Do you brush your cats teeth?

[Shehasadiamondinthesky]

My old girl is 20 now and has great teeth, I took her in for cleaning and one extraction 18 months ago. She almost died following anaesthesia so they don't want to do another one if they don't have to.
The vet said I should brush her teeth - perish the thought.
Last time I tried that she bit me so hard I had to have antibiotics for the resulting infection. She's an old feral.
Is it really necessary? I check her teeth every week and they look fine, she prefers dry food so I really don't feel I need to.

No, because I value having intact fingers.

At the ripe old age of 20 I'd leave her be. You're likely just to antagonise and stress her. She won't like it and you won't like it. Very little to be gained from doing it anyway in a cat of that age.

No, I don't, haven't even considered it. Maybe I should?

No. My cat has awful breath but we tried once and I still have the scars to prove it. Never again Satan!

I agree, I'm not going to. I think the vet is being over zealous.

Call me odd, but I quite like having skin on my arms

I already have to give her a bath twice a week because she can't wash herself any more. But she does enjoy the bath and just sits there purring. She likes the warmth on her arthritic legs.

Nope. Our vet advised us to just as basic maintenance. They just end up chewing the toothbrush. We haven't even tried with toothpaste as like PP, I value the skin on my hands and arms!

No, I value my face as it is, without scars, thank you very much

Do they have chews for cats, like they do for dogs (denta sticks? ) . Perhaps not the best for elderly cat though.
I think eating kibble keeps their teeth healthy, but other than that I have never considered or been advised to brush a cats teeth.

No, she wouldn't let me! My cat (8) is in for some extractions and thorough clean next week, it said on the paperwork she is going to come home with toothpaste though She was a stray so this wasn't preventable, we only adopted her last year.

At age 20, I wouldn't be looking at any invasive kind of vet treatment.

fetch.co.uk/king-catnip-dental-sticks-cat-toy-10g-421487011?

They do have dental sticks for cats after all.

Going against the grain here but I do brush my cats teeth. I was recommended to by vets so have since she was a kitten. She's never bitten me because of it. Every check up the vets say how good her teeth look

We used to get a gel cleaner that one really liked and would lick off our fingers, and the other would eat if you put it on top of her paw to lick off.

I dont know how effective it was though.

The vet gave me some toothpaste for Cheddar. She Was pretty good about it. But for some bizarre reason it was vanilla flavour and she absolutely hated the taste. So I decided it would be cruel to carry it on. Had it been fish or meat flavoured, I think she'd have been ok. It had a really long nozzle that was quite easy to apply. (Disclaimer; cheddar is an exceptionally chilled out and gentle cat)

I’ve never brushed cats teeth. Just checked (quite carefully) one of my bengals. She looks pristine, I think she keeps her teeth healthy by chewing up cables - Apple cables are a particular favourite. 😮😸😖

No. SnoreCat isn’t always terribly friendly. He bit me hard yesterday for giving him a morning stroke. He then charged at me on his hind legs with front legs jabbing out like a boxer.

Brushing his teeth would be crazy.

He has teeth issues and his breath is rotten. But he will need dental work and a sedative I’m sure. He came to us as a very neglected kitten with gingivitis so it’s due to that.

No and neither of mine are happy for me to check their teeth which led to both have many extractions when they went for their first dental check up in years and it cost over £400 per cat.

Id never taken them for check ups because they were happy and eating and I had no concerns about their health. Aged 4 and 6 I signed them up for a monthly flea and worm scheme and the vet did a check up and weigh, that's when they discovered the state of their teeth and I felt like the world's worst owner.

They now have regular check ups but I leave mouth examination to the experienced vet staff because I'm a huge wimp and I also like having unshredded arms.

No, but I do check their teeth once a month or so to make sure they're looking healthy.

Wtf? Mine weighs 8.5kg and can be an arsehole so it's a no from this house

No way Jose! I have enough scars from the little bastard as it is.

Unless you've brushed your cat's teeth from a kitten or you have an extremely placid cat, it's pretty impossible. Vets always try and make out it's easy but a) it's not and b) it stresses the cat and when I tried it, my lovely boy who never left my side started avoiding me. Quality over quantity of life I say.

I put some toothpaste stuff on my cat's paw and he licks it off. No idea if it works but he was an ex-stray and when we got him from the rescue he already had bad teeth and needed quite a few removing and I'm keen to avoid further treatment if we can avoid it.

Yes it’s a kitten thing isn’t it. We ought to though.

@Toddlerteaplease Asbos liquid antibiotic was pineapple flavour. Vet and I both baffled by that choice. £50 for a course 😭. I didn’t want the cattery giving him pills and being rough with him so liquid it was.

He's only got one so... no

If I'd tried to brush my old cats teeth he would have scratched my face off. No hesitation.

I tried to brush my terrier's teeth on advice from the vet. Had a special toothbrush and chicken flavoured tooth paste. He just bit down on the brush, looked me straight in the eye and growled. So that was that.