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Looking after your cat’s dental health is vitally important. Developing a routine for your cat’s dental care at an early age will ensure your cat’s teeth will remain healthy and strong. Encore shares some cat dental health facts and offers you advice about how you can help your cat with their dental care.
When considering your cat’s health, it’s easy to bypass what’s going on in their mouths. Usually, the focus is on what they are eating, whether they are eating, and if they’re digesting it correctly; but keeping up with your kitty’s dental care is extremely important. How often do you check your cat’s mouth and teeth? And do you know what to look out for?
Here are four cat dental health facts to help you!
A cat’s teeth are designed for hunting, much like their larger, wilder equivalents. Even though they’re domesticated, cats still have the same hunting instinct, just for much smaller prey. Their teeth are sharply built in order to allow them to cut and tear their food. There is also a labial surface on the canines which, as with wild cats, allows for their prey to bleed around the tooth. This helps to keep a cat’s teeth clean.
All of this means that there are two vital requirements for a cat: strong teeth and claws. To help preserve their teeth, it’s important for you to check them regularly. If their teeth look like they have become blunted, ensure you take them to the vet. If a cat can’t tear its food, then it’s possible their eating habits will be negatively affected.
Your cat will not make things easy for you! They’re a bit like us, in that sometimes we don’t want to admit when something is wrong. This is why remaining on top of your cat’s dental care is so important. The main things to look out for when you’re checking your cat’s mouth are bleeding, drooling and red gums. Any change in their eating habits can also indicate problems with their mouth.
We like to say that cats are just like their owners, and when it comes to their dental make up this is especially true! Cats are born without teeth just like us, they then lose their baby teeth and develop permanent adult teeth. Just like ours, these teeth need to be taken care of!
In the wild, cat’s teeth are cleaned using bones of prey. As we have domesticated our feline friends, it’s down to us to help them out. Regular checking and visits to the vet are the best way to do this.
It’s not only their digestion that benefits from healthy teeth, cats also use their teeth as a comb and their tongue as a way of cleaning. If their mouth health isn’t maintained, this can spread to their skin and coat – making for a smelly and unclean feline!
Above are just four facts about your cat’s teeth to help you understand the importance their dental hygiene. However, it’s important to understand the role their food plays with their dental health.
Cats are carnivores, so it’s essential that their teeth remain clean, strong and sharp. A healthy diet can help contribute to the well being of your cat’s teeth. Carbohydrates turn into sugars which can affect your cats’ teeth, so feeding a diet low in carbohydrates is always advisable. You will find that some food and treats contain ‘caramel’ which is produced from caramelised sugar, this can also affect the health of your cat’s teeth and gums and should be avoided.
Among the recommended diets that can support your cat’s dental health are moisture-rich, grain free diets. These include high quality protein foods, raw cat food and freeze-dried diets.
To start supporting better dental health for your cat today, why not check out our range of healthy natural cat food, Every Encore recipe is made with 100% natural ingredients, the highest quality protein and no added sugars- making it the perfect for maintaining healthy teeth and gums.
