Took My Cat To The Vet Today

[hookbill]

Part of my "job" as a "household engineer" is to take care of our 5 cats and 9 parrots. Usually the hard ones are the parrots, that is if you don't mind cleaning up cat puke (you get use to it). It also means I take them to the vet.

So today I took Max the Cat (not to be confused with Max the bird) to the vet for his rabies shots. I'm thinking, man I gotta come back here in 2 more months with him for his regular vaccines so I ask the Doc to fix him up all at one time. So the vet gives him the once over and starts talking about his teeth. Seems Max has got Periodontal disease. Heck, I've got that too. Anyway he wants us to start brushing his teeth, gave us a tooth brush and some antibiotics too. WTH! Brush the cats teeth? What, am I gonna have to do this with all my cats? Anyway this is Max the cat. If his eyes are open, he's looking for trouble.

 

[rod]

brush a cats teeth?! thats wild.

i let my wife talk me into getting cats. you see, im allergic to cats. i cough, i weeze, i sneeze, and oh, i also have this thing called eosinophilic esophagitis, which in short is the buildup of allergy-fighting cells around the esophagus, causing a stricture which makes it difficult and sometimes impossible to swallow food. i love my cats (we have two- ozzy the dark prince and chloe) and i wouldnt give them away. i have my safe room in the house where the cats arent allowed, and im on medication to keep my allergies in check. though i want nothing to happen to them, i am already somewhat looking forward to 2057, which by my estimates, will be the date where our cats will no longer be with us and i can finally breath, sleep and eat peacefully in my own home.

the things you do for cats...

 

[hookbill]

brush a cats teeth?! thats wild.

i let my wife talk me into getting cats. you see, im allergic to cats. i cough, i weeze, i sneeze, and oh, i also have this thing called eosinophilic esophagitis, which in short is the buildup of allergy-fighting cells around the esophagus, causing a stricture which makes it difficult and sometimes impossible to swallow food. i love my cats (we have two- ozzy the dark prince and chloe) and i wouldnt give them away. i have my safe room in the house where the cats arent allowed, and im on medication to keep my allergies in check. though i want nothing to happen to them, i am already somewhat looking forward to 2057, which by my estimates, will be the date where our cats will no longer be with us and i can finally breath, sleep and eat peacefully in my own home.

the things you do for cats...

2057? You got cats going to live 40 + years?

Well, when they get to be about 8 or 9 is when you start brushing their teeth.

 

[rod]

so i tend to exaggerate a little. all i know is theyre cats, and they live forever. haha. one is maybe three years old, the other is two. ive got a long time to go, so 2057 seemed reasonable.

and thanks for the heads up. i look forward to brushing their teeth. is there any preventative measures you can take as an owner?

 

[hookbill]

so i tend to exaggerate a little. all i know is theyre cats, and they live forever. haha. one is maybe three years old, the other is two. ive got a long time to go, so 2057 seemed reasonable.

and thanks for the heads up. i look forward to brushing their teeth. is there any preventative measures you can take as an owner?

Every time you bring the cat into the vets office they look at their teeth and usually say, "I see a little tarter back there." But nobody tells you what to do about it.

I suppose you can have their teeth professionally cleaned twice a year at 200.00 a pop and that "might" prevent it.

 

[LtKen]

You havent lived until you've tried to clean the teeth of a 1 year old bloodhound.

 

[rod]

omigoodness. $400 x 40 yrs x two cats!?

my wife is trying to kill me and rob me! :icon_eek: :laugh: :icon_eek:



but in all seriousness. i hope you get it under control. like i said, we have two cats, and we love seeing them play. i can only imagine 5 cats and the mischief they get into. best wishes in taking care of it and i hope theyll find an easier and more definitive way to avoid these kinds of problems.

 

[bastosero]

Man, we have a cat and kittens in our house too. We're probably going to give the kittens away though. I hope I don't have to brush my cat's teeth. LOL

 

[mrdroid]

My girlfriend has tried to brush our older cat's teeth in the past. It was a no go.

