Dental appointment for a cat?

Hey Hickorystick - I have to bring my cat in for a dental cleaning. He's diabetic and the sugars in his saliva foul up his mouth. It's getting pretty bad, now, after 3 years of diabetes - he'll be having his first cleaning soon.

They have to sedate the cats.... can you imagine the job they'd have if they didn't! I can barely clip my cat's claws without serious damage to my hands and arms.

When I went to pick up my cat, they said, "She's a real scrapper!" but they weren't saying that it was a bother. I'm sure it would be a giant job if they didn't sedate, probably impossible.

How often are you supposed to clean an animals teeth?

I dunno. Your vet will tell you how often, but they are also out for the business. Try looking for a website online (via google) for pet owners.

A healthy cat on a good diet should not need to have their teeth cleaned.

I was at a party recently and 2/3rds of the people in the room mentioned they recently got a letter from their vets to have their pets teeth cleaned (dogs and cats), many had never received such a letter before. We laughed and said the pet toothpaste industry must have put out an incentive for vets to advertise teeth cleaning. A few years ago a friend and her husband (a dermatologist) went on a trip to Hawaii. She told me it was freebie from a drug company. Her husband wrote so many subscriptions for some skin cream that the drug company gave him a perk. It's probably the same for vets.

I would say unless there is a real healthy problem evident, let nature take care of itself.

I don't doubt at all that vet's want our money. I just can't help but remember all of the older pets I've seen that refused to eat hard food, or had some bladder problem. Residue from nasty teeth can cause bladder type problems.

But even knowing this, I can't help but feel like a sucker when I'm paying the bill.

Now that your cat has clean teeth take a good look at them. Notice the color of the teeth and gums. Next time you get the cleaning notice look at your cats teeth, do they still look good? If so, skip the cleaning and donate the money you would have spent to the local animal shelter. No guilt, no feeling like a sucker.

Good idea. I saw them before the appointment and they looked aweful. I'll know if they need cleaning. Thanks.

Green witch is partially right. Although she can't say that healthy cats on a good diet will never need dental care, the true concern is the gums, more so than the teeth. I've never seen a bladder problem that I could attribute to a condition in the oral cavity, but good dental health is certainly essential to good overall health. By the way, if drug companies hand out freebie cruises to vets, they sure as hell kept me off their Christmas list, and I used to sell close to half a million dollars a year in livestock vaccine and supplies. Then again, I know the pet practitioners make a helluva lot more money than the poor saps like me. Speaking of which, I'd better go. It's eighteen below and a rancher twenty miles away just called with a cow down with milk fever. And to think I retired seven years ago. Ah, well..........

CowDoc--

Stay warm.

Hold your dominion.

If a cat's teeth are not cleaned...and as they age the gums get infected and that can cause sinus infections, kidney, liver, and heart damage. Most house cats are fed a dry food along with a canned meat, instead of the natural diet of killing a bird or mouse and scrunching the bones that will clean their teeth. It is expensive to neglect looking at an older cats teeth, but I had three cats given to me by my daughters when they "moved on" and they are all old. I feel like I am running a hospice for cats! Everyone had terrible gum disease. You ignore this at their peril!

They must be anesthetized and with older cats they have to do blood work to see if they can handle the anesthetic. One of the cats freaked with the initial part of the procedure to give the anesthetic and coughed and was found to have pneumonia!!! Now, after weeks of antibiotic treatment for the pneumonia we are ready to go back and work on the gunky teeth.

When I get a kitten, and I will when my oldsters cross the rainbow bridge, I am going to start them on a raw diet as I do my dogs. The dogs teeth are healthy and amazing as is their health and muscle tone. They get a variety of veggies and fruit with yoghurt as well. No more kibble. When I go away, I have them fed canned meat and yoghurt. I show dogs so when I go to shows I bring a cooler with all the food they need

Back to the kitties....dental care is very important for their health. Same as us. I had an abscess above a broken tooth in my mouth and could have gotten a brain abscess from it.!

Vietnamnurse, thank you so much for the information! People aren't used to veteranarians doing as much for animals as they can these days, and its easy to fall into skepticism. Your information makes me very glad I got my wee one's teeth cleaned.

Thank you!

with out reading the entire thread, I do have my older cat taken in every 6-8 months to have her teeth cleaned.
I dont think it is that important for younger cats.. I mean.. cats live LONG healthy lives in the wild, with out human "assistance". Espically with out tooth brushes..

Indoor cats are even less likely to be exposed to some of the things that outdoor cats are.. so in a way, I think they are safer .

My cat is 7. Not 'old' but it is time to start paying attention to her health and do a little more to ensure basic health and comfort. Just like humans, cat's gums can become infected, teeth can become sensative, cavities can begin to grow ... etc.

A simple trip twice a year to have her teeth cleaned can help guard against those things. But I am not sure I agree that it is 100% necessary for all cats..
I have had some Vets try to get me to bring my cat in before she was even 4 years old for monthly teeth cleaning..

Shewolf....4 months old??? Wow, I would say that is money grubbing!

The vet I used to go to made a lot of money cleaning dogs and cats teeth because of the anesthetic and frequently the bloodwork and the antibiotics. We can do a lot to prevent having these expenses.

You are correct, as they age, we have to be more aware of their health...especially teeth.

HickoryStick! You are welcome!