You might no think cleaning your cat’s teeth is important. But, knowing why to clean your cat’s teeth might change your mind on that.
It is easy to forget about your pet’s dental hygiene when their teeth don’t have to be brushed everyday like ours. Because of this, we may think that it doesn’t matter if their teeth are clean or not. However, dental hygiene is so important for our pets as well. Feline dental disease is very dangerous and can cause a lot of problems. Here is why it is important to get your cat’s teeth cleaned.
Smelly Breath
It is a common myth that a cat’s breath shouldn’t smell fresh because of the fact that they eat a lot of fish flavored foods and things like tuna. However, even with this diet, a cat’s breath should not have a bad smell to it. If you notice that your cat’s breath smells rotten or fishy, it could be a sign that something is rotting in their mouth. Getting your cat’s teeth cleaned on a regular basis prevents rotting and keeps their breath smelling fresh.
Pain & Discomfort
As mentioned before, feline dental disease can be very dangerous for cats. In addition, it can cause them a lot of pain and discomfort. The difference between cats and humans is that cats instinctively hide their pain. Because of this, it may take a long time for you to notice that there is any problem at all. Getting your cat’s teeth cleaned helps to prevent feline dental disease from occurring at all.
Outside of the Mouth
Feline dental disease will spread if you do not treat it early. It can start as something as simple as gingivitis and can end up causing infections in your cat’s bones, lungs, and possibly even their bloodstream. This turns a simple dental procedure into a life threatening infection that will cost you a lot more time and money. An annual cat teeth cleaning can avoid this possibility altogether.
Other Illnesses
If a cat has other diseases already, feline dental disease can worsen it. For example, diabetic cats have a harder time with feline dental disease because it makes it harder for them to maintain their blood sugar levels. Feline dental disease can also increase the risk of contracting other illnesses such as heart and lung infections, kidney disease, autoimmune diseases, and even cancer.
Catonsville Cat Clinic Can help you clean your cat’s teeth
You might not know where to start when it comes to cleaning your cat’s teeth, and that’s okay. That’s why we’re here!
For 20 years, the Catonsville Cat Clinic has been providing quality veterinary care to the cats of Catonsville and beyond! Dr. Pam Nesbitt, who purchased the practice in July of 2011, runs the Catonsville Cat Clinic with compassion in mind. A team of professionals with an advanced level of veterinary medicine is at your service to make sure your cat is healthy and happy. So stop on by; we’d love to get to know you and your cat!
You can get in touch with the Catonsville Cat Clinic by giving us a call at 410-869-0800 or visiting our contact page. For more updates and advice, be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter.