How to brush your cat's teeth at home

When bringing a small kitten to the house, you must be sure that you have enough time, energy and desire to take care of your new pet. This concern is not only in feeding the animal and changing the filler in the tray. You need to drive the cat to the vet, give her timely vaccinations, brush her fur and, of course, brush her teeth. After all, poor oral hygiene can cause many diseases of the animal.

Why should a cat brush your teeth

This question is being asked by some pet owners. And really, why? Indeed, in nature, a cat does not brush its teeth, and even more so, it does not use a brush and paste for this. The fact is, life in the wild implies a constant, daily hunt with the use and sharpening of sharp teeth. In nature, cats eat raw meat, tearing it from the bones, biting the bones themselves.This natural process cleans the animal's canines from tartar, plaque, food debris between the teeth. Specialized food mimics a little wild food - it also needs to nibble. However, if your pet's food is completely homemade, with soft boiled foods, keep in mind that brushing your teeth for domestic cats is imperative.

Of course, you do not have to brush your cat's teeth twice a day, just like yourself. However, the animal should have at least two cleanings per week. Cleaning the teeth of an animal is the main way to prevent oral diseases. Regular cleaning of your teeth will help you to avoid diseases such as stomatitis, caries, gingivitis, tartar, periodontal disease. But proceed with cleaning should be consistent.

How to prepare a cat for brushing your teeth

Of course, to teach a kitten to brush teeth is much easier than an adult animal. Therefore, try to devote time to oral hygiene of the baby from the very beginning of its appearance in your home. However, if you have an adult animal, you can teach him too. For this it is enough to fulfill several conditions.

1. To get started, buy a suitable toothpaste and brush from a veterinary pharmacy. No need to use human hygiene products. The bristles on the brush are quite hard, they can damage the delicate feline gum. A huge amount of fluoride in the paste can ruin the tooth enamel of the animal.
2. When all you need is purchased, let your pet get acquainted with new items. This will allow him not to get scared the next time you start brushing your teeth.
3. Choose for the procedure a quiet time of the day when the cat is full, does not want to sleep and nothing hurts. At this time, her curiosity is at a maximum that will benefit us.
4. A few days before cleaning, let's pet try toothpaste. This will help not be afraid of new sensations.
5. If you have several animals, remember that you cannot brush two cats with one brush, this is a matter of personal hygiene. The fact is that in the saliva of a cat there are a lot of microbes that can infect another animal.

When the cat is familiar with the upcoming procedure, you need to proceed directly to the cleaning itself.

How to brush your cat's teeth

Here is a simple algorithm that will help you quickly and safely clean the mouth of the animal from all unnecessary.

1. Place the cat directly between your legs, tail towards you (the owner is in a sitting position). She should not see the man. This is the most convenient and optimal position for cleaning teeth. After all, if you feel discomfort, the cat will begin to move backwards, this will allow you not to lose control of the animals.
2. If your kitty has a cool temper, you may have to swaddle the pet or ask a pet for help. One person holds a cat, another purges.
3. Put your hand on the animal's head from behind so that the thumb and index fingers are at the corners of the animal's mouth. This is the most convenient and safe way to clean your cat's teeth. However, if you can control the cat's mouth in a different position - it is this “grip” that is not critical.
4. After that, lift the upper lip of the cat with one hand - you will see most of the teeth of the animal. Apply a little paste to a cotton swab and rub it in the teeth of the animal. Use a toothbrush immediately should not - it can scare the cat.After that, brush your teeth on the other side.
5. Each time, open the mouth of the animal more and more to get to the back teeth. It is much more difficult to clean the rear canines, but the animal needs them the most. In addition, brush your fangs not only from the outside, but also from the inside.
6. Over time, when the pet gets a little used up, you can use a toothbrush instead of a cotton swab. It cleans the surface of teeth much better and more effectively.
7. If you haven't found a special brush, you can use a regular baby brush with soft bristles, only you have to shorten it a bit.
8. In no case can you brush your teeth with a bandage wrapped around a finger. A cat in a rush of protection can easily bite you and bite through the bandage is not difficult for her. Cat saliva is full of germs and pathogenic bacteria, so it’s not worth doing.
9. If you have not found a specialized paste for animals, you can brush your teeth with tomato paste and baking soda. Simply soak the brush in a small amount of tomato paste, and then dip in soda powder. This combination of products reacts and perfectly cleans the surface of the teeth.Instead, you can brush your teeth with simple hydrogen peroxide.
10. After the procedure, be sure to praise your darling, calm down with a kind word, treat you with a treat. The animal will approach the next procedure more calmly, because he knows that after the torment he is always waiting for a delicacy.

If your cat has lived without brushing all her life, and the vet pointed out a huge amount of dental stones in the mouth of the animal, you can’t do the usual cleaning. In this case, you will have to take your pet to the ultrasonic cleaning of teeth. The optimal choice of vibrating amplitude will allow to destroy all dental plaque. The procedure is absolutely painless. Anesthesia applies in extreme cases when the cat has a sharp temper and it can not be kept.

What to do if the cat does not want to brush their teeth

Some representatives of the animal (however, and human) world have a particularly rampant character. It is impossible to keep such a cat, it kicks, scratches, bites and does not allow itself to brush its teeth. In order not to injure the nerve cells themselves and the animal, you can use alternative means to care for the oral cavity of the animal.However, I would like to note that they do not carry such effectiveness as the simplest, 30 second tooth brushing.

On sale there are special liquid toothpastes for animals. The principle of their use is as follows. A small slice of paste is dissolved in water and offered to the cat. Thanks to the pleasant appetizing aroma, the cat quickly vylakaet the entire contents of the bowl. And the paste, in turn, falling into the oral cavity, destroys small deposits on the teeth and kills bacteria on the gums. This is due to chlorhexidine - an antiseptic substance, which is contained in this paste.

In the veterinary pharmacies, you can also find special bones that need to nibble. In their composition there are substances that destroy the tartar, and a solid structure instead of a brush passes over the surface of the teeth, clearing it from plaque. Cats chew on healthy bones with pleasure, because they smell seductively of fish, chicken or meat.

In addition, you should review the principles of feeding the animal. If the cat eats homemade human food, give the animal more often dry food. You can treat a cat even with chicken bones - they are certainly harder than a stew, but also quite soft for crushing.

If you feel an unpleasant smell from the cat's mouth, if she has lost her appetite, her salivation has increased, her teeth creak, and her gums are inflamed and bleed - consult your doctor immediately. All of these symptoms indicate an oral disease in an animal. After the diagnosis and treatment, try to be more attentive to the pet and regularly clean its teeth from plaque, stone and a huge number of bacteria.

Video: how to clean your cat's teeth