Do you brush your cat's teeth?

[rose2015]

Hi all, just wondering if the toothpaste is important to include. I can only manage to brush my cat's teeth without the toothpaste and then perhaps a swipe of the toothpaste at the end. My cat LOVES the flavour and licks the entire toothbrush hence no brushing gets done. Also, how many seconds does everyone brush their cat's teeth for? I can only ever manage a few swipes, then a break, then a few more swipes.

xo

 

[LTS3]

 
Hi all, just wondering if the toothpaste is important to include. I can only manage to brush my cat's teeth without the toothpaste and then perhaps a swipe of the toothpaste at the end. My cat LOVES the flavour and licks the entire toothbrush hence no brushing gets done. Also, how many seconds does everyone brush their cat's teeth for? I can only ever manage a few swipes, then a break, then a few more swipes.

xo

The brushng action of the toothrbush will remove food particles and such. Toothpaste isn't really necessary IMO but some of the tartar control ones are helpful to keep tartar from forming. A quick scrub of the teeth is plenty. I brush my cats' teeth for less than 10 seconds. My cats love their toothpaste, too, but I don't have a problem with gettng the toothpaste scrubbed onto their teeth.

 

[rose2015]

Thank you so much!

 

[rose2015]

1 more question for all of the amazing people in this forum.

Apart from brushing, what other methods do you use for keeping your cat's teeth clean and encouraging jaw strength.

My feeding list is below, however i'm always worried about imbalances cause by too many bones or too much muscle meat (Dr Lisa Pierson mentions muscle meat can be 15-20% of the daily calories, which ends up being around 20g chicken breast or approx 15 grams lamb - doesn't seem like enough to help with dental care. It's also a little tricky to work out daily calories of food and various types of muscle meat).

I don't feed much kibble, mostly premium canned (Holistic Select or Canidae - limited options in Australia with premium canned)

Barf style 2 times a week (at the moment kangaroo)

Chicken wings or chicken necks 2 times a week.

Small amount of raw chunks 3 times a week.

My 9 month old is prone to a little inflammation around the gums (light-mild gingivitis which our vet said is most likely viral), the brushing helps reduce inflammation, however  i think i can see very light yellow forming on back molars in the correct sunlight (or perhaps i'm imagining) So she is obviously prone to dental issues, but just need help on what else to do. I already brush her teeth approx 3-4 times a week (although sometimes unsuccessfully -we're getting there though)

Would love your feedback on what you do, and what else i could be doing. Please note, i'm hesitant to add dental solutions to her water as i'm not sure about the internal consquences of doing that.

 

[cocobutterfly]

Please note, i'm hesitant to add dental solutions to her water as i'm not sure about the internal consquences of doing that.

I agree with you, and for that same reason, I think it's best to limit the amount of toothpaste used since cats can't rinse it out and end up ingesting all those not-so-great ingredients. The abrasion from the brush alone does a lot to remove buildup, and 3-4x a week brushing is excellent! We're still trying to work up from just once a week since our cat really hates it. I can see some yellow molars on our two year old as well, but so far no dental issues and we're trying to keep it that way. 

 

[rose2015]

Thank you so much! Oh yes, I agree and would say my more successful attempts are about once a week, the rest are just very quick swipes. Do you think brushing really helps? Just concerned about the yellowing, which you've seen on your cat too. Do you think brushing just reduces the several of plaque/tartar as opposed to eliminating it all together? @cocobutterfly

 

[reversedpolarit]

Arcturus is prone to dental issues as he's FIV+ (I've just got him back from a clean and extraction), but because he's an older cat and he's only been with me for two weeks I've not yet attempted to brush his teeth. So he has a couple of toys which are designed to help clean his teeth (actually the toys he prefers) and once his stitches have healed I'll reintroduce dry food which can be beneficial.

Could the brushing be the cause of the irritation?

 

[molly92]

My 9 month old is prone to a little inflammation around the gums (light-mild gingivitis which our vet said is most likely viral), the brushing helps reduce inflammation, however  i think i can see very light yellow forming on back molars in the correct sunlight (or perhaps i'm imagining) So she is obviously prone to dental issues, but just need help on what else to do. I already brush her teeth approx 3-4 times a week (although sometimes unsuccessfully -we're getting there though)

Would love your feedback on what you do, and what else i could be doing. Please note, i'm hesitant to add dental solutions to her water as i'm not sure about the internal consquences of doing that.

