Clean cats, teeth and all?

As I'm getting a new cat in a month. another concern of mine is dental hygiene. My grandma's cats have gross smelling breath and teeth from improper care. So what are the best cleaning methods?Also, is it really nessisary to bathe a cat(indoor cat)? tips on a clean litter box area?

Clean cats, teeth and all?
No, you don't need to bathe cats. They are self-cleaning like ovens.





If you can brush or wipe your cat's teeth, that's great. However if you can't there are other things you can do.





Give them raw chicken necks to chew on. That's what I do. This is how nature intended them to keep their teeth clean. After all, Mother Nature doesn't brush their teeth, nor do their mothers!





Look into supplements to add to the water or the food. C.E.T. Dental makes one, as does Wysong. There's also a product called PlaqueOff.





The one thing that won't help is dry food. It will not clean their teeth. Not even the cleverly marketed "dental" foods they're now making. Save your money!
Reply:Get a good quality (Science Diet, Iams, etc.) DRY cat food, that will keep the teeth and breath in good shape. We give ours a little bit of Fancy Feast Can food just as a treat now and then.





You don't have to bathe an indoor cat, they are very good at keeping themselves clean.





Get a good cat litter, tidy cat multiple cats is good. Get a big empty coffee can with a good lid. Put it next to the litter box.


Every night, scoop out the lumps and clumps, put them in the coffee can and keep the lid on tight. When it gets full, throw it in the trash and start a new one.
Reply:I have had indoor and outdoor cats. The indoor cats do tend to shed more so I would recommend brushing, but not bathing. Cats are very clean and they have special oils in their fur that shouldn't be washed out.


As far as teeth, keep an eye on the teeth and when they start getting stains or build-up, the vet will clean them. The vet sedates the cat so it doesn't struggle while having them cleaned. The litter box should never have much odor if you scoop every day. Use a dust-free scoopable cat littler and there are little mats you can buy to cut down on tracking the litter out of the box.


Also, I have a female Siamese that cannot eat dry food with artificial coloring. That can tend to give them urinary problems. I feed my indoor cat a dry food for indoor cats that is free of by-products and artificial coloring. They both eat it and the Siamese also eats some canned food.


This is a lot of info, but cats are so easy to have and so clean, except for hair and so nice to keep inside. There is also hairball remedy that I would recommend getting from the vet.


I hope this helped with your new cat.


I love cats and always like to see them get a good home.
Reply:Feed your cat a high quality food like Science Diet - it is good for your cat in general, not just its teeth.





No, you do not clean a cat - they hate water! Cats are self-cleaning.





Get a litter box with a hood or cover on it. That way when the cat buries its "treasure" it won't kick litter on the floor outside the litter box. Clean the litter box out daily!!





Cats are really pretty easy pets to own.
Reply:Regular play with the cat with chew toys(to an extent) will help with their teeth, also there are products on the market now for that. Dry cat food does prevent tooth problems....not helps with existing ones, but helps to prevent it. That is the difference. You definitely do want to feed it dry food. You do not have to bathe an indoor cat, however, I always bathed mine that were indoors. They did not like it at first, just like a dog, but they got used to it, and then you had to fight them for the tub. Place a mat in front of the litter box to catch what the cat tracks out of it. Also, get the scoopable and scoop it daily as the other answerer suggested. One other thing that we did was kept fake nails on ours to keep him from scratching things in the house. Most cats will learn not to, but we did this anyway since we had very small children at the time. It is called soft paws, and they are acrylic nails that glue and slide over the cats nails. They even come in colors. We used red and green for him during Christmas time.
Reply:Dry cat food, Greenies treats are good too for keeping teeth clean.





They also make toothbrushes for cats. If you start when they are young enough, it won't be a big deal. And, naturally, veterinary dental care.





No, it isn't really necessary to bathe a cat - he is indoor, so he will bathe himself/herself. I give my cat a bath on very rare occasions, but I mean very rarely. Baths will dry your cats skin out, and give them problems.





I have a rug under my cats box - if you get one with a cover, it helps keep the litter in the box vs. on the floor. Cats will kick it around. Scoop it daily - or you can get a Litter Maid that will automatically scoop after the cat has done his/her business.





Congrats on your pending new addition!

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