Alternatives for dental care?

[Brian Link]

Okay, I've tried supposed plaque-fighting treats. No go. I've tried
the fingertip toothbrush. No go. I've tried a real toothbrush. One cat
actually liked it, but that's because we adopted him from a Dentist,
who brushed his teeth every day. lol.

I'm mostly concerned about Tiger, a ~12-yr-old. His teeth look fine,
and the vet gave him a thumbs-up after our last visit. But I've been
reading some scary stuff about the dangers of poor dental health for
older cats (and yes, I realize he isn't "old" yet, but I wanna be
ready).

Any other things you folks have tried to keep your cats' teeth clean?
I spose there's always taking him to the vet and having him
anesthetized.. but I'm hoping to avoid that if possible.

Thanks for any ideas.

BLink

[GrapplerGurl]

There is a cat food called Feline T/D for dental care. It is dry food
and the bits are fairly hard. I had my dog on the canine T/D and it
worked well. Haven't had my cat long enough really but I detect no
plaque or discoloring yet.


On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 22:13:51 -0600, Brian Link > wrote:

>Okay, I've tried supposed plaque-fighting treats. No go. I've tried
>the fingertip toothbrush. No go. I've tried a real toothbrush. One cat
>actually liked it, but that's because we adopted him from a Dentist,
>who brushed his teeth every day. lol.
>
>I'm mostly concerned about Tiger, a ~12-yr-old. His teeth look fine,
>and the vet gave him a thumbs-up after our last visit. But I've been
>reading some scary stuff about the dangers of poor dental health for
>older cats (and yes, I realize he isn't "old" yet, but I wanna be
>ready).
>
>Any other things you folks have tried to keep your cats' teeth clean?
>I spose there's always taking him to the vet and having him
>anesthetized.. but I'm hoping to avoid that if possible.
>
>Thanks for any ideas.
>
>BLink

[Karen]

in article , Brian Link at
wrote on 3/11/05 10:13 PM:

> Okay, I've tried supposed plaque-fighting treats. No go. I've tried
> the fingertip toothbrush. No go. I've tried a real toothbrush. One cat
> actually liked it, but that's because we adopted him from a Dentist,
> who brushed his teeth every day. lol.
>
> I'm mostly concerned about Tiger, a ~12-yr-old. His teeth look fine,
> and the vet gave him a thumbs-up after our last visit. But I've been
> reading some scary stuff about the dangers of poor dental health for
> older cats (and yes, I realize he isn't "old" yet, but I wanna be
> ready).
>
> Any other things you folks have tried to keep your cats' teeth clean?
> I spose there's always taking him to the vet and having him
> anesthetized.. but I'm hoping to avoid that if possible.
>
> Thanks for any ideas.
>
> BLink

My vet says just wrap gauze around your finger and wipe them down. She does
it fast.

[Mary]

"GrapplerGurl" > wrote in message
...
> There is a cat food called Feline T/D for dental care. It is dry food
> and the bits are fairly hard. I had my dog on the canine T/D and it
> worked well. Haven't had my cat long enough really but I detect no
> plaque or discoloring yet.
>

I used one of the "dental diets" at one point. The pieces were
large and round, and the cats really had to break them up.

[[email protected]]

The best toothbrush for cats can be found here:
http://www.fuzzytummy.com/cet--cat-toothbrush-.htm
It is very simple to use and fits easily in a cat's mouth. I have used
this on all my cats (except Stella who is a hard core feral) and I've
never had a problem.

Megan



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