dental

[nodgeness]

Ok, I took my cat Squeak to the vet the other day & they said she has some tarter buildup. What they want to do is clean her teeth. The way I understood they clean cats teeth is to knock them out w/ some gas & then clean them. She said after that they will talk to me about maybe changing her food. Has anyone heard of that(cleaning & different food)? I'm wondering if they are just trying to get me to spend more money. Also does anyone brush their cats teeth? I'm planning on starting (cause I didn't know i was supposed to) but what kind of suggestions can you give me? This is a new vets office to me because I moved a month ago. Please let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions for me.

[Baby'sMomma]

Baby had to have his teeth cleaned on a yearly basis until we switched him to a tartar control food - Prescription Diet T/D. He loves it. You can either feed it to him "full time" or give it to him as a treat, which is what we did. Now he's been a couple of years without a cleaning and still has very little buildup. There are also other tartar control foods that you can purchase from the grocery store - Iams has one, I believe.

You have to be careful because not only can the tartar buildup lead to tooth loss, it can also irritate and thus infect the gums. We lost a dog from a bacterial infection that got into her bloodstream via her gums due to tartar buildup, so it isn't just a money making scheme by our vets.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Having teeth cleaned is quite common in kitties, and yes, they have to "knock them out" to do it. T & P have never had it done because the vet never indicated it was needed, but they have had only hard food their entire lives, which I know makes a difference. If you feed them canned food most of the time the tartar builds up a lot quicker - I guess because they don't have to "crunch" which would scrape the tartar away (but this is only my guess).

If you have any doubts, you could always get a second opinion, but it's not an uncommon thing and the consequences of not having it done definetely make it worth it. :)

[nodgeness]

I feed Bernie & Squeak hard food everyday except sunday. Sunday they get a special treat & that is canned food. I do use moist treats though. I had heard that hard food was better for their teeth (which is why I've always fed them that).
I had never heard of having a cats teeth cleaned. I just hate the thought of them knocking her out. I do want to get it done so I can start taking care of them better. Do either of you brush your cats teeth?

[tomkatzid]

Kelcee had her teeth cleaned at age 12. She needed it sooner. She had 4 pulled that time too. And she has only eaten hard food. She felt much better after having it done. Don't wait till they are old, it cost a lot more and is harder on them. We had to do blood work, have special stuff to put her out and have her on a catheter. Ashlee (dog) is 4 and she has to have hers cleaned at the end of the month. She has gum infection around some of the teeth already.

[nodgeness]

Don't worry, I won't wait to have it done. I just hadn't heard of it before, so i wanted to see what people in here thought. I am waiting till Squeak is adjusted to our new place then I'll have it done. Don't want to stress her out to much :)

[Barbara]

Filou and Tigris have their teeth cleaned. Tigris one time up to now (he's seven), Filou (also 7) 3 times -he builds a lot of tartar. The last time with Filou was 3 weeks ago. I cam smell it from his breath and see it from hís gums (red) when it's time again.
My vet says it is as with humans: some build more tartar than others. My dentist confirms that.

Of course food can help -but just a little.

Filou and Tigris are independent cats who say :If you brush my teeth I'll rip your arm off.

It is a little stress for the cats. They are anesthesized and cannot eat the night before. But they are happier after. The first time I did not know about it and Filou must have had pain. He was much friendlier after the cleaning.

It's definitely not a money making issue. Go for it:)

[nodgeness]

Barabra, Thank you so much for you comments & warning. I'll have to watch my arms when I try to brush. The key word there is TRY!!!!! How long does it take for them to get cleaned? Am I going to have to leave her there all day? :( Also, if I continue to feed them cat chow should I mix in some type of tarter control food ?

[Barbara]

I have no idea whether in the US they will keep the cat overnight. Here I brought Filou in at 8.30 in the morning. At about 1 p.m. I could pick him up but he still was quite shaky and spent the rest of the day sleeping. He was not allowed to eat until 10 p.m. but after that he was happy and ok.

As I get it from here, maybe they would keep him longer. Just ask your vet. If you train Scout early to have his teeth brushed and if he is a rather peaceful kitty that loves to be held then this certainly will be the best method.

I have been discussing that with my vet. Filou is very active. Whenever you hold him he winds his way on your shoulders. Tigris is a big strong boy who is also not cooperative if he doesn't want it. So our vet said, daily brushing would ruin our relationship with them - I am convinced that they would begin to hide even if I thought the word toothbrush:(

[Miss Meow]

My mum's cats had their teeth cleaned a few weeks ago and they were knocked out and fine to be picked up later the same day. They both had a tooth extracted at the same time; now that it's all healed they are both much happier.

We were at the vet's today and he gave us a sample of Science Diet oral care, which he recommends to help keep cats' teeth clean. We also give them raw chicken necks to chew on occasionally - gross but it works :)

Good luck.

[krazyaboutkatz]

So far two of my cats have needed to have their teeth cleaned. Storm is 7 and had his teeth cleaned when he was 6 years old and Sunny is almost 3 and had his teeth cleaned this past April. I used to feed them both wet and dry food but now I only feed them dry food. I dropped them off in the morning and picked them up on my way home from work. They were still a bit groggy and weren't allowed to eat for a while. I was also told to keep them separated from the other cats until morning. They're supposed to stay quiet. Good luck. I think it's well worth it to have their teeth cleaned.