red gums and bad breath

[raymond]

My cat has reddish gums and bad breath. I have taken him off soft food but the gums stay red. Any suggestions?

[AmberLee]

It sounds like an infection. If it were my cat I'd take him to the vet. It can do a lot of damage quickly in a small animal like a cat.

(Welcome to Pet Talk, by the way. What's your cat's name?)

[catfancier]

Red gums generally mean Gingivitis (inflammation of the gum line). What breed is your cat? I have a Siamese who has gingivitis, and has had one tooth removed due to dental disease - it seems to affect Siamese and those type of breed cats quite badly.

Check with a vet about the problem and see what solution they give you. It's always better to get a professional to have a look then to not do anything at all.

Welcome to Pet Talk!

[rg_girlca]

First off, let me Welcome you to Pet Talk.

Please bring your cat to see a vet to make sure this isn't anything serious.

We adopted a 7 month old kitten, that we didn't notice until a few weeks later, had red gums and bad breath. To make a long story short, he had about 3-4 vet appointments, different types of medication, blood tests and in the end, and many $$$ later, had to be put to sleep at the young age of 1 year. It was due to a severe bacterial infection that unfortunately was too late to treat as it had already started to attack his other organs.
But Scooter didn't just have red gums, his whole mouth was red.

I'm not trying to scare you here. I just wanted to let you know, not to wait too long before seeing a vet about this.

Good luck and please keep us updated on your cat.
Hope all goes well for him.

[luggage]

I adopted Cleo about 2 years ago. When I went to see her she was so fat, fatter than I was expecting she couldn't even reach her bum and had poo stuck to it.

I being the person I am though this is a cat that needs individual attention especially after her having spent 2 years taking care of motherless kittens in the rescue place.

She wasn't up to date with her shots so I was able to take her to the vet to get them done after I picked her up at no cost. The vet also cleaned her teeth which were BROWN. And she had red along the edge of her gums

I kept her on dry food to this day and her gums are still red. I brush her teeth sometimes in hopes that that will help but so far no luck. She really hates that she fights like crazy

I think her teeth hurt her because she doesn’t crunch her food or treats anymore.

I'd like to take her to the vet but that's just not possible. As much as I love her she's a cat, food and rent are more important.

[Scooby4]

I have a dog I recently adopted that teeth were neglected. The previous owner mentioned that the dog didn't eat much. I figured it was because it was old and didn't need as much. That wasn't the case. Turns out Dirtnap had horribly bad breath, missing teeth, and mouth full of decay. He wasn't eating because it hurt him so bad!!!
What I did is I added water to his dry dog food. It softens it some. THROW OUT the uneaten food after a few hours. The food can ferment and develop maggots quickly with some foods. I kept Dirtnap on this water down food for a few weeks. Gradually lessening the water content. You want to keep the food as hard as possible. This helps build up the teeth's strength. It also helps in cleaning. Softening the food will just ensure the cat is able to eat and get nutrients while it's gums/teeth heal.
I have found a great tooth care item!!! They are DENTAL WIPES!!! The wipes are MUCH gentler on their teeth than brushes. Although you do have to put your fingers in their mouths! This is actually easier to do if your bonded. To start out this method it is recommended to have the animal facing AWAY from you when doing this method. They are easier to control and to introduce the wipe/finger to it's mouth withOUT too much biting It will take a few attempts but I can now do it to my cat and 3 of my 4 dogs. (New adoptee in training)
Dirtnap's breath is slowly improving and he is NOW able to eat with the rest of the dogs. I avoid can foods because they are so fattening and don't provide good dental health. If this continues to be an issue try feeding tender Vittles. My cat LOVES it and it is soft but not goey.
Good luck!!! The wipes you can get at a pet store for under $5!

[Shady]

There are some things on the market you can look for and try that could be easier and less costly regarding maintenance and trips to the vet.

I picked up a product called Liquid Oral Care at PetSmart.

http://www.petkin.com/1-800-PETKIN-1...products_id=82

Since we all know it's practically impossible to clean a cat's teeth if they dont want us to, this product is added directly to the drinking water, it is odourless and it says it's tasteless as well.

This is the first bottle I have bought and have just begun using it so I dont have any result type information, I would imagine though it might take awhile to work. It claims to clean teeth, freshen breath, fight plaque and gum disease. I thought it worth a try.

Also when 'pet shopping' I found a new dry food out by Royal Canin, I cant remember the exact name, but it's geared to oral care, hairball, and digestive ease, it's not cheap, but I bought a bag, (have four persians) planning on using this as a supplement (read TREATS) and I was amazed at how they took to this new food, they love it all of them.

I hope every little bit helps, I've taken this 'step' because a close friend just lost their older kitty due to the anaesthetic during dental work, so I wanted to try at least to go the preventative route.

[Barbara]

Sounds like a teeth cleaning should be scheduled. Some cats build a lot of tartar and this leads to inflammation like gingivitis. This is painful (although cats are very good in hiding pains) and can lead to loosing teeth.

My Filou needs his teeth cleaned every 1,5 years He gets a weak anesthesia and gets over it very quickly. He starts to smell a little like Vietnamese fish sauce when the time gets near.

[mruffruff]

If this is gingivitus (and it sounds like it is) you really need to get your cat in for a dental procedure. It isn't as expensive as you might think. Letting it go will cost more, possibly your cat's life. Bad teeth and an infection can affect other organs. Nothing you do now will make it go away; it will only get worse.

Shop around for a vet that will allow you to make payments or can suggest other financial arrangements. Have you asked what it will cost?

Mary

[rkidsrcats]

We've been dealing with a similar condition with Percy. Our vet diagnosed it as "stomatitis" which is a more severe form of gingivitis, but also has to do with his immune system's reaction (or OVER-reaction) to bacteria in the mouth.
Anyway, Percy got so bad, he couldn't eat crunchy food and his mouth was so sore and red that he couldn't yawn without it hurting a lot! Its a very painful condition and came on very quickly. He stopped eating and within 2 days was thin as a rail, so off to the vet we went.
He got a cortisone shot - to tame the immune system- and liquid anti-bacterial stuff called Anti-robe. Within 2 days he was eating like a horse and mouth pain was gone. His teeth a still healthy, white and roots are good, but we now have to watch him like a hawk to control the gingivitis (and keep it from becoming the more severe stomatitis). We have Anti-robe on hand and currently give him once-a-day doses for 10 days and then 10 days off. We're trying to avoid having to have another cortisone shot, and so far we are winning, but he will always need some kind of medicine to help control the problem.

So, don't wait to get a vet to look at bad breath mouth and red gums. it can get worse fast and a young cat may not have the stamina to fight off the infection.