try to brush them.

 

[Kibbo]

You can get a special meat-flavoured paste, and a little rubber thingie that you put on your finger. It protects you and adds friction for her.

 

[bootymac]

Originally posted by: MrChad
my cat's breath smells like cat food

About damn time someone said that

 

[zugzoog]

Originally posted by: Kibbo
You can get a special meat-flavoured paste, and a little rubber thingie that you put on your finger. It protects you and adds friction for her.

Yes, 'cause my pussy always likes a little extra friction......


Oh, cmon, someone had to say it...

 

[GrumpyMan]

I wouldn't try to clean their teeth unless I had some Duct tape to hold it down.


j/k ing.

 

[Shortcut]

Originally posted by: aircooled
Dental at the vet every 5 to 7 years... I would not try to brush them.

especially if they are capable of dousing dogs with gasoline :laugh:

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: kage69
My 17lb. Maine my excellent compatriot lets me give him a quick scrub from time to time, but he makes it clear he doesn't enjoy it. My fiance tried to do it once, the effort lasting all of 2 or 3 minutes and her losing about a pint of blood. They didn't 'speak' for a few days after that.

We just take them to the vet once every year or so for a thorough cleaning (vet puts them under).

We have a Siamese too, but I don't go near him too much. He carries a knife.

That's funny. We have a Siamese and a big Maine my excellent compatriot too. My Maine my excellent compatriot's teeth --> pic <--



Definitely take your cats to the vet to get their teeth cleaned. Good for their health and yours (unless you like losing blood and/or have no love for this life).

 

[kage69]

That's a sweet lookin my excellent compatriot ya got there Vic! They're my favorite cat breed without a doubt, I love that they dwarf most other cats, and their personalities are positively doglike. Smart too, I've got mine trained to come to me when I call, and he fetches things for me as well. He chirps and chatters back to me when I speak to him (fiance hates that, he just stares at her).

Another consideration that hasn't been brought up yet - stress. Putting a cat through something traumatic for them (like throwing them in the tub for a bath or holding them down to brush their teeth) can really affect your cat adversely. I've seen them attack people, throw up, shed an ungodly amount of fur within a few minutes, and projectile piss/sh!t. General feline anesthesia = better for all involved.

 

[feralkid]

There is an excellent book which covers this quite well. I don't recall the title, but I'm pretty sure the author is Claude Bawles.













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[kreb]

Originally posted by: MrChad
my cat's breath smells like cat food

Well done, Ralph. heh.

 

[Shortcut]

thanks for all the suggestions! gonna take my cat to the vet for a cleaning first, then i'll try out the other recommendations at home.