Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties:
My 1-year-old cat has inflamed gums for quite some time, but they are neither bleeding nor are they that red. Also my cat eats perfectly the dry food I give him and he plays all the time, bites, pulls on his toys, etc. Should I be worried about the inflammation when he is acting normal or should I bring him to the vet?
~ Ana
Thomas: Well, Ana, in this case we’d definitely recommend a trip to the vet. It sounds like what you’re seeing is called gingivitis, or inflammation of the gums.
Bella: Did you know that according to Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, 85 percent of cats show some signs of dental disease by the time they’re 6 years old? Ouch!
Thomas: Gingivitis is a sign of early stage dental disease. It’s caused by plaque and tartar buildup around the base of the teeth, and it causes redness and swelling because of the bacteria that get stuck in there.
Bella: Gingivitis is the only reversible stage of dental disease. Once you get to the point of severe gum inflammation or tartar buildup that leads to resorptive lesions (“kitty cavities”), the only fix is usually extraction of the affected teeth.
Thomas: Gingivitis can be a sign of other conditions like FIV or other viral infections, so make sure your vet runs a blood test for FIV and feline leukemia virus (FeLV) if they haven’t done so already.
Bella: It seems to us — and this is purely anecdotal, of course — that orange cats have a much higher tendency to develop dental disease than cats of other colors.
Thomas: We don’t know why that is, but a lot of people with orange cats will tell Mama that their kitties’ mouths are a mess.
Bella: But a good thing is that you can prevent gingivitis and tartar buildup by brushing your cat’s teeth.
Thomas: Yes, of course that sounds ridiculous, but if you take the time to get your kitty used to it, they take to it pretty well.
Bella: Here’s a video that shows how simple it is to clean your cat’s teeth.
Thomas: One thing we should state is that unlike the guest speaker in this video, we absolutely do not recommend non-anesthetized dental cleanings. There’s no way to clean the teeth as thoroughly as needed in a cat that is not under general anesthesia.
Bella: Besides, I wouldn’t want to be awake with some dumb old vet shoving metal things in my mouth!
Thomas: Bella! Vets are not dumb!
Bella: Okay, then — some smart old vet shoving metal things in my mouth.
Thomas: One more thing: dental disease doesn’t necessarily show up as inflammation of the gums. This summer, I had eight teeth pulled, and only one of those was showing superficial signs of disease. The rest of them apparently had deeper infections that were starting to cause bone loss in my jaw bone! I feel so much better without all those sore teeth.
Bella: Which brings us to another point: We cats are instinctively driven not to show pain, and the only time we’ll really make it obvious that we’re hurting is when the pain is so bad that we just can’t hide it anymore.
Thomas: Long story short, Ana — please take your cat to the vet for a checkup and oral exam to see if he needs to have his teeth cleaned.
Bella: Do you other readers have any tips on keeping your cat’s teeth clean and shiny? Do you brush your cat’s teeth? How do they take it? Please share your stories in the comments.
JaneA Kelley is a punk rock cat mom and award-winning blogger. She is a regular columnist for Catster Magazine, and she and the Paws and Effect Gang share a home in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
I totally disagree with what the video says about cats not needing toothpaste – I love mine! It’s tasty and it’s like getting a treat! Okay, so maybe not many other cats would agree with me, but I think it makes getting my teeth brushed more enjoyable. I love the sponge idea, though – I do have an exceptionally small mouth, so my human would probably have to cut it down a bit, but I bet it would work better than the kitty toothbrush my human is already using.
Thanks for the note that orange cats seem to be more prone to dental disease. A few years ago I rescued an orange and white kitten from the neighborhood and gave him to a friend of mine. Immediately we noticed he had red gums but my friend did not want any tests run. Fritz is doing good but after only a couple years has developed diabetes which he is being treated for. If you do run an FIV test remember that many of these cats live long productive lives. I, too, have an orange kitty and at 4 years old she had a dental done (negative on the leukemia test). On and off I know she still has issues but she is 6 now and really sweet. I just deal with everything the best that we can and hope she lives a happy kitty life.
My cat is 5 years old and has red gums. I was told by the vet he should go in for his teeth to get cleaned and make sure he I is OK. I am going to have it done as I have no children and my 6 cats are my kids. I love them so much.