Cat dental problems?

by Gabriella
(Milton, Ontario)

Hi there,

Upon finding out that my kitty eats whole kernels of dry food after a vomiting incident, I recently came across what may be a problem. I searched the net to find some possible solutions and discovered that it may be a dental problem?

My kitty is only 1yr and 5 months old and I noticed that she swallows her food whole. Some articles suggested that this is normal and usually cats and dogs do not chew their food but tear through it.

Still concerned, I decided to look at her teeth and saw that her back teeth seem a bit red close to the teeth and gum. The rest of her gums seem nice and pink but I'm still not sure if I should take her to the vet. We've spent thousands already with unfortunate accidents of eating toxic plants and I don't want to spend more if this is not a real problem. I also noticed that she has bad breath, whereas my other adult cat does not.

Should I take her to the vet to have it checked out? What would be your suggestion?

Thank you for your continued support and help!


Hi
Yes I would say that your cat does need to see a vet. Red gums can indicate gingivitis and there may even be an infection which could explain the bad breath.

She is rather young to be having this problem but the fact that she does not chew her food does suggest that she may be in some discomfort and so i wouldn’t leave it. If you catch this early it may just require a quick clean up to remove some tarter etc. It will also give the vet an opportunity to check her mouth for any other possible causing of her not chewing, such as a problem with her palette.

I totally understand your concern about vet bills, however there is no real way around it i find. Some cats are simply sickly animals ( i seem to have two of those right now myself) where as other cats can go for years without needing any vet treatment.

I hope it isn’t a big issue and so not too costly, better to catch it early though.

Best wishes Kate

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