He's in my avatar... his name is Squirrellie.

 

[hookbill]

Here's the stuff they give you to clean the cats teeth. And those chew things, come on, do they really think a cat will chew on those?

 

[CatsTide]

for some reason i always have a strange urge to click on all cat threads.....

 

[techguru]

It is important to keep cats teeth cleaned. The tarter can breed bacteria that can cause serious disease.

I use petrodent, which comes in either Malt or Tuna flavor that the cat likes, and has a small toothbrush, and a rubber thing that goes on your finger and has little bristles. My previous cat preferred the latter, but I haven't had much success with the new kitten with either of them.

You can also get hard cat treats that help prevent the tarter, but you still have to brush occasionally.

If you don't take care of them, than the vet will need to scrape the tarter every few years, under anesthesia (with associated risks and cost).

Alan

 

[Droid2K]

With all due respect, but I've never heard a reason for putting a cat under anesthesia for a tooth cleaning more than once in their lives, unless they are a breed that is prone to dental disease, like Siamese, and if the dental disease is absolutely horrible, we extract all the teeth. (I'm a vet technician.) Because domesticated cats aren't out hunting for their food, they don't need their teeth. They aren't ripping and tearing through the bones and muscles of mice and other critters, which is what their teeth are designed to to. Because most cat owners keep their cats strictly indoors, there is absolutely no reason that they NEED teeth.

That being said, you don't have to brush their teeth like you would brush your own. You just have to rub some of the toothpaste on their teeth and they'll work it in by themselves. There's also other alternatives, if you cats won't allow you to touch their teeth.

AquaDent Drinking Additive is something you just put in their water. It's like Listerine for cats, only it doesn't taste as horrible.

My bosses love Greenies Dental Treats. You can purchase them from any pet store, and it helps control tartar. And they come in many flavors.

If you're really concerned about tarter, perhaps talk to your vet about a tarter control diet. Hills (the guys who make Science Diet) have a special prescription diet strictly for oral health, called t/d. It's pretty pricey though(We charge about 25 bucks for a 4 lbs. bad), and it requires a prescription from your vet if they don't carry it, which can be a hassle. (I do know that Petsmarts with Banfield Hospital offices carry it.)

I don't brush my own cat's teeth. He's 11 and had mild tarter. He's also FIV+, so I don't try to stress him out too much in fear stress will lower his immune system even further. I give him the dental treats, which he enjoys since I took the dry food away from him. (He got fat...)

Hope this helps!

 

[aaf709]

My wife has worked at vet clinics for several years. This is a double-edged sword. On one hand, she has the knowledge and skills to perform several veterinary tasks; as well as having access to knowledge on how to handle an illness. It also means she has a tendency to bring home broken or unwanted cats. Currently our clan has 12 cats.

One we had was diabetic and we got her because the owner would rather have her euthanized rather than having to give the cat 2 shots a day. The cat took the shots so well, I'd be ashamed if I said, "oh" when I got a shot.

You can see them at Collection: Our Cats

 

[techguru]

With all due respect, but I've never heard a reason for putting a cat under anesthesia for a tooth cleaning more than once in their lives, unless they are a breed that is prone to dental disease, like Siamese, and if the dental disease is absolutely horrible, we extract all the teeth. (I'm a vet technician.) Because domesticated cats aren't out hunting for their food, they don't need their teeth. They aren't ripping and tearing through the bones and muscles of mice and other critters, which is what their teeth are designed to to. Because most cat owners keep their cats strictly indoors, there is absolutely no reason that they NEED teeth.

We had our cat's done twice, but she did live to 19 years and I did my best to keep her brushed.

You are right about not needing the teeth. Our friend has a cat that had an allergy to tooth tarter and they extracted all her teeth and she is far healthier, happier, and heavier than she was before the surgery.

Alan