How Many of You Brush Your Kittys Teeth?

i was wondering about this?.... all my cats in the past, while i was only young and never looked in their mouths, all lived long and hadnt ever had their teeth done....

and with dry food, i thought things would be okay - maybe with alittle T/D in there (extra hard food) .

my golden retriever Megen (rip :cry: ) was 10 when she died and had never had any dental work, but always got complements on her teeth at each vet visit.

i suppose it depends on the individual animal too, just like some humans have soft teeth i would assume the same in this case too? :0011:

 

I have been trying to brush Moe's teeth about once or twice a week. She had a vet cleaning in the summer. She only lets me get about 30 seconds in before she runs. I figure anything is better than nothing!

My dog died from complications related to a gum infection. I do not want to go through that again!

 

I tried to brush Kyrre's teeth for the first time today. He didn't like it much, but he loved the fish flavoured toothpaste :mrgreen: The vet told me to introduce him to this slowly, so i'll trie some more tomorrow.

I visited both my father and my mother today, and they both laughed at me when i told them i had brushed Kyrre's teeth :cry:
That upset me a little... First of all, i'm not a very confident person, but most important: how can they not take their pets health seriously?
I know my mom takes her Fox serious, but i think she laughed b/c she believes it's not necessary. I kinda agree with her, in my family we have never brushed any cat's teeth, but i want to be on the safe side. What's so funny about that?

My father provoke me more, he thinks it's just stupid to waste time and money on a cat (besides from food and litter)........

Ok, i see this is going to be a loooong story off the topic... I'm a little upset right now. I'll continue it on my "two stray kittens" post :wink:

Anyway, I'll continue to brush Kyrre's teeth mabye once a week. I dont know if its necessary, but i'll rather be safe then sorry

 

I'd be afraid to brush my kitties teeth. Mittens would Cuisinart my arm and
Socks is a very strong kitty. It would be too much of a struggle.

We can't even get a pill down Socks. Even at the Vet's office it took two people several tries before they could get a pill down her.

Bente - Maybe your mom and dad were laughing because they thought it was cute. Maybe they didn't mean to be laughing AT you. I have sometimes laughed at what my kids said when they were young because I thought it was cute but maybe they misunderstood it. Just a thought.

 

My cats would have a fit if I tried to brush their teeth. I brush my one dogs teeth ocassionally.

 

i dont brush Lex's teeth, he's a huge cat, and altho is usually docile, he's got some big chompers should he choose to use them.

as for Raz.. i dont know if i want to try the teeth brushing thing, where i have to hold him down to clean his eyes... i dont want him to start panicing in case he doesnt like the tooth thing and then not even let me clean his eyes.... that could be bad, coz he gotta lay very still else the Q-tip could end up in a socket.

i just dont wanna feel like a horrible person...

 

i can barely clip their claws..so brushin is out of the question..lol

 

I do try to brush Fudgie's teeth once a week. He does get bad breath and the vet recomended I brush his teeth everyday, but I just know if I tried to do that he would hide from me and I'd be heartbroken, so for now I'm trying once a week and maybe as he gets used to it I'll increase it to twice a week. I tried with Pudcat once, never again, he sulked for days! :roll:

 

Hi EternalFlame. I have not started to brush Romeo and Juliet's teeth yet, as they are only 6 months old. I do check their teeth and gums on a regular basis. So, far everything looks good, so I will most likely start brushing their teeth when they are a year old.

 

my vet was trying to push the stuff on me already and Raz is only 4 months old yet. :roll:

but if either started to develop bad breath, that is signs of decay or something so brushing should be important then.. coz it could lead to infections.

i appreciate everyones honesty in this. i know it may be a hard thing to admit to here, where everyone is all about their cats and their utmost health.

 

My vet told me that it's smart to start brushing your cat's teeth as soon as possible, so that he/she gets used to it.
That way it's much easier to do it when they get older

 

I've never heard of brushing a cats teeth, except for once.. and it doesn't seem like it's something a kitty would enjoy. When my babies grow up I'll probably just stick with giving them cat food with dental care stuff in it. I'd feel horrible if my babies avoided me for trying to brush their teeth!

 

This is an issue that I've thought a lot about, but I always end up shuddering at the thought of how Luna would react to it. She is soooo against any kind of invasion into any part of her head, be it ear, mouth, whatever. She goes absolutely ballistic if I try to give her a pill or put drops in her ear, and I usually end up with scratches on my hands and her cowering under the bed in fear that I'm trying to kill her or something. :lol: She's such a drama queen. :roll:

But I really wish she would relax and trust me more, because something like brushing her teeth would really be a good thing for her in the long run. I do give her Nutro tartar control treats, which she loves, but I really doubt its effectiveness.

Bravo to anyone who successfully brushes their cats' teeth, you're doing a good thing!

 

I never brush my kitties teeth that's why Monty and Pumpkin got cavities and had to have their teeth extracted. I still can't get their teeth brushed. They hate it done! :x