Dental help

[Tigmimi]

Hi all,

My cat Tiggy is 7 years old who last had a dental cleaning when she was 2. Since that time she has been eating the Hills Prescription dental food which the vet told me to use after her last cleaning. I also used the Healthy Mouth additive for a couple of years but recently stopped the food and the dental water for various reasons but generally I just felt neither were good for my cats. I have since switched to wet food with a bit of top quality grain free dry food mixed in. I have also started using PlaqueOff. Over the last couple of months I noticed her upper back right of her teeth (probably only the back two teeth on the one side) are quite yellow and a small amount of inflammation. It has been weighing on my mind as to what to do. Normally I wouldn't hesitate but to take her to the vet for a check up but she is the most DIFFICULT cat to take to the vet. She is extremely clever - if she hears the noise of the carrier coming out the cupboard, she will run and hide and you will never get her out. If she sees the thing left out for a few days prior to going to the vet, she will still hide. If by chance you manage to get her and try to put her in the carrier, she will scratch your eyes out, wrestle to get away, run and hide and the issue is even worse. She just gets soooooo stressed. I even had a mobile vet over and she still ran and hid because she isn't fond of new people. It makes her seem like a horrible cat but she really isn't. She is so sweet its just that cat carriers/vets/unknown people really stress her out.

So I am in a quandary. And I am debating with myself if this tooth is even bad enough to have to go through all of this stress. I wish I had a picture to show you but it is also really hard to look at her teeth as it is. I have googled extensively and it doesn't look terrible. At worst stage 2 I would say. The rest of her teeth look great apart from the two upper back right ones. But I am still worrying.

I have bought a cat toothbrush and tried brushing but she absolutely won't tolerate it
The PlaqueOff is working but it has only been 5 weeks so maybe if I leave it longer, it will work even better

Shall I do whatever it takes to get her to the vet (God help me)? Or shall I watch and wait?

My cats are my babies and I don't know what to do.

 

[BellaGooch]

Hi! I would advise calling your vet to see what they recommend. Has she seemed to be in pain (especially while chewing?)
If she does end up needing to meet with a vet, there are some natural melatonin treats to give her to help calm her down. Good luck, and please do keep us updated!

 

[Tigmimi]

Hi! I would advise calling your vet to see what they recommend. Has she seemed to be in pain (especially while chewing?)
If she does end up needing to meet with a vet, there are some natural melatonin treats to give her to help calm her down. Good luck, and please do keep us updated!

No she doesn't seem to be in pain, enjoys her food, playful, breath isn't bad. I have a habit of taking my cats (specifically my other cat) to the vet over small things when nothing is wrong hence me questioning if she really needs to go. I've got some pictures. Some better than others...I put her through so much trauma just taking these photos. I feel so bad

 

[BellaGooch]

Aw, poor baby.
Perhaps it's tartar? I'm not the expert on cat teeth, haha, but I'm sure somebody else with more experience than I will come along and confirm/deny this. I'm very glad that she doesn't seem to be in pain, though. Hang in there!

 

[Tigmimi]

Aw, poor baby.
Perhaps it's tartar? I'm not the expert on cat teeth, haha, but I'm sure somebody else with more experience than I will come along and confirm/deny this. I'm very glad that she doesn't seem to be in pain, though. Hang in there!

Thanks
I know this isn't a substitute for the vet but I don't want to take her unnecessarily.Just wondering if anyone knows more than I do...

 

[LTS3]

What toothpaste do you have? Most cats love the CET poultry flavored toothpaste and will happily lick it right out of the tube. You won't find this brand in a pet store so you'll have to buy online if your vet doesn't sell it. The starter kit has a great mini cat sized toothbrush.

Is a mobile vet an option? You'd just need to put your cat in a room with few hiding spots ahead of the appointment so you're not chasing the cat around. The bathroom is usually good unless yours is teeny tiny even with just one person inside.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!

Have you considered calming products? There are sprays for the carrier and the car, and treats for her - plus covering the carrier can be quite helpful once she's in.

About the carrier, you could possibly try taking ahold of the skin (just the skin, nothing else) on the back of her neck, while being absolutely sure to support the weight of her body. I don't advise doing this except in super difficult situations. I had to because I have a big, physically strong carrier/car/vet averse cat.

 

[jeannem]

I am currently leaving the carrier we got from the humane society broken down and sitting permanently by my computer desk. Suki will not go near it. I had put some towels and a heating pad in the bottom for this winter (We keep the house about 65 degrees) to help her be warm this winter. The towels and heating pad are now in the corner where she used to curl up.
j

 

[Tagrendy]

Hi, if she's enjoying food and doesn't seem to be in pain, and gets super stressed from vet visit, I would try solutions at home and monitor the inflammation area for now.

Regarding brushing cat teeth, this is a very slow process to get the cat used to it. It took me 2.5 weeks. The first couple if days you apply the paste with fingers and only on the frontal teeth, getting the cat used to the taste and fingers. Next couple of days, still using fingers, you go further on the sides. Slowly you also get at the inner sides. After maybe a week is when I started using a brush, and i started again with only few front teeth the first few days, following the same pattern just with the brush this week. After 10 days or so of using the brush I could fully clean the teeth, it would take me 35-40 seconds, and that's how much he tolerates atm. If this cat is more jumpy, more patience might be needed, just wanted to share so you don't get disappointed that the cat doesn't allow teeth being brushed now.

About the carrier, if he already has bad association with existing carrier it will be hard to break. But it's generally good to have the carrier lay around the house, with open door, you can make it comfy by putting fluffy towel / blanket inside, from time to time leave some treats inside, and play with him around the carrier. When mine gets into the carrier at home, I sometimes tease him with putting fingers inside and out of carrier holes ( that's what she said ). But this again, as with almost anything with cats, is a slow process. Cats learn real slow, building positive associations takes a lot of patience.

 

[di and bob]

They don't look that bad to me, maybe a little tartar buildup. Something you could make a note of and bring up when she has to go to the vet for vaccinations or whatever. My Dutch's teeth looked just like that and look much better since I have started using Oratene and Oxyfresh water additives. There are cat dental treats you might give too. I have never had trouble with my cat's teeth since I started using them, and the vet comments on how good they look. the only cats I have had in for cleanings/surgery are a new stray and Casper, who somehow broke one of his.