Dental Health: How to Take Care of Your Cat's Teeth

Dental health is very important for your cat's overall well being, yet it is often overlooked or neglected. Most cats have some evidence of gum disease. If your cat hasn't received proper dental care, this can lead to serious medical problems. As in humans, dental health is very important. If we neglect to care for our teeth, we are more susceptible to disease and illness. The same is true for our feline friends. Since cats can't brush their teeth, it is up to us to help them.

If your cat has gum or dental disease, bacteria from his teeth can move into their blood. If the bacteria goes to vital organs, it can cause infections and put your pet's life in danger. A cat with gum disease is often in pain. They will avoid food and not get proper nutrition. Imagine if you had a bad toothache and had no pain reliever. You would be miserable and avoid food too. The cat may lose his teeth and also develop infections.

How do I stop this from happening? It's all about prevention. You should take your cat to the veterinarian for a full dental checkup. The vet can schedule your cat for regular cleanings to stop the disease from getting any worse. After the cleaning, you will be instructed to clean your cat's teeth. There are special toothpastes for cats that you can use. Once your cat gets used to having his teeth brushed, it will be less of a chore. Some cats will fight this obviously, especially older animals. You can also use a special dental rinse or cleaning pad rather than the toothbrush. You can get both of these from your vet. Another great preventative is dental treats. Give them to your cat on a daily basis to help control dental bacteria.

Feeding Your Cat

What you feed your cat is very important for your kitty's health. You should give your cat the most nutritional food available. Avoid any cat food that is made with by-products like bone meal or animal digest. High sugar and/or carbohydrate content is also unhealthy. Any cat food that has these ingredients is just like a human living on junk food.

Cats require protein to survive. This means lots of fish, chicken or other meats. My cat adores turkey and avoids fish, strange as that may sound. Most cats go crazy for fish. This is very healthy and gives them lots of protein. Cats require taurine to survive. Never feed your cats dog food because taurine isn't an ingredient in dog food. You should feed your cat a low carbohydrate diet, though they need some carbs. Avoid feeding them "people food" or table scraps. High sugar/carb content can lead to your cat becoming sick. They could get cystitis, diabetes or a urinary infection. At the very least, they will become overweight and this will cut down on their quality of life.

Dry food or wet (canned) food? Dry food has it's advantages. It's inexpensive, even the higher quality brands don't cost that much. It's easy to clean up. You just pour the kibble in your cat's dish. You can leave it out during the day and the cat can eat it when hungry. Some cats are "grazers" and nibble all day long. The downside is it can lead to health issues. Cats that live on a dry food diet are more susceptible to diabetes and urinary infections. In fact, diabetic cats should avoid dry food because it will affect their blood sugar.

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Wet food is more preferable to cats. They love the taste and it is a real treat for them. It is more expensive than buying kibble. You should refrigerate unused canned food to avoid it going bad. If you feed your cat all canned food, there is a risk of your cat becoming overweight. A happy medium is blending both foods. You can mix the kibble with the dry food at every meal. You can also feed wet food once a day and give kibble the rest of the day. Whatever option you decide, your cat's diet is an important part of his overall health.