Questions about teething

[Antonio65]

Hi all,
This kitten I have at home now, her name is Giada (Italian for Jade), is teething, so I presume she's older than I thought.
Today I noticed she had issues with her mouth, like she had something stuck in her mouth. I checked her and noticed she has two new upper teeth. I am relatively sure they weren't there yesterday or two days ago.

Questions:
Are two lower canines adult teeth already (I missed them changing) or are they still kitten teeth? They seem bigger than I remember.
Which of the two upper teeth are going to fall? The inner or outer ones?
Will all siblings lose their teeth in the same period? They are in different homes.
I thought this kitten was born Sept 10-15... Does the teething mean she might be two or three weeks older?
Could the bad smelling breath in the past week be related to the teething?

Giada is not too well due to this, I hope this passes soon!

Thanks!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I actually can give you NO firsthand advice on this as all my cats have been at least 6 months old when they found me. But, until other knowledgeable members come along (hopefully soon!!) with their input, maybe this article will help?
Kitten Teething: What You Need to Know

 

[Sarthur2]

Can you get her checked by a vet to make sure she does not have an infection? Infection can cause bad breath, or it may be from what she is eating. Her gut bacteria may be off and you can sprinkle the powder from a probiotic capsule in her wet food to help the flora.

She is the right age to be teething her adult teeth. Although it may hurt, you cannot give aspirin or Tylenol. They can be fatal to cats.

Here’s an article about teething:

When Do Kittens Lose Their Baby Teeth?

 

[jen]

When cats go through their teething stage their breath will stink awful. I wouldn't worry, wait until all the baby teeth fall out and check again. Also have your vet make sure none remain as she approaches 9-12 months as they should be removed (which can usually be done while being spayed if she isn't already spayed). The bottom teeth look like adult teeth and you are right that the uppers probably seemed to pop up really fast. She will lose them and likely swallow them soon.

I am pretty sure kittens can get adult teeth starting around 4 months until 6 give or take so she could be a little older, but I bet by the time she loses those top ones you can say she is around 6 months old.

 

[Antonio65]

Can you get her checked by a vet to make sure she does not have an infection? Infection can cause bad breath, or it may be from what she is eating. Her gut bacteria may be off and you can sprinkle the powder from a probiotic capsule in her wet food to help the flora.

The kitten first developed a bad breath on last Sunday (a week ago), and two days later I took her to the vet who checked her and found nothing in her mouth, not even a glimpse of an adult tooth.
The vet said I could add some probiotic in her diet, just like as you said.

The kitten is currently taking some drops of Itroconazole for a mycosis, I also blamed the med for her bad breath.

Here’s an article about teething:
When Do Kittens Lose Their Baby Teeth?

It says
Canine teeth by about five months
So this could mean that my kitten is 5 months old and not 4 as I thought.

 

[Antonio65]

The bottom teeth look like adult teeth and you are right that the uppers probably seemed to pop up really fast. She will lose them and likely swallow them soon.

I didn't realize she changed her teeth prior to these. And I check her mouth regularly. giving her meds daily makes me open her mouth, I should have seen something...

I am pretty sure kittens can get adult teeth starting around 4 months until 6 give or take so she could be a little older, but I bet by the time she loses those top ones you can say she is around 6 months old.

How long will it take to lose those milk teeth in the upper jaw? She seems a bit uncomfortable at the moment.
And what about the incisors? Are they the definitive one already?

I was really sure she was born around mid-September, I should move back her birth date by about a month so.

 

[jen]

It is hard to say but I think your guess on her age is pretty close at least. I wouldn't overthink it too much. By 4 months all her adult incisors are in place which those look like adult teeth in the front there. The adult canine teeth will start showing and the old ones will fall out by 5 months, by 6 months all adult teeth should be in place (molars and pre-molars). All cats are slightly different depending on their development. Sounds like her age is about accurate.

If she will chew on soft toys or canned food that can help, but I wouldn't worry about her being uncomfortable, they will fall out when they are ready.

 

[Antonio65]

It is hard to say but I think your guess on her age is pretty close at least. I wouldn't overthink it too much.

You're right, but I'd like to be as precise as possible over her age
Also, spaying her at the right age should be taken into account. Over here many vets are quite adamant that it must be done past the 7th month of age.
So, when you say that my guess is pretty close, do you mean that she was born mid-September (my first guess), or a month earlier (my second guess based on her teeth)?

If she will chew on soft toys or canned food that can help, but I wouldn't worry about her being uncomfortable, they will fall out when they are ready.

Alright!
I would like to find at least one tooth to have as a keepsake

 

[jen]

Your original guess is what I meant.

You might get lucky and find one! All the years with kittens I have never found a tooth lol. But many people do.

 

[jen]

I think when you can gauge it for sure would be when those baby fangs fall out. You will know she is over 5 months. So keep an eye. I am just guessing, all cats can vary a bit.

 

[vince]

You'll have to keep a constant eye on your kitty if you want a baby tooth. I never have been able to catch one coming out. All I'd ever see was the little red gum hole where it had been.

 

[Antonio65]

Your original guess is what I meant.

OK, thank you!

You might get lucky and find one! All the years with kittens I have never found a tooth lol. But many people do.

I did find a milk tooth of my first kitten, Kitty, when she lost it. It was stuck on her fur, right under her neck. I saw a reddish spot on her white coat and it was her tooth. It was end August 1999, I still have it somewhere.

 

[Antonio65]

You'll have to keep a constant eye on your kitty if you want a baby tooth. I never have been able to catch one coming out. All I'd ever see was the little red gum hole where it had been.

If it's true that the bottom canines in the photo are the adult teeth, well, it seems I've been able to miss more than one tooth...

 

[Antonio65]

Yesterday Giada has dropped one of the upper milk teeth, one more to go.

 

[Antonio65]

On Saturday morning Giada lost her last milk canine tooth, it was there (I'm quite sure) early in the morning, it wasn't there around noon.
Well, I managed to find it on the sofa in the late afternoon

Now I am waiting for the other rear teeth to pop up.

 

[cataholic07]

I don't understand why vets want you to spay after 6 months old when females can go into heat at 4 months old and even get pregnant.. if a female's body is big enough to be ready to have babies, you would think a vet would be able to spay a kitten that's pretty much sexually mature... my kitten Ceriah is 4 months old, and I uh look forward to the teething stage, the poor girl lol.

 

[Antonio65]

I don't understand why vets want you to spay after 6 months old when females can go into heat at 4 months old and even get pregnant.. if a female's body is big enough to be ready to have babies, you would think a vet would be able to spay a kitten that's pretty much sexually mature... my kitten Ceriah is 4 months old, and I uh look forward to the teething stage, the poor girl lol.

It's a European school. Over here vets prefer to wait for cats to be 6-8 months old prior to spaying/neutering.
The reason they usually explain is that an early fixing could affect the growth of the kitten.