10 Proven Ways to Keep Your Cat’s Teeth Healthy

We admire cats because of their ability to keep themselves clean. Unfortunately, they cannot maintain oral hygiene. Nature didn’t endow them with such a gift.

This means that taking care of your cat’s teeth is your duty. And you want to take it seriously else your pet may suffer from tooth decay and gum disease.

And these tooth problems can result in chronic illnesses like kidney disease.

To help you, I have shared in this article, 10 tips on how to maintain healthy cat teeth.

In this post, you will learn

• Why Should I Help My Pet Maintain Healthy Cat Teeth
• How To Maintain Healthy Cat Teeth
• Steps To Brush Your Cat’s Teeth
• Dental Products That Will Help Your Pet Maintain Healthy Cat Teeth

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Why Should I Help My Pet Maintain Healthy Cat Teeth

Before, we discuss the tips on how to maintain healthy cat teeth, here are a few reasons why the subject is important:

Your pet cannot tell you when he is feeling discomfort in his mouth, so you should take preventive measures to avoid the occurrence of any tooth problems.

Secondly, a cat’s teeth accumulate bacteria, debris, and plaque when they eat. When these germs are not cleared, they form tartar.

Tartar irritates your cat’s gums and may eventually lead to teeth loss. I’m sure you don’t want that.

Additionally, the bacteria deposited on your cat’s teeth may find their way into his bloodstream and cause kidney problems.

Plus, inflammation in your pet’s mouth due to poor hygiene will make feeding a challenge for him. Poor feeding results in retarded growth you know.

Again, gum disease and tooth decay will cause your feline friend a lot of pain and discomfort. And since cats are not the type to reveal pain, it may be too late before you discover there’s a problem.

Therefore, taking care of your cat’s teeth is extremely important.

Now, we’ll discuss how you can do it.

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How To Maintain Healthy Cat Teeth

1. Brush Your Cat’s Teeth

The first tip on how to maintain healthy cat teeth is to brush your cat’s teeth regularly.

And it is best to start brushing your cat’s teeth when he is still young.

Cats are independent and may prove stubborn when you try to brush their teeth.

But if you start early, it will not be a challenge to brush their teeth as they age.

You can begin with gauze and a cat’s toothpaste to help your pet get used to the process.

Another trick is to dip your finger in fish or chicken broth (something your cat loves) and rub it on your cat’s teeth regularly. This is to help your cat get used to having your finger in his mouth.

When your cat feels comfortable with it, you can then transit to a bristled finger brush for adequate teeth cleaning.

Important note: don’t brush your cat’s teeth with your toothpaste. It contains Fluorine that can hurt your cat. 

You should brush your cat’s teeth daily to get the best results.

2. Adjust Your Cat’s Diet

Take a good look at your pet’s menu. Are there foods containing empty carbs and unneeded preservatives/colourings? Get rid of them.

They are not good for your cat’s teeth. Now, replace them with foods containing whole meats.

Not just that, I also suggest you speak with your vet to figure out the best food for your cat’s dental health.

3. Add Dental Foods To Your Cat’s Diet 

There are foods produced mainly for dental care. When you can’t brush your cat’s teeth, you can give him such foods.

These foods soften the tartar in your cat’s teeth, which will gradually clear off.

Be careful here though. Before giving your cat dental food, go through the list of ingredients to be sure that it is safe for your cat.

4. Use Dental Gels and Water Additives

Another way to maintain healthy cat teeth is by using dental gels and water additives.

When you apply the dental gel on your cat’s teeth daily, they will be clean and your cat will not suffer tooth decay.

Alternatively, you can opt for water additives, which you can easily add to your pet’s drinking water bowl. Its cleaning effect is not as powerful as that of the gel but it will do.

5. Give Your Cat Bones To Chew

Interestingly, this is the method that wild cats use to maintain a healthy dentition.

You can try it on your pet as well. Bones help reduce plaque and tartar.

Check for and remove splinters before feeding your cat bones. Uncooked bones are the best choices here.

6. Invest In Dental Chews or Toys & Dental Treats

Here, we are looking at giving your pet the best treatment options and playing tools that help maintain healthy cat teeth.

Dental chews or toys are designed to remove plaque as your cat chews on them. They are a perfect replacement when you can’t give your cat a raw bone.

Also, they massage your pet’s gums as he chews on. This saves your cat from gum infections and diseases.

Similarly, dental treats are prepared to help remove plaque as your cat chews on them.

A word of caution – It is safer to go for products that are accepted by the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC).

Also, don’t depend on dental treats alone to keep your cat’s teeth clean.

Rather, use them in moderation together with toothbrushing and a quality diet.

They will come in handy when you want to reward your pet for good behaviour. More like killing two birds with a stone (LOL).

7. Maintain A Daily Teeth Cleaning Routine For Your Cat

In your attempts to maintain healthy cat teeth, you should stick to a routine.

Though it is recommended that you clean your cat’s teeth daily, you can choose a different frequency that works for you.

Pro tip – Seek the consent of your vet before commencing a tooth cleaning routine as your pet may have special needs.

