While we are busy treating our pets for the visible ailments, we often overlook minuscule but important things like oral hygiene. We don’t realize that a bad oral health can cause severe damage to the overall health of a cat in the long run. Symptoms like – tartar build-up, red and inflamed gums that bleed, difficulty in chewing and excessive drooling are the tell-tale signs of a severe bacterial infestation in the mouth. The condition becomes fatal if this infection gradually transfers to the entire body, damaging the internal organs badly. Therefore, dental grooming is extremely important to avoid facing the consequences later. Follow these tips even if you are short on time and have a very busy life.
- Brush Your Cat’s Teeth Regularly
Food debris left in the mouth after meals make a home for bacteria when not removed. Brushing thus ensures removal of these remains thereby preventing bacteria to develop in the mouth. This practice must be followed every alternate day or at least weekly and must be implemented from the very early stage of the cat’s life so she becomes comfortable with the process.
Make sure you use toothpaste that is specially formulated for cats. Applying human toothpaste to cat’s teeth can cause severe erosion as it contains high fluoride content.
- Dental Sprays Are Good Option
A dental spray is an extremely useful product that removes food remains and prevents plaque formation. When you don’t have time to clean your cat’s teeth, just spray the product in your cat’s mouth and you are done. However, this doesn’t imply that brushing is not necessary. Sprays must be secondary cleaning option.
- Give Them Dental Chews
Dental Chews are meant to strengthen the teeth and gums. They also serve as good equipment for dental exercise and in addition keep the bacteria away.
Also, Read- Pet Dental Health Month
- Provide Chew Toys For Strong Teeth
Chew toys are soft, cushiony and are invented to give a good exercise to the teeth. It is also the best way to keep the cat busy.
- Feed A Healthy Diet Good For Teeth
Foods like fish, beef, and rabbit are good for cat’s teeth. Kitty owners must switch from dry food to wet food alternatively to provide the best of both the diets. And yes, please remove processed foods from her diet plan.
- Supplements For Strong Bones
Teeth are nothing but bones. Giving a supplement that strengthens bones is therefore recommended for maintaining a good oral health.
Apart from all these tips, it is imperative to get your kitty checked yearly for any dental issues that would have been mistakenly overlooked. We often get swayed by different product ads that claim to provide nutrition to pets. They do work to some extent; however, a pet owner must always try and provide more natural food to their cats as you cannot compare the nutrition a wholesome meal imparts than those sugar-loaded munchies.
Cats and in fact all the pets are completely dependent on us for their dental care. If we deter from this responsibility, it would be our fault when something unexpected happens to our pets. So take some time out, even if is as short as 10 minutes to maintain a regular dental routine for your furry friends. If you want to improve the quality of their life, you have to put in some efforts.