Cat teeth cleaning - advice please!

[MumtoPhoebeboo]

Took our cat to the vet recently for annual boosters and the vet mentioned that the cat's teeth could do with a clean (bit of plaque build up, nothing serious). In order to do it, they'd have to give her a general anaesthetic and it would cost around £150 (not covered by pet insurance).

According to vet, whilst it's not vital for the cat to have her teeth cleaner, it's better to get it done before any dental problems crop up in next few years (which would be more costly to treat).

Our cat only eats dry food so not much I can do about diet.

Has anyone had their pet's teeth cleaned?

I took my dog to the vet yesterday, with the same problem. They advised using pet toothpaste for 2 months and then coming back for a check to see if descaling is still needed.

I've been using this toothpaste...

www.vetuk.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11&products_id=763

...for a couple of weeks, it's supposed to be good.

Durr, I mean using it on the dog, I didn't make that very clear, did I?

How exactly would I apply the toothpaste to the cat's teeth? I have visions of claws, hissing and a very freaked out cat

Cat teeth are always scaled and polished under general anaesthetic, when all the teeth are checked and any bad ones removed.

Regarding toothpaste, the cat one looks a bit like sandwich paste in a tube! If your cat won't let you use a brush, you can squeeze a blob of paste onto a paw, and they will lick it off, it will then cling to the teeth helping to get rid of plaque. You can get silicone finger covers to rub around the cats' mouth, but frankly, any cat not used to this sort of thing from kittenhood will fight back or run off.

I've managed to rub the toothpaste onto my dog's teeth, as she doesn't like me brushing them, no surprise there. From what I've read, although ideally you should brush - as it's obviously so easy - as long as the toothpaste gets onto the teeth, it will do some good, apparently.