8. Check Your Cat’s Mouth Regularly

Although your feline may not particularly enjoy the experience, it’s important to regularly check the state of your cat’s mouth.

Your cat’s teeth should be clean, white, and free of any particles. Also, there should not be any sores, redness, swelling, or bleeding on the gums. They ought to be pink and smooth.

If you notice any of these negative signs, or your pet is distressed and you can’t examine his mouth easily, take him to a vet to be checked.

9. Don’t Ignore Bad Breaths

It is easy for your cat to develop bad breath from eating fish and other foods.

But when this bad breath turns into a foul smell, it could be that your dear pet has developed a dental problem.

You will do well to send him for a check-up. If you don’t act quickly, it may lead to more serious health problems.

Especially if the bad breath is accompanied by drooling and bleeding gums.

Then you should send him to your vet for thorough tooth cleaning.

Your vet can then suggest a professional veterinary dental cleaning if need be.

10. Don’t Miss Annual Oral Checkup

An annual check-up at your pet’s veterinarian is not negotiable if you want to maintain healthy cat teeth.

Getting your cat examined yearly will help discover poor oral conditions and tackle them effectively.

Not just oral health this time, this medical examination is also a good way to maintain your cat’s overall health.

Moving on, we’ll see the steps involved in brushing your cat’s teeth.

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Steps To Brush Your Cat’s Teeth

Follow these steps to brush your cat’s teeth:

1. Get your dental kit (sterile gauze strips or a rubber toothbrush or finger brush and toothpaste) ready.
2. Watch out for when your pet is relaxed.
3. Then cradle your cat from behind so that he is comfortable and supported.
4. Now, gently tilt his head back, and lift the chin to open the mouth.
5. Coat your finger with the toothpaste and gently massage your cat’s teeth and gums

(Be fast but gentle. Remove your finger before your cat gets annoyed)

1. Gradually increase the length of time you leave your finger in your cat’s mouth with subsequent sessions.
2. As your cat’s tolerance for the activity increases, introduce the toothbrush or any cleaning tool of your choice.
3. Put on a small portion of toothpaste on the tool and brush the teeth along the gum line.
4. Again, be fast but gentle.

It may take a while before your cat will be patient enough to let you brush his entire teeth in one sitting.

But don’t give up! Also, reward every session with praise and treats.

Pro tip: massage your cat’s gums after brushing his teeth. This will increase blood flow to the area and reduce the risk of gum issues.

Before we call it a wrap, let’s see some dental products that you can get for your cat.

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Dental Products That Will Help Your Pet Maintain Healthy Cat Teeth

Here’s a list of VOHC’s approved products that you can get for your feline:

Dental Diets

• Hill’s® Prescription Diet® t/d® Feline
• Royal Canin Feline Dental Diet
• Hill’s Science Diet Oral Care for Cats
• Purina Veterinary Diets DH Dental Health brand Feline Formula
• Hill’s Healthy Advantage ™ Oral+ for Cats

Water Additives

ESSENTIAL healthymouth anti-plaque by HealthyMouth LLC.

Dental Gel

ESSENTIAL™ healthymouth® Anti- Plaque Gel for Cats by HealthyMouth LLC.

Oral Spray

ESSENTIAL™ healthymouth® Anti-Plaque sprays for Cats by HealthyMouth LLC.

Dental Treats

• Feline Greenies® Feline Dental Treats by Nutro/Greenies Company
• Whiskas® Dentabites Cat Treats, Chicken and Salmon flavours
• Purina DentaLife Daily Oral Care Cat Treats (two flavours)
• Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets Crunchy Bites Feline Treats

Toothbrush and Toothpaste

ESSENTIAL™ healthymouth™ Gel and Brush Combination for Cats

Wipe Cloth

ESSENTIAL™ healthymouth™ Anti-Plaque Daily Topical Wipes for Cats

Chew Toys (not necessarily approved by VOHC)

• Catnip Plaque Away Pretzel from Petstages.
• Petstages Dental Kitty Chew Wheel Cat Chew Toy
• CatTwig Silver Vine Stick Cat Chew Toy, 6 count
• Dental Banana Cat Chew Toy with Catnip by Petstages
• Petstages Fresh Breath Mint Stick Cat Chew Toy

Take Away!

If it’s already too late for your cat; in other words, your pet he already has dental disease, there’s a way out too.

There are diets specially prepared to meet such needs. Your vet will prescribe the perfect one for your pet.

Conclusion

When your cat maintains healthy teeth, his overall health will improve as well.

It may take a while but your pet will eventually get accustomed to teeth cleaning if you are consistent with your efforts.

You will never go wrong if you follow the tips shared in this article.

We have now come to the end of our discussion on How to maintain healthy cat teeth. I hope that you enjoyed the read.

Now, I’d love to hear from you; which tip on my list have you tried before? How did your pet respond to it?

Let me know in the comments section right now.

Also, tell me if you have any other cleaning tips that should be added to my list.

Do you know what else I’d love? If you shared this post with other cat lovers on your list. Thank you!