Brushing a cat's teeth - help!

McKneff

bank_of_slate wrote: »

See this is why cats rule!
They are the most fantastic, sarcastic creatures.
...Linda xx

i agree, Tinker is the most aloof, arrogant cat. She does a bit of soft soaping when she wants a treat othewise she just completely ignores us.
I always think we 'belong' to her and not the other way round. :rotfl:

bank_of_slate

My friend, Joanna has 2 cats (Mica & Thomas) and she was given one of those cosy radiator beds which Thomas promptly claimed and hissed like crazy if Mica came anywhere near it.
Joanna bought a second radiator bed for Mica, and set them up side by side; situation taken care of .... or so she thought!
Thomas decided that they were now both his and would patrol the area to stop Mica getting anywhere near either bed.
This is classic cat!
...Linda xx

ka7e

My vet says the newer enzyme toothpastes don't require a brush at all. If you can just smear some paste around the outer surface of the teeth, the enzymes combine with the cat's saliva to break down the plaque.

I'm now using one on my poor Merlin, who is only 4, yet has recently had 8 rotten teeth removed.

the_devil_made_me_do_it

McKneff wrote: »

Why would you need to put your finger in a cats mouth to clean its teeth.

My cat got a gum infection and a build up of plaque I was told to brush her teeth every night for a fortnight.

Put her on a towel on a table, give her two little biscuits.

Put your left hand over her forehead and lift her head back. Open her jaws with the thumb and middle finger keeping her head back. Brush her teeth with the brush from the vets.

When youve finished give her another two little biscuits.
She will soon learn to associate teeth brushing with treats.
Towards the end of the second week the cat saw the towel on the table and jumped up on to the table herself. lol

Dont give her wet food for her last feed as this clings to the teeth

arghhh sounds like a torture technique. Sorry, but I would'nt be following your advice.

epsilondraconis

We attempted to brush the teeth of our timid little cat after the vet noticed a build up of plaque. Suffice to say all hell broke loose. I now understand why the vet said to us that if we had to take the cat to the vet to have her teeth cleaned, they would first knock her out.

We're currently using the plaqueoff seaweed type stuff that you sprinkle on the food. Hopefully it is having the desired effect on the plaque. At some point I may build up sufficient courage to examine her teeth again.

the_devil_made_me_do_it

epsilondraconis wrote: »

Suffice to say all hell broke loose. I now understand why the vet said to us that if we had to take the cat to the vet to have her teeth cleaned, they would first knock her out.

Exactly

Kimberley

PaggleHam wrote: »

If you can bear it, feeding a BARF (bone and raw food) diet is a good way to give good dental health for cats. The bones keep teeth nice and clean and most cats love it. Not as quick and easy as packet food though.

I agree, I feed my Bengals this. I get the food from food4-cats it has everything needed for a cats health. The food is grinded with bone and muscle. I also give them chicken whings every second day to eat, they finish it up completely and their teeth are very clean. The bone they eat cleans their teeth. It's not that expensive. I pay around £10 a week for the two. If you work out how much the dry or wet comercial food is, then £10 a week is pretty good. Their poo is firm and doesn't smell. Their coats are very soft and shiny. You would certainly see a difference in your cats coat if you fed them raw.

Kimberley

sashybo wrote: »

We have just started looking into the bone and raw food diet as one of OH's colleagues recommended it. Thanks for the suggestion PaggleHam and BitterandTwisted.

If you get it from food4-cats.co.uk then you will not need supplements because the muscle and bones from the animal are grinded in with the meat. They sell the food like sausage, a whole 400g will last one cat two days because they only need half a sausage per day but it depends on how much your cat needs.

They also do diced meat such as lambs heart diced lambs breast and also do Ox tongue and Ostrich, my Oscar loves that. They also do chicken wings and whole chicken carcases. They also have wild rabbit. It is quite reasonably priced on there.

I know it sounds like i'm advertising the site but it is the only site I know that you don't need to give supplements as extra to a cat because the meat is a complete meal.

sashybo

Thanks for the tip Kimberley - I will definitely look at the website. We are thinking this might be the way to go, especially for the youngest cat's teeth.

I'm a bit worried about the older cats coping with it though as they only have four teeth each. Although your description of the food being sold like a sausage is quite reassuring, they should be able to manage that.

The prices sound quite reasonable - we do seem to be spending a lot on wet food at the moment. Do you feed biscuits at all as well or just the bone and raw food?

rita-rabbit

I do think this article does show the difference between dry feeding & wet (prepared food) - rotten teeth of latter pets! Mine are 8 & 9 yrs respectively & their teeth are not brilliant however I have always fed dry but both are rescue & I know the elder wasn't used to dry. Note I appreciate that once the decay is there not much can be done but prevention is so much better. Whilst dry may not clean like toothpaste quality stuff does not contain the sugars & will provide some abrasive action whilst eating. I am using Logic & giving (manufactured) wet only v ocassionally now & my two have all their teeth, no rotten ones & only a little tartar. I am now thinking about freeing up a shelf in my freezer for raw meat to supplement their dry food diet (Burns) - up until now they have only ever eaten cooked meat as a treat tho so I have my reservations regarding waste. I not will bother with raw fish though - offa meat is cheap but fish is not - it will be human grade tinned!

Do remember dry food can be moistened with water for the gummy pets (it is nutritionally superior & financially cheaper than pre-prepared wet)...