Tooth-Brushin' Cat - making progress.....

raysmyheart

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A couple of weeks ago, I bought a toothbrushing kit for cats and decided to give it another try.  When I adopted Speedy two years ago, I tried, but with not too much results.

This time, I am taking the approach I took with harness training:  patience!

Well, she is starting to enjoy it!  At first I left the toothbrush close with a little toothpaste.  Then other days, I gently rub her cheeks with the brush.  May I say, I did this for awhile without trying to brush her teeth.  I saw this in a video that was posted here.  Just let the cat get used to the brush and paste.

Now, she is starting to let me brush some teeth!!  

Are there any toothbrushing cats out there that enjoy having their teeth brushed?                 
 

shadowsrescue

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I would love to see the video as my boy hates to have his teeth brushed and they are in awful shape.  I need to get him in for a teeth cleaning, but the expense is just awful.  I so wish there was an easier way.

Good for you for giving this a try and taking the time and patience necessary!!!
 

LTS3

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http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/pet-owners/cat-teeth

Using a good tasting toothpaste usually convinces a cat to allow tootbrushing. Try CET poultry flavored toothpaste.

My GA cat loved having his teeth brushed
I didn't start brushing his teeeth until he was 8 years old and had several bad teeth removed. He would sit under the cabinet where i kept his toothpaste and beg.

My Aby has a love/hate relationship with toothbrushing
Sometimes he'll get excited and run to the bathroom and wait for the toothbrush. Other times he runs away trilling if he even thinks I'm about to pick up up to take him to the bathroom for toothbrushing.
 

mservant

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Mouse loves his poultry flavour toothpaste.  He used to have his teeth brushed twice day from when he was around 9 months because he got very sick with infected ulcers in his mouth.  I use Logic enzyme paste here.  He'd come running when I said tooth time and got the paste tube out and it was like giving him a treat.  
  Now I only tend to use the finger brush about once a week and other days he licks the paste from my finger.  He doesn't particularly like when I brush inside his mouth but he lets me do it without any problem, and licking the paste is still a treat to him so I don't push it.  His immune system seems to have toughened up a bit over the past two years and his teeth and gums look clear without such regular brushing and for me it is very important he doesn't start to resist the routine.  

When I first introduced the enzyme paste I didn't use the brush, I let Mouse lick it off my finger so he wasn't nervous of anything new or uncomfortable, and felt in control of what was happening to him.  It would be easy enough then to wipe the paste on to a cat's lips if they didn't choose to lick your finger and then it would be a natural reaction for them to lick the paste from around their mouth and get the same results.  I only introduced the brush once his mouth was less inflamed and he had decided he liked the paste and came for it like a treat.  I always thought Mouse thought a big bit of the fun was being allowed to chew on my finger because when he was younger he was a real biter. Now it's more like he licks me to death than chewing. 
 

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Our cats also love their toothpaste: they have CET seafood flavor. They hop right up on the bathroom counter for it every night -- they love licking the stuff off the toothbrush, then I try to get a few swipes at their back teeth. They're getting better about accepting that.

It's taken a couple months to get to that point. I think the key things are, as @raysmyheart wrote, taking it very slowly in the beginning and gradually working up to real toothbrushing. Our cats have moderate tooth and gum problems, more than they should for being only two years old, so there's lots of incentive to clean their teeth. FWIW, they also had the Bartonella bacterium, which our vet says can cause mouth problems -- they've gotten a course of antibiotics for that and we're hoping it will help!
 

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Great stories!

I've been brushing my cats' teeth daily for almost a year now - or trying to.  They kind of trade off being cooperative; at any given time, one of them will run under the bed the moment he sees me with the toothbrush.  Right now the one who has been the most stubborn about toothbrushing is as good as gold - will see how long it lasts.  I tell him "sit" and give him a treat, then brush - treat - brush - treat several times.  He sits there and headbutts/paws me and the toothbrush.  So cute.  The other one I have to grab while he's too sleepy to run off.  He puts up with it and then runs away at the first opportunity.

I also use the CET poultry toothpaste, although I'd rather brush with Petzlife gel.  One of my cats gets reddened gumlines if I only brush with the CET toothpaste, or only put the Petzlife gel on his teeth without brushing.  It's good stuff but the cats hate it.
 
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raysmyheart

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    Speedy still making progress!    She is enjoying licking the paste and chomping on the brush!   At this point, I'm only able to maybe get one section of teeth brushed,  but I'm hoping to work up to more teeth.  It's actually a learning process for me, as I never realized how many teeth she actually has.  I am really surprised at the tiny teeth in the front! 

