[Katy]

About two weeks ago, I took my 5-6 month old kitten to the vet, where I found out he has gingivitis (also where I found out that though I'd been calling "her" Daisy, he was in fact a boy, much to my surprise-- some of you might have read about that). She told me that I needed to brush his teeth, so I went out and bought the toothpaste and toothbrush. I've been doing it for a few days now, and he hasn't liked it, but there haven't really been any problems. Today, though, I pulled the toothbrush out of his mouth and the top surface of the bristles was bloody.

I figure it could be one of a couple of things... either he's still teething and his gums are tender right now and I aggravated them, or the gingivitis is really bad. I, of course, am really hoping it's just the first thing.


By the way, for those of you that did read the "My cat was female this morning but is no longer" thread, I ended up renaming him Jamie.

 

[queen of the nile]

It is probably due to the teething. Are his gums inflamed? My cat with gingivitis had inflammed gums that bled during brushing. Try brushing the teeth more lightly, this has worked for my kitty.

 

[Superkitties]

Kitty gums are way more tender than human gums. You'll need to be much more gentle when brushing, when I was starting out, I did the same to poor Mozart before I learned the right amount of pressure to put to the brush. His gums were also a little inflamed at the time, but when I did it right, there was no bleeding.

 

[Katy]

thanks, i feel much better. raising your first kitten can be tough. :wink:

 

[drjean]

At this age he is teething; so of course he has gingivitis. They all do at this stage. The gums are being pierced from underneath by very sharp new teeth and so they are inflamed and tender, naturally they will bleed. You might want to wait until his adult teeth are in before brushing. Or, use a soft finger-tip brush designed for cats, and go very easy on those sensitive gums.

Cheers,
Dr. Jean