Cat owners need to be conscious of their feline companion’s oral health because cats are good at hiding their pain and may suffer from painful oral health issues without making it obvious. Monitoring and regularly cleaning your cat’s teeth will help you detect any oral health issues early, and this guide will tell you everything you need to know regarding cat dental care.
In order to avoid pain and expensive treatment, you need to keep your cat’s teeth clean. Dental disease is common in cats, and if you don’t take care of their dental health, your cat may experience pain and discomfort and even hidden dental diseases that may cause life-threatening heart, liver and kidney disease in severe cases. Dental disease is progressive and will start with plaque formation.
How to Clean Your Cat’s Teeth at Home
Establishing a daily oral hygiene routine for your cat while they are still a kitten will help make this process easy and stress-free, as your cat will be accustomed to having their teeth brushed and mouth touched from a young age. Maintaining this daily dental hygiene routine for your cat will help keep their teeth and gums healthy throughout their life, and the following steps will help you establish a routine:
- Lift your cat’s lips and use your fingers to massage their teeth and gums for a few seconds. Do this gently.
- Don’t give up. You may only be able to reach a couple of teeth the first few times you try this, and that’s okay. Do not have high expectations because the goal is to build trust in your cat to prevent them from being scared of this process.
- Stay calm. Give your cat lots of praise and a yummy treat after your teeth-and-gum massage, and work on building your cat’s tolerance to this process. They need to feel comfortable with this experience, and you can then start to increase the length of time you spend massaging their teeth.
- Introduce a soft-bristled toothbrush. Once your cat is used to you massaging their gums each day, you can then introduce a soft-bristled toothbrush you can get from a veterinary clinic along with cat-specific toothpaste.
- Start using the toothbrush. Your cat may start by just licking a small dab of toothpaste from your finger, after which you can start using the toothbrush.
A proper oral hygiene routine for your cat is a must, but doing this at home is not enough, and annual professional dental care at a veterinary clinic is equally important. This will ensure your cat’s mouth remains healthy and pain-free as a vet will evaluate their oral health, take x-rays if necessary and complete a thorough cleaning.
Conclusion
Want to ensure your cat has the best oral health? Animal Clinic of East Durham can help! Our veterinary clinic in Bowmanville will treat your cat’s oral health issues, and we will provide you with professional recommendations regarding care or surgery if need be. Our veterinary clinic recommends annual professional dental care as a part of your cat’s preventative healthcare routine. You can contact us anytime at (905) 623- 4431 to schedule an appointment!
