brushing a cat's teeth.

Hi,
Do you brush your cat's teeth? How often? Does it make a difference in gingavitis? What about using the plaque removing gels or liquids you put in their foods? Does that help? How do you get them to sit still to do it? Charlie does it with protest, Chloe wont let me. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks.

When I had my cat I used to brush his teeth every day (Using a toothbrush made for pets and some chicken broth as tooth paste) I used treats to get him used to the toothbrush. I'd put it in his mouth for a second then take it out and give him a treat, repeat. After a while he got used to it and learned it meant treats so I slowly started to brush his teeth, still taking breaks to give him treats.

Those gels and such really don't do much (If anything) But of course brushing does make a difference. Feeding raw foods (Such as a chicken wing every so often) helps, raw bones are kinda like nature's toothbrush.

Me, brush my cat's teeth? I think not. I value my fingers too much.

But it is a good idea!

I don't brush my cats teeth but he does get kibble with high protein instead of the cheaper stuff. At 10 his teeth are still great according to the vet. It depends a lot on their food.

Thanks everyone. These are my first cats. And I get nervous about their health. I just want them to live healthy active lives. But I worry about everything.

Yeah, getting them to eat hard, dry food helps. At least I like to think so! The vet has never acted concerned about my kitty's choppers!

Sadly kibble doesn't help too much. It's kinda like a human eating chips, it doesn't really clean our teeth much. Plus most cats also don't tend to chew kibble much. Though as sidestepper said, the type of food you get does make a difference in tooth health and health in general. High quality foods without fillers makes a big difference.

my cat would never allow me to brush her teeth..wishful thinking on my part

My cat brushes his own.

I was told early in my cat's life that he had stomatitis, a gum disease, and he would eventually need to have his teeth removed. When he was young he had to have his teeth cleaned every year. It always made me nervous having him go under anesthesia.

My vet suggested cat dental treats called C.E.T. Oral Hygiene Chews For Cats. They look like bottle corks so they need to chew on them. They are fibrous and do a good job of keeping the teeth clean.

They worked well, but eventually the disease took over and he had all of his teeth, from the canines back, removed.

My other cat just had his teeth cleaned for the first time in 10 years. Luckily there were no extractions. My vet asked if I could brush his teeth once a week. I said "sure I could, but he would chew my had off." He continues to get dental treats. As DogTrainingLove said, most cats don't chew so dry food isn't always the answer.