In the past I have tried to brush my cats teeth but they would have no part of it and I didn't want to force it on them so I let it be. Well now I found out Sunday has gingivitis. The vet said she might haveto have her teeth cleaned soon and that they would put her under anesthesia. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I could get them used to me brushing their teeth so that I could avoid having the vet clean their teeth? I really don't want them to have to put Sunday under.

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I know ideally you'd like to be brushing their teeth but as an interim measure have you tried using an oral care cat food.
I've been using Hills Feline Adult Oral Care Hills Feline Adult Oral Care with my cats and it works very well.

Like you, I have found brushing my cats teeth with a paste and a toothbrush too stressful for them and gave up with it.
Once a cat is at the point of having tartar on the teeth which then goes onto cause inflamation of the gums (gingivitus) I would say you are going to have to take the advice of the vet and let her teeth be cleaned.
Be prepared that they may take out some teeth - but a vet would only do this if essential.
Well you need a vet you trust and can talk to.
Personally I think it is best to let the vet clean her teeth as untreated gingivitus can lead to more health problems.

You are not going to do much good cleaning her teeth at this point in time - it won't get rid of the tartar or the gum inflamation.
Once the teeth are cleaned you could have another go at teeth cleaning to maintain what the vet has done.
Or try a dental food like has been suggested.

I'm afraid I've found it difficult, I never managed to clean my cats teeth, and I relied on my vet to clean them - in their lifetimes (to 18) each cat went under anesthetic twice for cleaning - but if they ever have to go under for another reason - you can always ask the vet to clean the teeth at the same time.

If your cats are young and would take to a raw diet that included bones their teeth may stay cleaner for longer - I'd be interested if any owners feeding raw diets could say if a raw diet helped to keep teeth in better condition.

Hi

I got some Petkin Liquid Oral Care from Pets at Home. I put some in my cats water and it cleans their teeth and freshens their breath. It say it fights plaque and gum disease. I think that some cats may not drink it though but both of mine do. Neither of them have bad breath and they eat wet food!! Type the name of the product in the net and have a look if your interested.

Jo x

There are a couple of products that may help keep teeth clean Plaque Off can just be sprinkled in food ProDen Plaque Off: Natural Dental Care Product - £7.29 and Logic Gel Logic Oral Hygiene Gel: Enzymatic Dog & Cat Toothpaste 70g - £4.50

As Katysu mentioned, diet is another good way to keep teeth clean - raw chicken wings will help prevent plaque build up. Unfortunately dry food doesnt really help, contrary to what we have been led to believe! It can actually contribute to dental problems.

[quote=ambercat;1130784]There are a couple of products that may help keep teeth clean Plaque Off can just be sprinkled in food ProDen Plaque Off: Natural Dental Care Product - £7.29 and Logic Gel Logic Oral Hygiene Gel: Enzymatic Dog & Cat Toothpaste 70g - £4.50

Really pleased I posted here - many thanks, I had a look and both these products look, at the very least, worth trying & I've ordered them - I currently have a siamese, 9 years old, I've had her 8 months.
Very loving. The best antidote I could have had for losing my other cats.
She does have tartar on her teeth & like Shabbydoll I am faced with having her teeth cleaned - my vet has said "sometime".
I took this to mean fairly soon but not immediate.
I don't think the vets like putting cats under for teeth cleaning any more than we do - I do know it is far better to do so than leaving gingivitus untreated.
I will take my cat back to the vet to check, but I'm definitely going to have a try with the gel & food additive.
To shabbydoll - I would take my vets advice - I think these products can help, but don't replace a vet cleaning & taking out any teeth that have gone.

I've yet to look at Jo's suggestion of Petkin in the water (I noted that there was a product to add to water with vetUK as well)

Can you put it in there milk too? Or is it just water? Dorrie has milk once a day and it is guaranteed to be drank.

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You don't have to be mad to live here, but it helps.

1 kitten, Dorrie 1 Gerbil Zach, 1 Hamster Florence and 2 Fish. Posh and Darla. 2 kids and me!!

Hi

Good question! I am really not sure. It only says on the product to use it in drinking water.

Jo x

As stated by other members I would take the advice of the vet.
After this though there are a few things you can supplement them with to help keep teeth clean and healthy.
Dry food is preferable with all animals as wet food contains around 80% water. In the long run it saves you money putting them onto a dry food as you don't have to feed them so much. It also helps slow down tartar build up and keeps teeth stronger longer.
You have more choose with dry food and as mentioned can buy special formulated food for different problems.
A good product which I use for my dog is plaque off. It is quite expensive but seems to work. All you do is sprinkle a small amount onto the cats foood and this eventually softens the plaque, when the cat eats something hard like a biscuit (this is also why it is helpful to feed dry food) it brushes the plaque away. It takes a while to see results (about a month or so) but worked for my dog.

I have to say that I disagree with Abs. Wet food IMO is preferrable BECAUSE it has a high water content. There are plenty of threads on here discussing the wet v dry issue. I have been feeding mine raw for about 3 weeks now and intend to keep this up. It seems natural, the bones will be good for teeth and it's really economical for 4 cats (soon to be 5!!).

I believe that when you read that dry food is good for teeth this is a myth. My adult cat has been on dry (recommended by vet for a condition years ago) and he has had extensive dental work. Obviously it will be a few years until I know if a raw diet has been successful dentally with my lot!

~x~

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Owned by 1 x Maine Coon Cross (13yrs Male), 1 x Pixie Bob kitten (male), 2 x Norwegian Forest kittens (both males)