Teeth are a very important part of a cat’s body. They are used for eating, hunting, grooming and self-defense. Cat losing teeth if they are not taken care of properly. It is one of the most common factors for them and difficult to find out exactly why it is happening.
At what age do kittens lose their baby teeth?
When your cat is about 4 to 7 months old, they lose their baby teeth. So at that age, some teeth might be found here and there. You don’t need to be afraid of it. It’s a common thing for them at this age. It’s the same phenomenon as a human baby.
They are called baby teeth. After the baby teeth are gone, new 30 permanent adult teeth are grown into their mouth.
Is it normal adult cats to lose their teeth?
No, It is not normal for adult cats to lose their teeth. After the baby tooth is gone, new permanent sets are grown and they remain in their mouth for hunting, grooming and so on. They should remain there for long. If you see some tooths are falling at their grown-up age then it’s a matter of concern. So then your cat losing teeth.
You need to take some steps to keep the rest of them. It’s time to find out what the causes are and how to avoid them.
Dental Disease in Cats
There are many reasons for falling out teeth of cats. Dental disease is the most common problem. About two-thirds of falling teeth are caused by dental disease. Cat’s most common symptoms of dental disease are like human and dog. You can do plaque like human teeth in them.
Plaque can easily develop over teeth by bacteria with the help of food that is stuck on them. To avoid this situation, regular cleaning is very important so that starter and calculus don’t grow easily. Calculus leads to plaque in time.
In the worst case it can become to develop gingivitis.
How do I know if my cat has gingivitis?
If steps are taken before, then gingivitis can be avoided easily which is very common. The gum pocket is a narrow place between the wall of the gum and tooth. If gingivitis is present in such place and have bacteria and other toxins in them, then the gum tissue easily breaks down.
At the initial state, it can be cured by proper cleaning of teeth and gums as they are easily visible. At last stage, gingivitis becomes very devastating and difficult to cure. Calcium carbonate and calcium phosphate react with some organic compounds and make teeth and gums harder.
This situation is very itchy and painful. Sometimes bleeding occurs. In that case, teeth can be lost permanently. These can bring fever and illness. In this situation, cats cannot eat and swallow food easily. Some cats might have breathing problems.
Causes of gingivitis in cats
If gingivitis is not cured at the initial stage, then it can lead to bone and ligaments decay that is difficult to repair and causes permanent loss of teeth. There are many causes of this disease. Some of them are listed below so that you can check those from time to time for the well-being of your favorite cat.
- Bad chewing habits
- Autoimmune disease
- Uremia and diabetes
- Open mounted breathing
- Feline leukemia
- Crowded teeth
- Oldness
- Soft foods
- Lack of dental care
- Feline Immunodeficiency Virus
Guide To Cat Dental Care and Treatment
It is wise to take your pet to the veterinarian as soon as possible when the symptoms are mild. The weight will check the cat’s mouth to recognize the situation and the cause of it. Acknowledge him in detail when you noticed the symptoms and how the cat feels in these days so that it might help the doctor to find out the real problem easily.
You can also take your pet to veterinarian time to time to check up it’s health condition. Inform your doctor what you maintain to keep it’s dental health fit. As a treatment, doctor will perform a dental cleaning. At first the pet will undergo of anesthesia so that no pain can be felt by it in the whole procedure.
The doctor will check the teeth, gum and other parts beside them to find out the actual problem which they can remove one or more teeth if necessary and if they are beyond repair. This is for cats own good. Very damaged teeth can lead to further complications that cannot be reversed.
If a portion of a teeth is damaged, then doctor may remove the plaque or calculus from it and make a polish on it so that it looks.
Brush your cat’s teeth
As human beings, we regularly brush our teeth at least once in a day and some people also brush twice per day. This is done to keep our teeth and gum clean from germs to lead a healthy and happy life. Like a human being, also need to brush cats teeth.
They have different brushes and toothpaste that are easily available in the market. Brush them every day for maximum benefit.
Related post: Best Cat Toothbrush
How to avoid loss of teeth
Regular maintaining of your cat’s hygiene will keep its teeth fit for work. This will relief from many kinds of stress. Try to take it to a vet on a regular basis and always take care of the cat so that you can understand the discomfort that it is feeling in its mouth.
To summarize, prevention is better than cure. Take care of your cat’s health regularly to avoid cat losing teeth. Take it to a vet from time to time so that it can have a good hand to take care of. A professional vet can understand a pet more than regular people.
Observe it carefully at home and watch for any kind of discomfort that the pet feels. Observe whether it is taking its regular meal with comfort or not. Try to feed him water after every meal it takes. This is a good habit to maintain healthy teeth.
Make sure that it does not cut any hard object like wood with its teeth. Teeth could be broken down from it and enamels off teeth could be discolored.
His professional interests include humane education, ethics, small animal behavior, and veterinary. As a pet lover from school life, having grown up with two cats and a dog. If he isn’t spending time with his friends and family, Justin enjoys traveling. Learn more about Justin here.