Is having a cats teeth cleaned really necessary? Aside from decay or gum disease.?

I love my cat and everyhing it just seems silly and unnecessary and have been told different things suah as cats have enzyes to keep their teeth clean aside from their sweat. 300 bucks for a teeth cleaning is just absurd.

Is having a cats teeth cleaned really necessary? Aside from decay or gum disease.?
Sometimes veterinary fees depend on where you live. Major metropolitan areas are more expensive for everything. You might want to call around and price the procedure with different vets. If there is a veterinary school near you, they do a lot of good stuff for animals for a very small fee. The work is done by veterinarians to demonstrate the technique to students. Sometimes the more experienced students will be allowed to actively participate, but always with the licensed vet right there. Actually, that is what goes on with people who have surgery in large teaching hospitals too. The residents sometimes do the surgery under the supervision of the surgeon.





Look for clinics, income adjusted veterinary services available through some shelters. $300.00 seems like an awful of money, unless your cat needs some extensive dental work, like extractions, root canals, etc.
Reply:yah it is absurd. I have only had one cat that has need to get her teeth clean, and that is because she had some weird breathing disease (we called is asthma) which gave her really bad breathe.


Besides that I my family has taken in a lot of cats and that was the only one that we have ever had to get its teeth cleaned.
Reply:Cats can get plaque build up on their teeth. That is what causes cavities and gum disease. A yearly dental check is a must to keep cats healthy. Gum disease can actually cause heart problems in cats. It is not that much money and your cat will be healthier longer.
Reply:IF that were true, cats would not have tooth and gum disease. I work at a cat shelter and at least 65% of the cats we take in need their teeth cleaned before going up for adoption. About half of those need at least one tooth extracted.


300 does sound excessive, but that does not mean it is not something that does not need to be done!!!!!!!!!!!!





You would be suprised how awful the teeth can be even if they do not look that bad!! And if there is infection and decay in the mouth long enough, the cat can suffer heart and kidney failure from it!!
Reply:Totally agree with you. I have kept many cats for years (30 years) and I have 6 now and there is no way I would put any of my cats through an anaesetic just to get their teeth cleaned! Ridiculous.


Unnecessary. The only time I'd ever consider dental work would be if they had something wrong in the first place. (Which none of mine ever have)


I


It's wrong, wrong wrong.





Oooh I feel better now after my little outburst!
Reply:if kitty has any infections in his gums, then his health will fail. how old is kitty?? a vet i liked in long beach told me that my kitty might need it by age 12 if tartar kept growing. i switched her to dry food--best quality--no fillers--and she was fine, never needed thi tooth cleaning. the reason it is so spensive is the anesthetic--try sticking your finger in kitty's mouth--no likee--so they are sleeping when their teeth are cleaned.


your vet should be honest with you--his interests should be in the kitty's best intetests--ask him. see what hesays. if he says before age 12, i would ask why he thinks that--if it sounds real--ask if dry food would make any difference--go from there.


i am not all for going out blindly and doing just what any vet or md tells me--i look for other oopinions that might agree more with my thoughts on the subject. good luck...... if it is necessary, and kitty really really needs it, seek second opinion always.
Reply:if the cat has a gum infection(foul breath is a sign) or tartar along the gumline,the bacteria from the inflamed,unclean gums can travel down the throat,and lodge in their favorite place-the heart valves.these bacteria will cause a problem called cardiomyopathy.i adopted a stray cat who had never had her teeth cleaned.unfortunately,the damage was done.after 2 and a half years on heart pills,she died.the vet estimated her age as 9.considering my other cats,whom ive had since they were kittens,are now age 15 and 17,u can see proper care extends life.HUMANS,take note-clean ur own teeth regularly as well-see dentist every 6 months-according to recent findings by the ama,the same problem can affect humans with gum disease and improper oral care-namely,disease/destruction of the heart valves invaded by oral bacteria,also,hardening of the arteries caused by constant inflammation from bad teeth/gums.
Reply:The same bacteria that cause tartar and plaque build-up in a kitty can also cause heart disease. I do agree that $300 is a high price tag, so shop around. But get it done.
Reply:$300 does sound a bit high; I'd do some shopping around.





But I'd certainly do it. I have three kitties, and they get their little pointy teeth cleaned yearly; years ago, the vet showed me how the tartar had built up around Obie Two's gumline, and how inflamed it was. Since then, I've given my beloved kitties the dental care they need (whether they like it or not...and, they don't).
Reply:In the past 37 years we've had 3 cats(one for 20 years) and we have NEVER had their teeth cleaned because the price is, as you say, absurd.
Reply:It probably isn't necessary unless your cat has an obvious tartar build-up problem which your vet can give you an opinion on at your cat's annual check-up.
Reply:Yes, it's necessary %26amp; you can help by doing simple, cheaper actions at home.


There is toothpaste %26amp; brushes just for cats. You can also rub their gums gently with a moistened piece of gauze.


Feeding your cat more dry food than moist is healthier. I also buy cat treats especially for their teeth.


Luck to you %26amp; your cat!
Reply:Lyn and Tigger are right. Bacteria and plaque(containg bacteria) are shed into the cat's body and can damage heart, liver or kidneys.





The fourteen year old cat I just took into my home had the worst looking mouth conditions I have ever seen in a cat. The vet and I decided to wait a week for him to get settled in my home before doing a "dental". He was here only 36 hours and I realized he was hardly eating at all (he had all the food he was used to from the boarding facility he had been in for six months). So we did a dental for him the next Monday on an emergency basis. One tooth had a horrible abcess and had to be pulled. If he had not gotten to me by then he could have been severly damaged with infection spreading throughout his body, problems caused by not being able to eat, etc. The owner who had a vet check for him before the boarding had been told he was in great need of having his teeth attended to.





So it is not a cosmetic thing with an older cat and can be crucial to their continuing in good health for the rest of their lives. All commercial cat foods, wet and dry, are not good for cats' teeth and the cats need to have their mouths checked by the vet at their annual exam. It is expensive - some of my cats need it every year, some only every two years. It's around $165 here and that is mostly the cost of the gas anesthesia. I live in the San Francisco area and our cost of living (including vet care) is one of the highest in the nation. $300 seems excessive to me.