Dental Care

I wasn't sure whether I should post this here or in the General Cat Care forum, but I figure dental care is closely tied to food.

Thor, my cat, is just over five months old. He is just entering puberty, and I guess he'll be getting his adult teeth soon (I read that it happens at around 6 months).

He eats primarily wet food (a variety of brands, including Wellness, Koha, and more) and we buy him liver and gizzards that he loves.

Based on his diet, I don't think we'll have to brush his teeth.... right? Gizzards are very tough, and chewy, so he ought to be fine. I just can't picture him allowing anyone to poke his mouth and stick a toothbrush in there.

He's got good genetics, none of his predecessors had tooth problems and, in fact, they had very spledid teeth.

Once he's older, we might even feed him chicken wings (raw), since I know bones are the best way to clean teeth. The downside is that 1) he'll drag the wing around the kitchen and 2) I get really scared feeding cats bones.

Any advice/opinions? Thanks in advance.

Don't be scared about the bone! Cats can eat pliable, non-weight bearing bones including wing tips (not the entire wing? Someone else will have to chime in here) and chicken necks and be perfectly fine. Just be sure to supervise when you do feed it.

EmersonandEvie said:

Don't be scared about the bone! Cats can eat pliable, non-weight bearing bones including wing tips (not the entire wing? Someone else will have to chime in here) and chicken necks and be perfectly fine. Just be sure to supervise when you do feed it.

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Ah, this clears things up. Thank you!

You're welcome! Just fyi, mine will not touch raw chicken necks but go wild for dehydrated necks. It also helps with the "dragging raw meat across the kitchen" problem.

I'd still brush the teeth regularly. More dental care can't hurt, IMO. If you use a yummy pet toothpaste, most cats just think they're getting a treat delivered right into their mouths

Tommy and Stewart have practically always had the same diet. Tommy's teeth were heavily tartar'd and Stewart's teeth are beautiful. I had been scaling Tom's teeth since he was a year or two old, until I lost the tool. He got a professional cleaning at age 8.
They were eating dry, then canned, then raw.

You can (and you should!) train your guy to accept tooth brushing and it shouldn’t take more than a few moments a day. You’re not looking to brush for two minutes. You just want to get it around his mouth for a sweep around the outside. The inside he can handle with his tongue and also doesn’t attract as much tartar anyway.

Brushing Your Cat's Teeth | Partners in Animal Health

I wish I had done this with Krista. I think she still might accept it. But since she’s already had some teeth removed, she needs another dental before this can be green-lighted.

Also chunks of meat that Thor will have to spend some time chewing are also nature’s toothbrush for cats.

Your cat is at the perfect age to start with tooth brushing. I started around 6 months, and my cats took to it really well. In fact, one of my cats loves toothpaste so much that I use it as a treat when we go to the vets. A lot of cats also like the feel of the toothbrush on their teeth.

The chicken gizzards will help, but brushing is better.

Our cats also love having their teeth brushed -- one of them even runs to the bathroom for it when she thinks it's mealtime!

There's also a probiotic that can apparently be used to help with dental health, though the vet tech at our local cat practice thinks brushing is still far better. (She said the vast, vast majority of people don't want to brush their cats' teeth so it's good to have options.)

Thanks for the feedback!

Brushing is the gold standard for dental care, even if your implementing other helpful things.