When I escorted Miss Bella to the veterinary clinic last week for her annual exam, I had no clue that I’d be coming back home with my cat in a carrier…and two of her teeth in a plastic baggie.
For a few weeks, I had noticed that one of my four-year-old feline’s fangs or “eye teeth” was a bit longer than the other and was pressing against her gums (which may be another way of saying that my cat is getting “a little long in the tooth”—sorry, bad joke). I made a mental note to ask her veterinarian to file the tooth down a bit. Imagine my surprise when I learned that the tooth was actually decayed and, with a slight tug, it literally fell out of her mouth. As Miss Bella’s veterinarian continued to examine the inside of her mouth, she noticed a molar in equally dismal shape and SNAP! TWIST!, another tooth was laid to rest in the baggie.
Oh, dear.
Miss Bella has enjoyed perfect health all of her young life and has never experienced dental problems in the year and a half since I adopted her. Admittedly, I’ve never attempted to brush her teeth (she, um, bristles at the mere thought), although I hear that it’s a good idea if you can get kittens used to the idea when they’re youngsters. The best I could do was dole out a few “tartar control” treats every morning and evening and assumed everything was hunky-dory, even when Miss B. became besieged by bad breath. But then she started having diarrhea. Still, I didn’t equate super soft stools with teeth problems, but apparently the two can be interconnected according to our veterinarian, who explained that gum disease (such as gingivitis) can cause intestinal distress because of the bacteria that builds up in the mouth. I also learned that dry food can contribute to tooth decay.
“But I thought dry food was supposed to prevent dental problems,” I lamented. After all, most people—myself included—have been led to believe that dry food aids in removing plaque and tartar and helps maintain good oral health. That’s true for dogs, our vet. pointed out, but for cats—especially the “squishy-faced breeds” like the British Shorthair and Persian—it actually causes problems because their jaws are shaped in such a way that tiny bits of food gets caught in the gums and between the teeth. Kitty dental floss, anyone?
And that’s not all: dry pet food has a much higher carbohydrate content, which can lead to chubby cats. In fact, dry food typically contains 35-50% carbohydrates, mostly as starch, although the newer “grain-free” foods may be a bit lower, at about 20% carbohydrates. Many people prefer dry food for their four-legged felines because it’s less expensive than wet food and it can be stored for long periods of time without spoiling. It can also be left out all day and allows cats to nibble at their leisure. This is rarely a good idea, unless you’re: 1) gone for long periods of time, or 2) your cat is one of the lucky few who doesn’t gain weight, no matter how much she eats. To put this in perspective, imagine having carte blanche to a bodacious bowl of bonbons and snacking away until all the sweet chocolate confections were gone. You will soon say au revoir to your flat tummy (not to mention your willpower). Well, that unlimited supply of dry food does the same thing to our cats, which is why I now feed my cat a 100% wet (canned) food diet.
Notice I didn’t say “moist” food—that’s another topic for another day. In addition to being better for a cat’s oral health, wet food can also help your cat shed those unwanted pounds. Surprised? I was, until I learned that wet food is about 70% moisture (water), which not only contributes to good urinary tract health, but helps prevent bladder disease and cystitis. And because wet food more closely mimics what a cat would eat in the wild (a natural prey diet consists of mostly water, protein, and fat), there is less waste in the litter box. A win-win for everybody.
So, I finally got to the—pardon the pun—root of my pussycat’s periodontal (and pudginess) problems. In order to preserve the health of her remaining pearly whites, Miss Bella will be undergoing a thorough teeth cleaning under anesthesia next month to remove any remnants of that darned dry food and she’ll continue to have yearly check-ups to prevent any new problems from popping up. In the meantime, I need to figure out what to do with the two teeth I saved in the plastic baggie. One idea: I’ll place them under my pillow so the “fang fairy” can leave us a couple of bucks. I’m going to need it, what with all that dental floss I’ll be buying.
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Do you have a story to tell that Karen can really sink her teeth into? Let her know by sending an email message to karenleestevens@cox.net.
By Karen Lee Stevens,
Founder & President, ALL FOR ANIMALS, Inc.
Copyright © 2008. All Rights Reserved.
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