What’s normal for teeth?

[washingmachineheart]

For context, he’s a BSH, almost 6, and I’ve had him since he was a kitten.

When we adopted him although his breeder provided dry biscuits they noted that he didn’t seem interested in them and preferred wet food.

I found this to be the case too, and since then he’s eaten exclusively wet food. He’s never liked anything crunchier than the odd piece of tortilla chip etc. every few months and isn’t interested in Dreamies or biscuit treats.

He’s seen by the vet for annual check ups and nothing has ever been mentioned regarding his teeth to indicate he could be in discomfort, and he’s never had trouble with his appetite. All in all, a healthy cat all around.

However, his teeth (all but the front ones) are really quite brown with plaque. Although he’s easy going, a tooth brush will send him running under the bed or into the cupboard for a day and knock his mood significantly, and has done since he was a kitten when I tried to get him used to it (but being brushed and handled around his cheeks seems fine). I’ve tried Plaque Off powder with his food which seems to make little difference to his teeth but sees the food left.

Without seeing him (his check up is next month) the vet quoted a rough £700-1k for a clean with the potential of a couple of removals for a typical cat-with-bad-teeth situation.

I guess my question is, is this typical? Everyone I’ve known with cats has had to have at least one tooth removed in their life, but my circle is quite small so I could be skewed! I like to think he’s a happy/healthy guy and if there’s anything I can do for him, I will, but worry I’ve dropped the ball on this and should force teeth cleaning despite the clear anxiety it causes.

I can't really help as my cat ( about 3.5 Yr old ) eats biscuits and his teeth are fine .
But bumping for you to see if anyone else can help

You said in your op that a toothbrush will send him running under the bed, but have you tried putting some cat toothpaste on your finger first?

He will lick it and you can gently massage his teeth with a baby toothbrush which is what I use, but you could also buy a finger cover for this purpose.

I don't brush her teeth as often as I should, but I do give her dry food which is meant to be good for teeth.

My cat also has a history of teeth problems, although at 13 now she’s been okay for a good few years after a scale and polish and a tooth removal.

You could try putting a small squirt of the cat toothpaste on their paw and let them lick it off if you can’t get near their mouth.

Mine has been getting the Royal Canin oral care biscuits with just a bit of wet food twice a day for the longest time. I do mix the biscuits in with other types - hairball, indoor cat, senior etc - for a bit of variety.

Its the right age for a cat that prefers wet food. Its a real pain trying to get it right as only dry can cause kidney and uti problems unless they are big water drinkers.

I gave my girl mainly wet food but she had a bowl of approx 20 biscuits for overnight snacking to help with the teeth. It had to be royal canin hairball though as that was like crack 😂

A previous cat would not touch dry food. From about 6 she had a scale and polish around every 18 months. It cost about £120 in the 90s.

Our old lad who ate a combined diet had one scale and polish and one extraction at about age 11/12. It cost about £340 as the extraction was partially covered by insurance.

Thank you for taking the time to reply.

I have a finger cover tooth brush along with the regular cat ones, which still seems to prompt the jaw clamped panic, but will definitely try toothpaste on his paw.

I've also tried him on several different dried foods since he was a kitten. Different bowls, both dampened with water and totally dry. Absolutely zero interest in any of them, and would seemingly go without rather than eat them! Will still give the Royal Canin Oral Care a go as I know sometimes it's just a case of finding the right one amongst many.

I think after this first teeth appointment a very regular scale and polish seems the way to go for him.

Thanks again everyone.

@washingmachineheart I buy Royal Canin from Zooplus. You could try a couple of different small bags (Hills and James Wellbeloved also do oral care biscuits) first before committing to a big bag.