Should you brush your cat’s teeth?

I have to admit I am not the best cat owner. I brush my dog’s teeth once every 2 days, but when it comes to my cat, her chilly looks warn me to not even think about it. I wonder if most cat owners in Singapore brush their cats’ teeth and do they have an easy or difficult time doing it?

For obvious reasons, we want to brush our cat’s teeth to avoid dental disease. Dental health has been proven to affect overall health for cats. This means bad dental health = bad overall health. If you see brown or yellow buildup on your cat’s teeth, then there are trillions of bacteria sitting on the surface of the teeth. These bacteria can cause dental pain and infection and such infections can travel to other organs, creating abscesses, heart disease, and other serious issues. Dental disease is not only bad for your cat’s physical health and if his breath leaves little to be desired then it is really time for you to start a teeth-brushing routine before the dental condition further deteriorates.

For a start, consider buying some chews that can help in removing plaque on your cat’s teeth. This is the easy part. The next thing to do is to buy dental supplies suitable for your cat. Remember – no hooman toothpaste, because it may contain xylitol and fluoride and these are poisons for cats! If you cannot find a suitable toothpaste, you can always use fresh water. In fact, it is not a bad idea to start with water so your cat can first adjust to the use of a toothbrush or those finger cloths and later graduating to the use of toothpaste. Please do not use baking soda because your cat will hate the taste (and you) because it tastes absolutely awful! Then comes the challenging part of introducing Mr Toothbrush to your cat. Cats have short attention spans so don’t get to hyped up about trying to brush all your cat’s teeth at one go. Maybe do one side today and another side tomorrow and don’t forget the ‘cheek’ teeth at the back. Always be patient and praise your cat while you checking and brushing his or her teeth.

Have fun brushing your cat’s teeth!