# My Cats Teeth OP



## toffee (Feb 1, 2020)

Took my lovely to the vets Monday, as he got a flea allergy so he had booster 'fleas' and tab -

Then he looked into his mouth -each side his gum looked red, so the teeth not sure how many have to come out '

Any one's cat had this done 'and can they manage to eat properly ...

Anybody would think its me going to have dental done as iam so worried to put him through it ,

But I know I must -and the  price of it was £400  ekkk 

Thanks for any replies ..


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## Lee (Feb 1, 2020)

Toffee, that will be an expensive cha ching bill. My cat has developed a few bad teeth but the vet recommended that dental surgery for a 17 year old cat is risky.

He asked if he seemed to have a hard time eating or was dropping food which he was not. Since my guy has other issues we were advised to put it off.


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## toffee (Feb 1, 2020)

thank u lee -- he is only 9 eats fine too - just looked at his brothers teeth they seem ok '


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## win231 (Feb 1, 2020)

Cats aren't designed to chew food; like all obligate carnivores, they swallow food whole.  Their teeth are only designed for tearing off chunks.  That's why they have no flat molars.  They are forced to chew the processed kibble we feed them.  If your cat will be missing teeth, you'll probably have to feed him soft food.


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## katlupe (Feb 1, 2020)

My cat, Hobo, I rescued after someone dropped her off the bridge by my house (prior house, not here). She only had a few teeth left then and that was in 2003. She hunted and killed all sorts of things and never had trouble eating anything. As she got older though, we started buying Fancy Feast for her since it is easier for her to eat, the pate variety. I even bought baby food turkey and chicken for her. She loved those! But you can't feed a cat exclusively the baby food because they need the taurine that is usually added to cat food. She still ate the dry food but just did not chew it. Instead of drinking out of a bowl, she started drinking out of a big shot glass. For some reason without the teeth, it was easier for her to drink.


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## Liberty (Feb 1, 2020)

We used to have Persians...they are susceptible to teeth and gum issues, maybe due to the pushed in facial structures.  The cats would be put under and their teeth cleaned when they were middle aged - say 9 or so. 

Think if this is done, teeth usually don't have to be removed, as they can accumulate tartar and bacteria. I'd ask the vet about this - to see if the teeth could be salvaged by a good cleaning.


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## toffee (Feb 1, 2020)

thank you' I will do .....


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## Kaila (Feb 1, 2020)

I also would check with a different Vet.
Even with paying for one separate Vet visit exam, that would be well worth it to me.

Sometimes they differ _*very significantly *_in their opinions, and treatment options offered and advised,
and this surgery would warrant being very cautious about, in my view.


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## tinytn (Feb 1, 2020)

my old cat had gingivitus  but never seemed to bother him , he ate well , he had several teeth pulled before we even got him..
 He recently passed away from a stroke.. he always ate well and seemed to have no problem with his teeth or gums,, he always drank a lot of water after eating too so i would think the water would help clean his mouth from any left over food too. i think if your cat is not complaining or not eating any food .., i would not bother with his teeth,,


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## Judycat (Feb 2, 2020)

My one cat quit eating. It wasn't that she didn't want to eat she acted like she couldn't. I looked at her teeth and the only thing I noticed was she lost a tooth. Not a fang or anything, just one of those little teeth between the fangs. I added water to her pate every day and she lapped it until the socket heeled. Tried feeding her from one of those plastic dishes that had the divisions, so the food flavors wouldn't mix. She quit eating again. Brat. She's fine now. Inhales her pate as usual and even some dry food again. She would have starved herself to death, though, over that one tooth if I hadn't intervened. Damn cats.


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## Duster (Feb 2, 2020)

I had a 16 year old female tuxedo cat that stopped eating. I took her to the vet and they wanted to clean her teeth. They told me that they sometimes have to extract teeth in older cats, when they are in bad shape. They put her under and did the cleaning.  The doctor took out 2 teeth during the procedure. I took her home and she stared healing. She had been on soft food for years.  Then a week later she started acting like she didn't feel well and refused to eat again.  I took her back to the vet and they recommended putting her down.  She was in critical condition.
Evidently there was something wrong with her that got over looked. I don't think her problem had anything to do with her teeth.  I think they were trying the simpler solution first and time ran out on us.   
This all happened last spring.  
Each animal has it's own situation and you will have to make decisions for what's best for your cat.


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