I have a kitty, Vespers, that is a year old. He absolutely has the worst breath! My other kitty, Mr. Beau, is 3 months older and they both eat the same food. Mr. Beau doesn't have any inkling of the same breath at all. I have them on dry food only. I have not had any success in attempting to brush the kitties teeth. Short of taking him to the vet (and paying thru the nose) I am looking for any help in ascertaining what might be troubling my wee one. He is a lover and loves to cuddle close to my face, but I can't stand his breath. HELP please!!
Cheers, ^jj^ LJ
You might consider the brand/type of food you're feeding. If generic or store-brand, by chance, switch to a high quality adult cat food. Generic and store-brand foods are deficient in vitamin and mineral formulation.
Ideally, kitty needs an oral exam to rule out potential diseased teeth, oral bacteria, tooth abcesses or other oral problems. I would strongly suggest you get him evaluated by your vet, it's best to play it safe and lean toward preventative oral care. If you find it impossible to brush their teeth, your vet can discuss oral rinses/gels for you that may be easier on both you and your cats. There are also feline dental treats available to help keep tarter and plaque at bay as well, your vet can recommend one ideal for your cats.
Thanks Traci for the reply. I am feeding them Purina One Adult cat food and they get cat treats. Vesper is the only one that likes the tarter control nibbly. Maybe I will stop that treat and see if his breath clears up. Mr. Beau doesn't like them so he never gets that one. But loves the other treats by Whisker Lickin's (also Purina). They both were examined in December by the Vets and I will definitely monitor his habits for sure.
Thanks again.
Well, I'm not too hot on store-brand treats for tarter and plaque....so I would suggest Hill's TD dental treats......it is actually a dental diet that can also be used for maintenance, but I'm sure your vet has sample packs he can give you to try out for the cats. Just ask the receptionist for a couple sample packs, they're free
Purina One is fine, as well as the treats you mentioned, but as for treats, try to use in moderation, some of them really don't do much for tarter and plaque, despite the claims.
Traci: Since I am kind of flying by the seat of my pants with these kitties I don't know alot. You mentioned: "....but as for treats, try to use in moderation, some of them really don't do much for tarter and plaque, ...." I feed them four little treats in the morning before I leave for work and then they get four little treats again when I return at 7 PM. They have me trained well. LOL Is this TOO much??
Cheers, ^jj^
Not sure what the variety is of the whiska's treats, or what the brand of the crunchy treat is, but I generally recommend the Hill's because I trust them. Remember, we're talking about tarter and plaque control. You can of course use your current treats for pleasers and teasers, LOL, but if you need to control tarter and plaque, then I recommend the Hill's. My concern about treats and oral health is that most commercial kitty treats really don't have what it takes to do the job. NO treat is perfect, but the Hill's would be better for that purpose.
Vespers is only a year old, so his oral health is probably excellent at this point, just want to point out that bad breath can indicate health issues as well, as described above. There are various problems for some cats who are fairly young, always best to rule them out, on the offchance he has a diseased tooth or something unbeknownst to you.
Will check him in to the Vets this week and check out the Dr. Hill's treats for them. They are my only family and I want to help them out as much as I can. Thanks for all your help.
I just went through this with my 3 year old Keeks back in May. She had breath that could wake the dead and while I was able to brush her teeth, we couldn't get rid of the smell. She went for a dental cleaning and ended up having 6 back teeth pulled because of a condition called stomatitis. While she is FELV and FIP negative, her immune system was compromised when she was just a few months old because of a high fever and infection. I found her as a sick feral. She bounced back like a trooper but just had this stinky breath problem. It was explained to me as the gums being allergic to the teeth (or vice versa).
Her appetite and personality were great before but she's a whole new kitty now. Obviously happier without the foul breath and pain.
Cleo: Thanks for the info. I will look into Stomatitis. I can't imagine her teeth being so bad so fast, but something is definitely wrong. Thanks for the help.
Cheers, ^jj^
I have a kitty, Vespers, that is a year old. He absolutely has the worst breath! My other kitty, Mr. Beau, is 3 months older and they both eat the same food. Mr. Beau doesn't have any inkling of the same breath at all. I have them on dry food only. I have not had any success in attempting to brush the kitties teeth. Short of taking him to the vet (and paying thru the nose) I am looking for any help in ascertaining what might be troubling my wee one. 
He is a lover and loves to cuddle close to my face, but I can't stand his breath. HELP please!!
LJ
