bad breath

lesliet98

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My 7 month old, male kitten has bad breath.
I just noticed it a couple of weeks ago.
He has been eating the same food since I got him.
Iams Kitten Dry. He only has wet food, one in a great while.
Can anyone think of any causes or how to help?
Thanks
 

hell603

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First of all what do you consider bad breath? How bad is it???

If you suspect any sort of dental health issues in take him or her to the vet asap. At minimum your vet can give your cat a professional tooth cleaning and mouth check up.

Symptoms to look for:

Bad breath
Loss of appetite
Loss of weight
Yellow/brown/black teeth
Swollen, red gums
Missing or broken teeth

Treatment:

At home you should brush your cat's teeth at least once a week. You should start brushing at a very young age and start slowly so that your cat can get used to having his/her teeth cleaned. Good luck!!!
 

simon's mommy

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My male cat also has very bad breath. His teeth and gums look fine. He is still getting his adult teeth could this be the reason for the bad breath?
 
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lesliet98

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Thanks for those thoughts.
Honestly I haven't even looked at his teeth.
He was at the vet's less than a month ago and everything was fine but maybe they didn't look at his teeth.
He's a kitten that likes to lick so you notice the breath smell. It's not wicked awful but enough to make you turn your head.
I will check his teeth out tonight. I'm not sure how he'll like getting them cleaned.
 

sandie

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It can also be genetics. Some cats are predisposed to gum disease. Make sure and keep an eye on his teeth and look for other signs of illness.
 

sophie&ray

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I wanted to add that our cat Sophie had bad breath when I got her from the shelter at 7 months of age - I figured it wasn't her fault and I'd love her anyway. She was very skittish, and mostly hung out under the bed. The shelter said she was born feral, so I figured this was the way she was going to be. She also had a really weak, scratchy meow and hardly purred at all.

I took her to a vet when I got her, the vet said all was OK. At about 1 year of age, she had become increasingly more congested in her head, and when you listened to her sleep you could hear she was having trouble breathing.

So, I took her to another vet who determined she had raging gum disease. Her gums were so infected at 1 year of age that four of her teeth had fallen out. Vet had to put her under and cut off the diseased tissue and pull some loose teeth.

I shared all of this because I want to stress the importance of cleaning their teeth, especially if they're predisposed to this type of condition. (Our vet said Black & White cats get it more often (?)) Sophie doesn't love having her teeth cleaned, but she tolerates it. Now she can breathe easy, meow clearly and purr often. She hangs out with us and plays like the young cat she is.

The point is that I never thought about providing dental care for a cat, but it has totally improved her quality of life.
 

chloe111

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My male cat also has horrible breath. His teeth are fine- it's just a really bad odor like a human's bad breath.
My female cat's breath is fine- it's just his.
 
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