My (one of) cat's breath stinks.

[livinginphotographs]

Ask me anything.

Here she is:



She's cute and as affectionate as a cat can be, but her breath can clear a room. Gingivitis!

[tuckessee]

1. Has she been checked by a vet lately?

Bad breath in cats sometimes is a sign of kidney problems.

[steely]

3. check her teeth and gums too, just in case.

[livinginphotographs]

4. Her gums are bad.

I treated her with cat toothpaste for over a year, and it didn't help.

I was worried that she had feline leukimia, of which gum problems are a symptom, but she doesn't.

She's an ex-stray, and sometimes this just happens. She'll probably lose her teeth later on (my brother's cat went through the same thing), so I just can't worry about it too much.

Her breath doesn't bother me too much, and doesn't seem to bother her either. :shrug:

[complain jane]

9. My sister's cat, same thing.

Had him checked out at the vet, teeth cleaned, breath still stinks. Poor cat.

[steely]

10. poor kitty - our number 2 has the same deal.

I got her off the street - like 15 yrs ago - she was th first cat we ever had to the vet for teeth issues - you shoulda heard the guys at work.

we just watch her diet and keep her away from hard crunchies.

good luck with her. I guess some just have soft teeth?

[livinginphotographs]

11. I don't know if it's soft teeth as much as genetics....

This is why I have a problem with purebreds. It's like inbreeding a Virginian couple (I'm from Virginia, so nobody flame me, damn it). You never breed out the genetic problems.

Abigail is a stray, so I'm sure she's a mix, but there's still a long history of inbreeding with cats to create a "breed."

She may just be genetically inclined to have bad teeth. It's sad, but that's what happens when humans interfere with the natural order of things.

For now, she'll eat what she wants (Meow Mix.) When she loses her teeth (which is going to inevitably happen), I'll feed her soft food. I just refuse to pump her up full of drugs that the vet gives me that seem to make her feel awful.

[StopTheMorans]

2. Does your cat's breath smell like cat food?

:shrug:

[livinginphotographs]

5. Yes.

Stank ass catfood.

[banjosareunderrated]

13. sig stealer!!

The doctor told me my nose would....


ah, never mind.

:)

[Merlot]

6. She may have dental problems...a check-up is in order

If they don't find anything, change her food. Avoid semi-moist foods, it's worse for your cat than either dry or canned.

My cats get their teeth brushed once in a while. It's really just swishing a very small toothbrush with cat tooth paste (never human toothpaste) around the back teeth. It helps though, gets rid of old saliva.

[livinginphotographs]

8. See above.

She's already been shown to have a tendency towards gingivitis. I treated her for over a year, with no progress.

My brother's cat lost all her teeth, so I'm inclined to believe that she just has a genetic tendency towards bad teeth.

She's not in pain, and eats just fine, and doesn't seem sick, so I'm not going to subject her to the vet unneccesarily. (Everytime I go there, they want to pump her full of $200 worth of drugs that make her sick), so I'll just keep an eye on her, and if she's sick, I'll take her in.

Until then, stinky breath is something I can handle. (She's sitting on my lap right now, and seems to be feeling fine)

[Merlot]

12. Wrote it before "above" was posted

I agree with you on not taking her to the vet if she's feeling and eating ok.

There are people who clean cats teeth without drugs. I've had my cat's teeth done that way. Tarter really builds up on cats teeth, and toothpaste won't change that. It's because they have so much saliva in their mouths all the time.

Give her something to chew on. My cats get a chunk of raw chicken meat every now and then. They really have to chew it a while and it works their back teeth. Don't even bother with the dental treats in the stores.

[iconoclastic cat]

7. Check with your vet. And get multiple opinions!

There are many natural remedies for this kind of thing, too.

[rocktivity]

14. My sister lost a cat to bad breath

it turned out to be mouth cancer. They had to put her down because she could no longer eat. Definitely take her to the vet.

:headbang:
rocknation