I am going to look for the CET toothpaste, as mentioned here, but I have not seen it.

I am really happy to read the stories of other cats who have their teeth cleaned!
 

LTS3

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Keep it up, Speedy


CET dental products aren't sold in chain pet stores. I buy mine from a local pet grooming place. I have seen CET at two independent pet stores but at a higher price. Your location says Massachusetts. Are you in the Boston area? Buying online is always an option but keep an eye out on the expiration date of the toothpaste (it's printed on the crimped end). I recently bought some from Amazon.com last December (didn't really need the toothpaste, just needed the little tootbrush in the kit) and both toothpastes had an expiration date of last September. I contacted the seller and the seller apologized and sent me two new kits at no charge.
 
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raysmyheart

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Thanks so much for the information and the encouragement!  I will check at groomers in the area (central Massachusetts) or online as you suggested.

Speedy thanks everyone for believing in her!!!  
 

LTS3

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Is Natick close to you? Pet World on Rt 9 eastbound side has CET products. They're in the dog section. The only CET toothbrush that will fit into a cat's mouth is the mini one which is not sold individually. It only comes as part of a kit:



Vets may sell CET toothbrush kits. I got my first kit from the vet's office a couple years ago.
 

shadowsrescue

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I ordered the kit on Amazon.  It arrived in 2 days.  It is the seafood flavor and expiration date id 6/17.  Unfortunately my boy doesn't like the seafood so I had to order the chicken too.  Here is the kit I ordered

 

shadowsrescue

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I bought the CET hygiene kit and it came with seafood flavored gel.  Jake hated it.  So I bought the CET in poultry.  He hates it too.  Ughh.  I tried putting just a dab on his nose.  He like it off, made and awful face and then promptly sneezed over and over.  I tried again today with the same reaction. 

My other indoor boy and the dog like them both, but what to do about Jake.  Any tried and true tooth gels/pastes that all cats will like.  He is not a picky eater at all.  He loves everything.  I even put a dab in his food bowl and he wouldn't touch it.
 

mservant

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    What a shame.  It was sounding so positive too.   Can you source any other brands where you are / on line?   As mentioned above, the one I have for Mouse is Logic and that one is poultry.  I was able to get a sample from the vet I take Mouse to so I didn't need to spend until I knew he would take it OK.  The Logic comes with a little silicon finger brush.
 

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mservant

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I'm impressed with the range of products and falvours there @LTS3  , hopefully there will be something in there which is to Speedy's liking.

I did start out using a dental wipe with bicarb' though not the Arm & Hammer one listed here.  While it was a decent introcuction to tooth cleaning for Mouse I did not see any improvement in his gum / oral health like I did when I later started using an enzyme paste.  Just my experience though, and I do think  using something like that is better than  nothing.   I share LTS3's concerns about water aditives too:  Mouse drinks a lot of water and I would worry he'd get too much that way, and the more usual risk would be not enough.  I prefer using something where I know how much is being taken in by my cat.  I also wouldn't want to risk any reduction in water in take.
 

shadowsrescue

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Thank you so much for the very helpful info.  I think I may try one of the rinses that can be swabbed on the teeth.  He very desperately needs to have better dental care.  I plan to get his teeth cleaned in June and continue with daily dental care.  I so appreciate the info.
 

mservant

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Thank you so much for the very helpful info.  I think I may try one of the rinses that can be swabbed on the teeth.  He very desperately needs to have better dental care.  I plan to get his teeth cleaned in June and continue with daily dental care.  I so appreciate the info.
Good luck with Jake too @ShadowsRescue  , I was so lucky Mouse loved the paste I got first off.  It's good to know there are so many different ways to get the products now and chances of something being liked higher as a result.
 

shadowsrescue

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I had a small bit of success.  I got a clean wash cloth and just started getting him used to something being in his mouth.  Yesterday was very brief, but he did ok.  I rewarded him with a treat after.  Today, I took a small amount of the poultry tooth paste and put it on the wash cloth.  I only did a few of the front teeth and gums.  He did well.  I rewarded with a treat again. My other cat, Marvin likes the taste and will lick it off the small tooth brush.  When he was taking his turn, Jake came for a lick! 

He also watched as I brushed our dog, Misty's teeth.  She loves the taste!!

So small baby steps!!
 

sherit

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I am using the dental plaque off in the food daily

by Pro Den..with Lily...

Will that keep her teeth as well as brushing would since

brushing hers might be impossible to do?

Sheri for Lily
 
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