Gum Disease in Cats and How to Prevent It

A cat's teeth and gums are a way to determine the animal's general health. If your cat has a bad breath the first thing you should check is the cat's mouth. Swollen gums, yellow buildup or brown strips are the signs you should look for. These signs mean tartar, which is the main cause of gum inflammation and gingivitis. If the problem is chronic then you should take the cat to a veterinary, which will probably anesthetize your cat and clean its teeth. Here are some advices that may help you avoid this situation.

Start checking your cat's teeth since it is still a kitty. Cats don't usually like heaving their mouth checked but if they get used to it won't be a problem anymore. A healthy cat doesn't have gingivitis. This is why you must regularly check for a ref strip along the gums. Wrap gauze around your fingers and clean your cat's teeth and gum periodically to avoid the appearance of buildup and inflammations. You don't even need to use special toothpaste. Plain water is just what you need. You can even remove small pieces of tartar with your fingernails before they get big and start causing problems.

It is known that dry food can clean a cat's teeth preventing tartar. However eating crispy food is not healthy for your cat. Dry food is mostly made of carbohydrates which are not healthy for a cat's teeth. Furthermore cats don't have grinding teeth so there's no way how a cat can clean its teeth by eating dry food. You've probably seen how cats turn their head from side to side when they eat dry food. That's because cat's teeth are for ripping and not for grinding.

To prevent tooth problems you should feed your cat with quality food. Therefore you should stop giving dry food to your cat. You will notice that your cat will not encounter any dental problem anymore. If you feed your cat with homemade and canned food the teeth diseases will be completely one. Besides feeding your cat with healthy food, you can also perform a monthly home tooth cleaning which will improve the health of your cat's teeth. Another tip that can prove very useful is to give your cat a few pieces of cheddar cheese every week. Cheese contains enzymes which destroy the harmful bacteria which causes gum disease.