Orange Cats Get Gingivitis More Easily?

My orange boy has always had fairly bad breath, and when I got him I just thought it was from the teething process, but it hasn't gotten better 5 months after he's done teething. A couple weeks ago I was checking out his teeth and I noticed some redness around the gums and wasn't sure if it was normal or not (but my other cat, a brown tabby, very clearly doesn't have redness around his gums).

I got a little worried and panicked myself over the possibilities of gum disease, even though he's only 10.5 months old, and started looking up all sorts of things about cats having to get their teeth pulled and whatnot. So ever since then I've been brushing their teeth daily (used to only do it 1-2 times a week) and giving them giblets to chew on 1-2 times a week. I've also instead of using entirely ground meat for their homemade raw, I've started chopping some of the meat into cubes so they have something more to chew in their food too.

But last night I looked at Colby's teeth again and the gums still seemed reddish. I took photos (as best I could) and sent them into my vet, and this morning they replied that he seems to have a mild case of gingivitis, and that it's a lot more common in orange cats, but Colby should be fine if I just continue to brush his teeth. Anyone else ever heard that orange cats get gingivitis more? And does anyone else on here have any advice about what else I can do to keep his teeth healthy? Photos (sorry about the poor quality) will be attached:

TLDR; Do orange cats really get gingivitis more commonly than other cat colors? Any advice on keeping his teeth clean besides brushing and giving meaty chunks? And based on the photos, is my vet right that it's just a mild case, and I can keep on doing what I normally do?

I can't advise on your Colby's gums, however, my vet just informed me at my, orange cat, Ruby's last checkup that she had a bit of gingivitis. She also told me that it is more common, or starts earlier, in orange cats. However, Ruby, at 6 or 7-ish, is a lot older than your Colby, and last November was the first time the vet mentioned her gums.

Since there's NO WAY Ruby would EVER let me brush her teeth, my vet suggested giving her some "dental" kibble every day as treats. These kibble are bigger than regular ones, and supposedly because the kibble pushes against their gums when they bite into them, it should help with the inflammation. Unfortunately, Ruby has a sensitive belly and too many of these kibble gives her diarrhea. So she isn't getting as many as day, as I'd like.

This is the one she suggested: Hill's® Science Diet® Adult Oral Care Cat Food - dry

I don’t think coat color would affect a cat’s likelihood to get gingivitis. I have heard that the Siamese family breeds are more prone to gum disease, but, nothing nothing about if color is a factor. An interesting question, though, for sure.

Here’s an article that gives more info about gingivitis: Gingivitis And Stomatitis In Cats

I am a human Doctor, not a Vet. Although it is notoriously difficult to make a diagnosis from a photograph and despite the apparent lack of pain on brushing his teeth, your photograph is consistent with mild to moderate gingivitis.

Incidentally You wrote: I got a little worried and panicked myself over the possibilities of gum disease, but "Gingivitis" means inflammation of the gums which is a form of gum disease, (or more specifically inflammation of the space between the teeth and the gums.) Your vet can advise, after seeing Colby, not just Colby's photograph, just what is wrong and what complications to expect and I advise you to seek veterinary opinion as soon as you can.

Best regards,
Geoffrey

Geoffrey said:

Incidentally You wrote: I got a little worried and panicked myself over the possibilities of gum disease, but "Gingivitis" means inflammation of the gums which is a form of gum disease, (or more specifically inflammation of the space between the teeth and the gums.) Your vet can advise, after seeing Colby, not just Colby's photograph, just what is wrong and what complications to expect and I advise you to seek veterinary opinion as soon as you can

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Thanks for the reply. And yes, I know gingivitis is a gum disease, which is why I got worried over the possibility of it prior to confirming it with my vet. Now, after consulting the vet I know he has a form of gum disease, which worries me even more. But as for going in to see the vet in person, the vet himself said to just wait and see if it gets worse, so Colby's not going in right now (and I have to say I'm happy to not spend $50 for a check up where the vet would just tell me the same thing he said over email).

rubysmama said:

my vet suggested giving her some "dental" kibble every day as treats. These kibble are bigger than regular ones, and supposedly because the kibble pushes against their gums when they bite into them, it should help with the inflammation.

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I do give a few dental treats every day (forgot to mention that), along with the brushing and giblets. I just don't know what else there is I can do at this point. I'm doing everything I can and his gums are still always red. I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle. He's not even a year old so I thought it would be a while longer before I'd really have to worry about gum disease...

abyeb said:

Here’s an article that gives more info about gingivitis: Gingivitis And Stomatitis In Cats

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Thanks for the article, it's one of the few I hadn't yet seen. I've been all over the internet looking at early onset gingivitis articles and research.