Dental work for cat

Georgiexxx

I've been adopted by my neighbour's cat. He'd been dropping round the house for years and I made it a rule not to feed him as I didn't want a cat, but over the last 9 months, after the neighbours got a new kitten, he's been hanging round longer and longer and during the cold snap, he took up permanent residence. I finally decided to take ownership of him as he clearly had ear mites and he's had the condition a while.

So I take him to the vet for a check up. He's in fairly good health but is missing a tooth, and another is cracked, and it's likely the root from the missing tooth is still in there and would need to be drilled, or it could be a tumor. The vet noted that the cat wasn't in pain from it. He's also got a sore gum and tartar build up and they want to clean his teeth.

I don't want to put him through an unnecessary procedures and knowing he'd have to be anesthetized makes me feel anxious and I'm looking for some reassurance. He's such a lovely animal, but he's giving me a wide berth since the ear drop routine has started and I worry that he'll start viewing me as the woman that routinely tortures him and he'll !!!!!! off! After all, he does have form.

picklepick

Do your neighbours know that you have 'taken ownership' of him?

Georgiexxx

Ownership is probably the wrong word. Responsibility is more apt. I don't know about the neighbours.

SnowyOwl_2

If you know which neighbour it is then perhaps you could have a chat with them and say that since their cat seems to have adopted you would they mind if you kept him in at night and generally looked after him, especially since he seems to have ear problems. Cats will do what they want but it does sound like these people aren't particularly interested in taking full responsibility for him. In the meantime it's very unfair to that cat that he needs veterinary attention but may not get it because of people politics. It's not the cat's fault be he's the one who will end up suffering.

Regards the cat's teeth, I'd certainly say that this needs to be sorted out sooner rather than later. The cat may not be in pain, but the problem in his mouth is not going to get better on its own, and he will eventually end up in pain unless there is some intervention. I've put cats through dentals before, including an old elderly puddy called Tabitha - she ended up with just two or three teeth behind her canines. It didn't affect her ability to eat in any shape or form, and IMO she was happier for having her troublesome teeth removed. (BTW she came to me as a seven year old and her teeth were already in a bad state). There is always going to be a risk from the anaesthetic but there is also a risk from his teeth if they get very very bad.

As for the ear mites - administering treatment for these isn't going to be a long term thing, it's just for now until they are killed off. Once the course of treatment is finished the cat will forget about it and you'll be back in his good books again. AFAIK if he gets regular flea treatments (the "good" stuff from the vet, not the stuff you get in the supermarket) this should prevent future ear mite infestation.

tosker

I got rid of a nasty ear mite infection on a cat who would not tolerate having drops put in his ears by applying a couple of doses of the spot-on Advocate, a month apart

it's also a treatment for round worms and fleas

but once the ear mites are dead, the ears do need a good clean out, to get rid of all the muck they leave behind, and that is best done by the vet, to avoid damaging the ears

Georgiexxx

Thanks for your responses, I do appreciate them. I will try and bite the bullet and have a chat with the cat's owners and in the meantime I'll carry on getting him treated. He's a lovely cat and deserves to have proper care. If he wanders off, at least I know he's making someone else happy and I could get a rescue cat, seeing as I now have the bug:).

mozzyc

We had a cat that adopted us, and after about 6 months of him literally living at ours, we just knocked on the door and had a word with the owners. They really weren't bothered about him, and said we could have him. So always worth having a word. Anyway, 5 years later he is a treasured part of our family, and I really couldn't imagine life without him!