[Rissa]

I apologize if this has been asked before, but I'd like the input about cleaning our cat's teeth. One vet told us to use toothbrushes (which isn't going so well, especially with the back teeth), and one vet told us that we could use a ribbed material, like a singlet, which I think would work better. What's the overall concensus here? Thanks so much for any help.

 

[MowMow]

I use raw qual (whole) once a week. Occasionally I use chicken wings if I can't find/afford the quail. The raw bones do a great job of cleaning teeth.

 

[dweamgoil]

I use raw qual (whole) once a week. Occasionally I use chicken wings if I can't find/afford the quail. The raw bones do a great job of cleaning teeth.

Same here and sooooo true!

 

[maggie23]

i've never been able to get those little finger brushes into angel's mouth. i've got a whole tube of kitty toothpaste at home as well that will never be used. strangely enough, when she comes to bed at night she's a completely different kitty and lets me get my finger in her mouth to rub her teeth. that and those greenies treats actually seem to have worked because when we first adopted her 4 months ago, i definitely saw brown tartar on her upper right back tooth, but i don't see it anymore now!

we just feed her wet food and the occasional crunchy treat (like the greenies). we're too "chicken" to try raw.

 

[catloverami]

My cats won't eat raw anything....I keep trying but they just turn up their noses and walk away. I've had their teeth cleaned once at age 7. I use a supplement called "Nature's Dentist" which seems to keep the plaque at bay for quite a while. I mix it in with their canned food and they love it.
Nature's Dentist | McIntosh Pro Line | Natural Supplements | Tri-Natural Products

 

[ibbica]

We use a small children's toothbrush. I sit a cat in my lap, facing away from me, and use my left thumb (I'm right-handed) to move their lips out of the way to get to the back teeth (I only brush the outer surfaces).

 

[yingying]

I brush my cats teeth daily. They get raw food as well but a daily brush won't hurt

I second ibbica's choice above. The first toothbrush I used on my cats is the one made for cats that come in the same package with the toothpaste. After that one got weared, I bought a baby toothbrush. The key is, you need a brush with "small head". Cats mouth are small, and large toothbrush is really hard to manuver on them. There are fancy toothbrush with 3 heads, both sold in store and online. It's advertised as it can reach all angles at once. Don't waste money on those. You won't be able to stick it into your cats mouth.

Finger brush doesn't work for my cats. It's too big, and the "brush" part is too soft to my liking.

As of how to reach the back teeth, same as ibbica, I use my fingers to "pull" the corner of my cats mouth backward, so the back teeth show. I grasp their head in one hand (positioned sometimes under their chin, sometimes above their back neck, depending on their pose at the time), and use my thumb of the same hand to pull their lips.

 

[Rissa]

Thanks, everyone! I really appreciate the help. I'll let you know how it goes!

 

[meow79]

I put dental fresh in my cats' water.

 

[Tutubean]

I could never get my cat to let me do that. However, I do make it a point to massage the gum of her remaining upper canine (when I adopted her the other one got pulled) just in case she gets more gingivitis.

Instead of brushing, I use CET dental chews (out of Quebec, available at amazon.com or vets) as well as Greenies treats. No cavities yet in her life, she's ~10 and I've had her 2 years.

 

[Arkona]

Ideally, we'd all brush our cat's teeth once a day, or at least once a week, but I was not successful in getting my cat to accept it. She is a great and loving cat, but she hates being handled and gets stressed out when we get pushy about things she doesn't want to do. I don't want to lower her quality of life and reduce her bond with me by constantly putting her through the stress of toothbrush training. So I gave up.

I do, however, feed her a piece of turkey neck once a week so she gets to chew on bone, which should help clean her teeth somewhat. She also eats gizzards and chicken hearts at least once a week, so she gets to chew when otherwise she wouldn't do much chewing, since her raw diet is ground. So she gets to chew at least every other day, which should help prevent tartar buildup to a degree.

Hopefully the fact that she gets fed a nutritious diet will also help in keeping her teeth and gums healthy.

 

[bluemilk]

While I'm thinking of it-2 toothbrushes! 1 for me,1 for Robin! (revises grocery list)