Brushing Your Cat’s Teeth
Written by Anne | Content Specialist |
Dental care for your cat is an important part of daily care. You can contribute to oral health in different ways, such as giving special dental chews, feeding a diet aimed at dental care, or adding products to the drinking water. However, one of the most effective methods is still brushing your cat’s teeth. This mainly concerns the outside of the teeth and molars. The inside of the teeth is cleaned by the animal’s tongue.
For cats, brushing only the upper teeth and molars may be sufficient. Because of the small size of the mouth, there is often very little room left to brush the lower teeth and molars as well. In addition, the shape of a cat’s teeth means that the lower teeth and molars are normally also cleaned to some extent when the mouth opens and closes.
Brushing Your Cat’s Teeth
Brushing teeth may sound like quite a challenge, but in general your pet will accept it well once they get used to it. This is especially true if you start caring for your four-legged friend’s teeth from a young age. Make it a small daily celebration by giving a nice cuddle, a fun game, or a tasty snack as a reward.
Tips for Brushing Teeth
You can brush teeth using a toothbrush specially designed for animals. There are also brush attachments that fit over your finger. A good starter set is, for example, the C.E.T. Dental Care Set. You can also brush your pet’s teeth with a piece of gauze wrapped around your finger. To achieve the best result when brushing, you can, just like with humans, use toothpaste. However, toothpaste used by humans is not suitable for animals. This is because human toothpaste contains fluoride. This can be harmful to your pet’s stomach.
Cat Toothpaste
Special toothpastes have been developed for animals that can be used safely and are not harmful if the animal swallows them. They often also have an appealing flavour added, such as liver or chicken. An example of a toothpaste for animals is C.E.T. toothpaste by Virbac. This toothpaste contains a so-called C.E.T. Dual Enzyme System. This activates and stimulates the immune system, which contributes to an optimal environment in your pet’s mouth. This can help inhibit the formation of new plaque. The best effect can be achieved by brushing daily with the toothpaste.
