How to Care for Your Cat’s Teeth and Mouth

1 Cat Oral Care: Why and How to Brush

I. Harm of Poor Oral Hygiene

Each meal leaves food debris on the teeth; without cleaning it forms tartar and breeds bacteria. Over time the debris, with saliva and bacteria, forms plaque, which then calcifies into tartar under the minerals in the mouth.

Once tartar forms, it easily leads to gingivitis, periodontitis or stomatitis, and severe cases may require tooth extraction. If stomatitis goes unnoticed it can break down the face and form a facial fistula. So clean your cat’s mouth regularly.

II. How to Care for Your Cat’s Mouth

Brushing is the key to oral care, because many feline mouth diseases come from unclean teeth. Generally use pet dental powder or dental water regularly to clean the teeth and improve the oral environment. Many cats dislike brushing and won’t cooperate at first, but they can gradually learn to accept it. Follow these steps:

1. First, touch around the cat’s mouth. If it does not resist, try lightly touching its teeth and massaging back and forth so it slowly gets used to the feeling.

2. Once adapted, wrap a finger in gauze dampened with water and clean the teeth with your finger.

3. As it adapts further, put some pet toothpaste on the gauze, let the cat lick it to learn the taste, then clean each tooth with small circles.

4. Once the cat accepts finger brushing, slowly try a cat-specific toothbrush, cleaning each tooth in circles the same way.

III. How Often to Brush

Ideally brush once a day, but adjust the frequency to the cat’s tolerance — not every cat cooperates, and some resist strongly. When starting out, brush 2–3 times a week and gradually increase the frequency. Note: always use a cat-specific toothbrush and toothpaste; never use human toothpaste.

IV. Which Breeds Are Most Prone to Oral Problems

Generally, flat-faced cats are more prone to oral problems — Persians, Himalayans, Chinchillas and similar. Compared with normally structured cats, their shortened skull and concave face not only shorten the nose but also tend to affect the jaw and teeth.

This concludes our guide to cat oral care; we hope it helps you keep your cat’s mouth healthy.