I would ask your vet to teach you how to recognize tartar build up and inflammation the next time you go in for a check up. Yellowing is sometimes just a natural result of aging, and bleach-white teeth do not always equal perfect dental health either! I'm not an expert, but I know I've been worried about an animal's yellowy teeth before only to have vets tell me they're perfectly healthy.

Honestly, it sounds like you're doing everything right. Teeth brushing is pretty much the best thing you can do. Vet check-ups twice a year for problem-prone cats are important as well, and raw snacks, especially with a little bit of raw bone like in chicken necks and wings are probably very helpful. I've also heard that water additives can be harmful or just not effective because cats don't consume enough water for it to make a difference.

 

[rose2015]

Thank you so much for replying!

Thats's a great idea @Molly92  i didn't even think of asking the vet to show  me what to look out for - definitely something for the next checkup. Regarding the brushing, we're still working on it, but i only manage to get a few swipes then a break and then a few more swipes most nights. Sometimes only one side, sometimes not at all because she just wants to play (too adorable). So not sure if that's enough in terms of brushing, but since it's taken a few months to even get to that stage,i have hopes of longer sessions of brushing (eg 5 seconds each side).

How many bones do you think are safe to feed each week without overdoing it on the calcium?

(I also feed 1-2 Barf patties per week, which has ground up bone in it (no more than 10%), so i'm just very cautious of messing up nutritional balances).

 

[molly92]

 
Thank you so much for replying!

Thats's a great idea @Molly92  i didn't even think of asking the vet to show  me what to look out for - definitely something for the next checkup. Regarding the brushing, we're still working on it, but i only manage to get a few swipes then a break and then a few more swipes most nights. Sometimes only one side, sometimes not at all because she just wants to play (too adorable). So not sure if that's enough in terms of brushing, but since it's taken a few months to even get to that stage,i have hopes of longer sessions of brushing (eg 5 seconds each side).

How many bones do you think are safe to feed each week without overdoing it on the calcium?

(I also feed 1-2 Barf patties per week, which has ground up bone in it (no more than 10%), so i'm just very cautious of messing up nutritional balances).

I'm not super successful with teeth brushing either yet, honestly! I did read something the other day where someone tried using tuna water on the toothbrush to get the cat to put up with it and then gradually diluted the amount of tuna water over time, so I might try that method soon.

I don't know a whole lot about raw feeding, but I think the guideline is if you just feed raw occasionally and it makes up less than 10% of the cat's food, then you don't need to worry about proportions. In a standard raw diet, bones are about 10-12% (I'm not certain if that refers to weight or just kind of eyeballing it?), less if the cat is prone to constipation. 

 

[sweetpea24]

1 more question for all of the amazing people in this forum.
Apart from brushing, what other methods do you use for keeping your cat's teeth clean and encouraging jaw strength.

My feeding list is below, however i'm always worried about imbalances cause by too many bones or too much muscle meat (Dr Lisa Pierson mentions muscle meat can be 15-20% of the daily calories, which ends up being around 20g chicken breast or approx 15 grams lamb - doesn't seem like enough to help with dental care. It's also a little tricky to work out daily calories of food and various types of muscle meat).

I don't feed much kibble, mostly premium canned (Holistic Select or Canidae - limited options in Australia with premium canned)
Barf style 2 times a week (at the moment kangaroo)
Chicken wings or chicken necks 2 times a week.
Small amount of raw chunks 3 times a week.

My 9 month old is prone to a little inflammation around the gums (light-mild gingivitis which our vet said is most likely viral), the brushing helps reduce inflammation, however  i think i can see very light yellow forming on back molars in the correct sunlight (or perhaps i'm imagining) So she is obviously prone to dental issues, but just need help on what else to do. I already brush her teeth approx 3-4 times a week (although sometimes unsuccessfully -we're getting there though)


Would love your feedback on what you do, and what else i could be doing. Please note, i'm hesitant to add dental solutions to her water as i'm not sure about the internal consquences of doing that.

Healthymouth is a brand that makes all natural gels, sprays and water additives. The gel and spray are meant to be used after a dental cleaning to maintain but they will also prevent further buildup. The water additive comes in unflavored and flavored. It is endorsed by Dr. Fraser Hale, a leading specialist in dentistry. It is very expensive but the water additive uses a teaspoon for a liter of water so you could make a liter and put it in the fridge. The gel you can use a brush o cotton swab. I do like it especially because it is all natural. Has antioxidants too.