Advise about Kitty Teeth Cleaning

Any advise would be greatly appreciated, since this is a long time dilemma for me. Any of your pros and cons will help me greatly.

I have resisted cleaning my two boyz teeth for the simple reason that they have to be put to sleep to have the procedure done. I fear that one may not wake up.

I really hesitate when it comes to Timon because he is a very fearful kitty when he has to visit the vet. Last time I had to have him sedated just so the vet could examine him. I did not expect him to go crazy but when they started the exam but he went nuts and scrambled into a corner. He was so freaked out that they had to use the stick with a loop to catch him and he chipped a tooth in the process (I was charged an "Aggressive Pet" fee too).:( Only once he was sedated were they able examine him (he had a urinary tract infection at the time) It was very traumatic for him and me; I had to watch him the rest of the day while the drug wore off. He has never done this at the vet before unless he is taken out of the room and away from me.

I did have their teeth cleaned once when they were about two years old and the vet told me then that he had to be sedated extra. When I picked him up he was so drugged it scared me silly; he could hardly walk.

Unfortunately Timon is a lovebug for me and me only. Amazingly I clip his nails and he puts up with that most of the time. But, boy oh boy, if he doesn't want that done or something else he will scratch, hiss, bit and kick his way out of it. I love him to pieces because he is usually a very affectionate and protective cat. It feels like he takes care of me.

Both have been fed Iams dry their entire lives and are in good health (usually):D

Tucker , on the other hand, would be a better candidate. He is easy going and doesn't mind being handled by strangers. He needs it the most because he doesn't chew his dry food completely. But again I keep coming back to that fear of loosing him.

Part of it comes from a friend of mine who lost her cat while he was sedated for neutering. I like to think that I am a responsible pet owner and take good care of them so I do feel a bit guilt about this.

A long explanation and Thanks in advance!
http://home.earthlink.net/~flippytal...es/snuggle.jpg

Welcome to Pet Talk.:) Have you tried brushing their teeth? If so, will they both tolerate it? If they will, then this should help prevent their teeth from needing to be cleaned as often.

Your Timon sounds a lot like my Cirrus except that I can't pick Cirrus up or trim his nails. Luckily my other 3 are angels at the vets. Good luck.:) Here's a link about tooth care http://www.westvalleypetclinic.com/p...al%20page.html.

Hi welcome to PT. Sorry but I have nothing much to offer a I have never cleaned by cats teeth. Had I known that this was possible to do when I got mine as kittens I would have started doing it then. On occasions my vet had removed plaque/tartar build up with his finger nail. He just holds my cat, opens her mouth and kind of digs his nail in at the top where the tooth meets the gum and yanks it off. She doesn't seem to mind. It all comes off in one go!

Ripley had his teeth cleaned for the first time last Feb. he was about to turn 11 years old at the time. We tried to have his teeth cleaned the summer before but the blood tests they did before putting him under showed his kidney function was off so it was postponed. The vet said he was unsafe to be put under. When we tried again last Feb., his blood results still showed his kidney function was off a bit but the vet said his teeth needed to be cleaned badly enough that we should go ahead. He came through it fine.

None of my cats will let me brush their teeth so I guess I will be going through more cleanings with Jazz and Scout.