Detect, treat and avoid tartar in cat’s teeth
More and more cats have tartar. As the discolouration of the teeth is not only a visual flaw, but sooner or later leads to massive dental problems, you as a cat owner should act promptly.
In the following we will explain how you can recognise tartar in your cat, what treatment measures are necessary to remove it and what possibilities for prevention have proven to be effective.
Detecting tartar in cats
If your cat has tartar, it is usually quite easy to tell by the yellowish-brown discolouration of the teeth of the quadruped. Initially the discolouration is limited to the gumline. Over time, however, they can spread over the entire tooth.
If there is a heavy tartar build-up, even the entire dentition can be affected, which can cause bad breath in your cat.
How does tartar develop in cats?
Tartar in cats is mainly caused by insufficient dental care. Every time your cat eats something, some food remains in the mouth. Some of this food is deposited on the teeth, where it is the ideal breeding ground for bacteria.
This initially causes loose plaque to form. If this plaque is not removed regularly, minerals in the cat's saliva will cause the plaque to harden and eventually turn into tartar.
The influence of food on the formation of tartar in cats
Besides dental care, the choice of cat food also plays a role in the formation of tartar. Basically, a cat that is fed exclusively with wet food proves to be particularly susceptible to tartar.
This is due to the fact that leftovers of wet food stick to the teeth more easily. This is not the case with dry food. At least if you choose a dry cat food that doesn't contain cereals or artificial sugars, it can help to reduce the tartar build-up in your cat.
The consequences of tartar for your cat
Unfortunately, tartar is much more than just an optical flaw that you can simply ignore in your cat. In the long run, the hardened deposits on the teeth of your four-legged friend can lead to numerous other dental problems.
So it's only a matter of time before your cat suffers from gingivitis and caries. This is extremely painful for your four-legged friend and can even lead to the loss of individual teeth or the need to have them extracted by the vet.
Tartar treatment for cats
Given the potential consequences that tartar may have for your cat, timely treatment is very important. This is the only way to avoid inflammation and other problems with the teeth.
In many cases, existing tartar in cats can only be removed with the help of professional dental cleaning by a vet. For this purpose it is necessary to put your cat under general anaesthetic.
The vet can then remove tartar from your cat's teeth. The cleaning can be done either mechanically or with ultrasound. Finally, the teeth are polished to make it harder for tartar to reappear by creating smoother surfaces.
Prognosis for cats with tartar
Provided that you have your cat's tartar removed promptly and the teeth have not yet suffered any major damage, the prognosis for your quadruped is usually very good. Slight inflammation and bleeding at the gums usually disappear by themselves after a short time.
However, if you wait too long with the treatment of the tartar, it is quite possible that your cat's veterinarian will have to pull some broken teeth. In addition, if the gums bleed, which is possible due to the tartar, bacteria can enter your cat's organism.
Especially in weakened and heart diseased animals this can be life threatening in the worst case and cause for example an inflammation of the heart muscle or blood poisoning.
Prevent tartar in cats
Regardless of the possible consequences of tartar, you should be aware that a professional dental cleaning including general anaesthesia is extremely unpleasant and stressful for your cat.
For this reason, it is advisable to pay sufficient attention to prophylaxis and spend a little time on dental care.
However, for most cats, reaching for a toothbrush does not lead to the desired result. Experience shows that only a few animals are inspired to let their owner brush their teeth.
Dental powder against tartar in cats
With the help of a high-quality dry food and special chewing sticks, you can at least help your cat a little in the mechanical cleaning of their teeth. However, this alone is not enough to completely prevent tartar in cats.
For this reason, we also recommend a dietary supplement with dental powder from I love my cat. The special composition of this natural preparation helps to reliably dissolve plaque and reduce tartar in cats.
As the powder can easily be mixed into the food of your four-legged friend, this form of tartar prophylaxis does not require any additional time and is therefore also perfectly suited for busy cat owners.
Tartar in cats - our conclusion
As you can see, tartar is an enormous health risk for cats. You should therefore take prompt action against the discolouration of his teeth.
Ideally, you should prevent the formation of plaque from the outset, so that your pet is spared unpleasant visits to the vet. Our Dental Powder is the ideal product for this purpose, so that tartar has no chance with your cat in the future.
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