I took my two two and half year old moggies to the vet this morning for their annual boosters. One of them apparently is starting to get tartar building up on his back teeth. The vet didn't have many suggestions as to how to stop this, the dry food issue was discussed but I explained that my boys just swallow the biscuits whole so I couldn't see any advantage in dry food. The vet just shrugged and said some cats are prone to it and would need treatment from time to time. Obviously I don't want to have to put my boy through any procedures that can be avoided. Both get almost all tinned food, as high quality as I can manage (mixture of Bozita, Animonda, some Classic and some Felix/Whiskas as a treat as they love the stuff) and I am trying to move them gradually more towards pate foods for the denser nutritional value. I would actually like to raw feed but I just don't have the time to do it properly so think complete food is the best bet for us, for now at least.

Anyway, people here always recommend some raw to help teeth. My two will eat casserole beef chunks and I have today picked up some chicken wings to try. I also bought something called stewing lamb, but when I opened it the pieces have huge bones, is this still ok to give them if they will eat it or should I be worried? I know raw chicken bones are ok but the lamb ones are huge! Also, how often should I give some raw to get maximum benefits for teeth but without compromising their complete diet?

Sorry for the long post, any advice would be appreciated!

I'm not sure about giving them the lamb bones but I have seen raw being recommended to help with teeth. I think it's more the bones that will help than the meat as they are actually having to chew on them and like you said they don't chew dry food so vets recommending dry food to help is useless.

I think you can give them roughly 20% of their weekly meals as raw without them having to follow the recommended ratios. I'm more than likely wrong there though so hopefully Hobbs or someone will be able to help with that.

Hobbs did recommend I get a raw whole chicken for my kittens to use as 'treats' for them, using bones from wings but not from legs as they may be a bit too big.

Found what Hobbs recommended to me:

However, if I were you I would get a whole chicken (with giblets if you can) and take it apart. What you don't feed that day, just freeze. The chicken ribs are a great bone to get raw novices used to crunching bone; the chicken wings, particularly, the wing tips, are good too. Drumsticks will be too big for them to start off with (and some cats never seem to get the hang of those big bones), so you can either let them strip the meat off the bone or you do it for them.

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Thanks, that's helpful. I suppose that means that I shouldn't expect them to eat the lamb bones as they are just too big but I can let them try to strip the meat off themselves if they want to and it's not dangerous which is all I am really worried about. This raw stuff is definitely a bit more complicated than opening a tin!

Our older birman who's 5 had a descale a year or so ago and this helps. It's covered by Pet Plan since she's on super cat policy or something like that. She's also been on raw since she was a kitten.

I'm of the opinion, tartar build up is one of those things that affect all cats no matter what diet you feed to them, however there are things to help alleviate like brushing their teeth if they tolerate, also applying gels like Maxi Guard and raw may help.

Did your vet offer for your cat to have descale, also I'm not sure what kind of cat you have, ours our purebred where some are more prone to dental issues including 'hole' in tooth which incidentally was traced back to cats who would not have been as domesticated as they are now and no doubt perhaps ate raw, just a thought.

They are both moggies, but only one seems to have this problem at the moment. I think you are probably right that some cats are just prone to this (probably it's even backed up by the fact that only one of ours has the problem despite them having identical diets). I presume a descale is what the vet meant by treatment but he said it wasn't needed quite yet. I'm not sure whether it will be covered by their insurance but we'll pay for it if it's needed. I think I'm just looking for ways that we can minimise the problem as much as possible to avoid putting the kitty through the stress of treatment or at least minimise how often he needs it.

Our older one was about 3 when she had her descale and she seemed fine, is quick quick. Might be worth checking if your insurers do cover and if so, no harm in getting a descale, I did notice the difference straight away. After that, I just try to maintain as best as I can her teeth with logic gel, Maxi guard, I'v not found a 'good' tooth brush for cats, the finger brushes are pants. Then there's other stuff like 'plaque off' has mixed reviews so not sure about this one.

i am surprised the vet didnt suggest plaque off,they normally sell it over the counter. i give my cats this on their food but the online vet pharmacies are cheaper than the vets. also of course raw chicken wings are good for the gums and teeth

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One other option is dried chicken ... I get a good supply off a good friend from Germany, but you can get something fairly good from ZP ... Rocco Chings Chicken Breast in Strips - Great deals on dog snacks at zooplus They come in large full chicken breast size, so they will last a while for kitties. Perhaps cut them into about 5 pieces per breast.

I find that my girls get a good gum and tooth work out with these, almost as good as chicken wings and the like. I've seen them shift them to the very back teeth as well, so it's a thorough job if the size of each bit is large enough.

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I will definitely have a look at the dried chicken breast idea, that is a handy one for days when raw is just too much faff/when they go to the cattery.

I have always been a bit suspicious of the gels and anti-plaque supplements since my dentist told me that mouthwashes etc were more or less useless in humans other than for fresh breath. This was then backed up by another dentist I know, and it just made me think that it might be the same for these types of products for animals? Any thoughts? I know they are not moutwashes as such but to me it is a similar idea of chemicals that keep plaque down, or try to.

I got my 2 Selkirk Rex when they were 15months old. By 2 and a half years of age they both had had dentals, with the boy needing extractions and the girl just needing a descale.

I think, unfortunately, my guys are genetically prone to crappy teeth.

A few months ago I thought my girl would be needing a dental again soon (they're 3 and a half now, so less than a year after the dental), despite me having used plaque off for nearly a year, and brushing their teeth a few times a week.
However, I've been feeding a few raw meals including chicken wings a few times a week for about 6 weeks now, and her teeth are looking brilliant (so are his )