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Taking care of a kitten is a big responsibility. But in addition to nutritious food, a warm place to sleep and plenty of play time, did you know kittens also need their teeth cleaned on a daily basis? Seventy percent of cats show signs of oral and dental disease by age 3 — but that doesn’t mean your kitten has to be among them. Here’s what you can do to take care of your kitten’s oral health.
There are three preventive measures you can take to ensure your pet’s oral hygiene doesn’t become a problem. They’re often referred to as the three D’s:
The first step in taking care of your kitten’s oral health is daily brushing. When you brush your kitten’s teeth, you remove plaque and slow the development of tartar. One of the easiest ways to do this is with a finger brush, which is available at most pet stores. Don’t forget to reward your kitten afterward with plenty of praise and play time!
Just like you, your kitten could benefit from annual or semiannual teeth cleanings. Vets refer to the cleaning as a dental prophylaxis. Besides helping keep your cat’s teeth and gums healthy, it’s the only way to remove tartar.
Dry food can be especially beneficial for oral health because the mechanical brushing action of dry kibble helps remove plaque and works to scrub your kitten’s teeth clean.
If you’re concerned about the health of your kitten’s teeth and mouth, keep an eye out for these signs of dental disease.
More than 300 types of bacteria naturally reside inside your kitten’s mouth. And when she eats, small food particles and saliva combine with the bacteria to form plaque. If plaque is left on the teeth, calcium in your pet’s saliva hardens it, resulting in a hard yellow-brown deposit on her teeth called tartar.
Your kitten lets you know a lot about how she’s feeling through the way she behaves. The following behaviors can indicate an oral health issue or periodontal disease:
Of course, a lot of these symptoms could signify other health issues, so it’s important to let a trained professional diagnose any health problems your pet may be having.
Nobody likes to deal with dental issues, your pet included. And even though your kitten can’t talk, that doesn’t mean she isn’t in pain. But if you’re armed with the three D’s of dental hygiene, your furry friend is sure to be happy and healthy for many years to come.
While keeping kittens indoors has significant benefits, protecting them from a large number of dangers, it does require you to pay attention to the provision of enrichment opportunities. While kittens spend a great deal of their time sleeping, their periods of wakefulness can and should be used to stimulate psychological and physical activity. The natural predatory/play behavior of kittens is usually easy to stimulate with interactive toys, such as feathers on a string or flicking a laser dot along the floor and walls. One way to defeat the “nighttime crazies” is to have a pet owner engage in active, vigorous play before feeding your kitten at bedtime. This mimics the natural hunting-feeding-grooming-sleeping sequence of cats.
Kittens also can be trained. They will respond quite favorably to clicker training using a high-quality food treat as reinforcement. As with dogs, training sequences can be used to ensure that kittens are getting adequate physical and mental exercise. Many cats also benefit from social activity with other cats, especially if they were introduced to other cats early in life. Cats put a premium on managing space, so it is important that multiple-cat homes offer a variety of places to hide, sleep, and observe, using both the horizontal and vertical dimensions.
A greater challenge is providing enrichment opportunities for dogs and cats when a person or another pet is not present to interact with them. Kittens and cats will spend a great deal of time watching out windows, especially if there is a bird feeder or butterfly garden within view, so make sure to keep at least one window blind open—especially if it looks out to an area with frequent movement and activity.
Providing your kitten with enrichment opportunities helps to prevent stress and the development of abnormal behaviors. These abnormal behaviors, in turn, put a strain on the pet owner and can play a key role in eventual relinquishment. Enrichment also provides a context for physical and psychological exercise that supports the overall well-being of your kitten.
