Discussions

Do you brush your cat's teeth? We had a dental cleaning on our cat's teeth in April due to moderate gingivitis of his gums. As of now, plaque has built up again and we are supposed to be brushing every 2 to 3 days. Needless to say, it is not easy. I am using a q-tip with the CET toothpaste because he won't tolerate a cat toothbrush. Then I follow with the oral dental gel on a q tip. It is quite difficult to get it all on the teeth properly.  
I don't think the q tip is doing much of a cleaning job but at least he is getting the toothpaste somewhere in his mouth. He still has moderate gingivitis and I am hoping it stays moderate with the toothpaste and gel. What do you do about your cat's teeth if anything? Should I let nature look after itself? Are we doing more harm than good with the dental cleanings? I also use the dental treats.

Cat dental treats that are specially designed to help get rid of plaque and such and helps with their breath as well. I find them in any pet store. Same as dogs, I use dental treats for my dog also! I defenatley dont brush my cats teeth tho! She woukd never let me do that to her without me ending up severley mauled during the brushing struggle, so i use treats! Good luck!

How is a treat going to remove plaque? If that was the case we all would be chewing some treat yourself and not having to brush teeth. After paying over $500 to get my cat's teeth pulled and cleaned I would rather wind the clock back and get onto regular brushing and a good cleaning at the vet. We didn't have tooth problems with our cat until after around the 10 year mark.

I would ask the vet

Yes it is the vet's recommendation to brush my cat's teeth every second or third day. It is quite the task though. I am almost at the point of giving up and wanted to know if you all are brushing your cats' teeth so I would hang in there and continue if you are doing so.

For my wife's cat, we used the "crunchy dental treats". It did alright, but once a week she brushed them. Her technique was to come up and sit from behind when he's relaxed so he can't squirm back. Then using old driving gloves and a "finger brush" (it's that two inch rubber sleeve with bristles) she quickly went over his teeth. Basically, she sat/held on the cat with her legs/crotch and the one gloved hand while the other held his head & mouth open. And with the brush stuck on the index finger, quickly swish over his teeth and gums. With luck on her side, she's done under two minutes before he becomes totally pi$$ed with her.  
 
Personally, I think you would have an easier time putting underwear on a cat then to properly brush their teeth. The squirming, the twisting, the clamping down, the claws... the vet makes it sound so easy to do this. Yeah, right. We simply reduced the soft food to next to nothing and the plaque wasn't as bad anymore. Saved us the hassle with the cat and saved us the hustle with the vet trying to nail us with a cleaning.  
 
Just my opinion, I could be wrong.

I don't know if I want to ever have the dental cleaning done again on my cat. $200 and 5 months later, the plaque is right back again and the gums still show gingivitis. Maybe the cleaning helped avoid major gum problems later but it was really hard on the cat. I sure hate to put him through that again.  
I wish I could stop the wet food as well but we were told the ideal diet is a small amount of dry food in the morning and appropriate amount of wet food with water added to it in the evening. So that is what I am doing. I"m pretty sure it's the soft food causing the plaque yet I have read that it is actually the dry kibble that causes gingivitis. I don't know what to believe anymore. The vet suggested chicken neck bones for the cat to chew on to help clean the teeth.

I have had many cats in my home over the years and no way would I brush any of their teeth. That is crazy.  
 
I don't use soft cat food. Only hard. I find soft cat food is hard on their digestive systems. Only fed once a day. and of course no milk, cats are meant to drink that even if you see all the movies. I won't use chicken bones either. I heard from family/friends too many pets die that way getting a bone stuck in their throat.  
 
Cats whoever never lived outside and hunted birds really can't handle that. And remember bones on a chicken are way bigger than a sparrow.  
 
The treats for keeping teeth clean is definitely the way to go.  
 
As I said no brushing for this kitty lover. It is hard enough to cut their nails if there is something wrong with one of them.

I've had cats all my life and never once brushed their teeth, honestly that sounds insane.  
 
I stick to dry cat food with wet cat food as a treat for my fur babies once in a while.

Just like people, different dogs and cats build up plaque at different rates. I have never brushed any of my cats' teeth. One had two dental cleanings in his life. I do feed mostly dry kibble, but then my males drink a lot of water on their own and have never had problems with crystals. For male cats who have troubles with crystals, increased fluids is a must, which often means wet food that doesn't clean teeth as well.  
I also have only ever brushed one dog's teeth, she really didn't mind it. The other two were not cooperative with brushing, and needed multiple dental cleanings and extractions.

I would rather feed all dry kibble which I think would be better for the cat's teeth, but, at the same time, I don't want problems later on with urinary tract issues from crystals. My cat is a neutered male and doesn't drink much water. So I am feeding wet food as well with extra water added. I'm trying to prevent urinary problems.  
What's worse? Bad teeth, or bladder problems.  
Just hope for the best I guess!

Well, it's a balancing act, depending on the cat I guess. For cats prone to crystals, it can be life threatening and require immediate emergency surgery. While dental problems can affect a cat's health and require surgery, it's not often immediately life threatening.

I truly admire people who regularly brush a cat's teeth! I cannot imagine the time and persistence that takes. After the vet recommended brushing my cat's teeth I tried it once. Never again! I fed him both dry and wet food. He lost some teeth as he aged but never had any trouble eating. He lived to the ripe old age of 16 and never saw a toothbrush again.