Wet food and cats teeth

[KittyWitty]

So I know this is a bunch of rubbish but I was wondering if there was possibly a little truth in it...

Zeus (maybe - name not fully decided) (otherwise known as Gaia) had his first vet check-up today and the vet nurse was talking to us about food and I said he was on a wet food only diet and she said that was bad for him and his teeth!!

I know that cats are true meat eaters and all that jazz, Zeus is on Natures Menu kitten pouches and then when he is older it will be adult pouches with raw food nuggets every so often so I understand his diet and know that wet food is better for him.

But, is what she said about his teeth a wee bit true? She said that the dry kibble cleans them while wet cause tartar build up...

Please give me advice

[Kay]

well, that's what the reps of companies like Hills, who make predominantly dry food, encourage the vets to tell us

I do have some concern about wet food which contains sugars, especially the soft pate type ones which must coat the teeth and gums to some extent, and I have to admit that my Tiffany, who eats 90% dry by choice, has the best teeth of my three - but I personally believe that much like us humans, good or bad dental health is as much down to genetics as diet

[Marla]

Two of our cats were fed dry food only for the first 9 years of their lives. They both had to have a couple of teeth removed during that time. About 8 years ago we switched them to a raw diet and since then they have both had to have a couple more teeth removed. Our vet said that some cats are pre-disposed to dental problems.

For dental health, probably the most important thing is to apply a dental product such as Logic Gel or Pet Dent every day. Trouble is, I always forget...

[KittyWitty]

Two of our cats were fed dry food only for the first 9 years of their lives. They both had to have a couple of teeth removed during that time. About 8 years ago we switched them to a raw diet and since then they have both had to have a couple more teeth removed. Our vet said that some cats are pre-disposed to dental problems.

For dental health, probably the most important thing is to apply a dental product such as Logic Gel or Pet Dent every day. Trouble is, I always forget...

Thanks Marla, I've looked up Logic Gel and its got really good reviews so I'll go with that and see how my boy takes to it! He is only 12 weeks today so hopefully since he is still young it'll be easier than if he were older!

[Crewella]

I feed a mixture of wet and dry, to be on the safe side, but I have read on several occasions that most dry food just shatters when they chew it, so therefore doesn't really help to clean their teeth.

[Marla]

If he's that young, you might even be able to use a finger toothbrush like this:
http://www.petdispensary.co.uk/shop/fin ... brush.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I wish I'd been more diligent with this when they were younger. Hindsight!

[KittyWitty]

I have read that too Crewella, unless you buy the massive dry food supposedly

[joolie75]

Hi - same as you say, our old vet told us wet food leads to more dental problems. Although we feed a mix of wet and dry. Moogle likes to graze, so he gets breakfast wet, then all day dry is available, dinner wet when we're back from work, and dry thru the night.

He did have dirty teeth and went for a descale and polish in October, but thankfully no need to remove any.

I did buy a finger toothbrush and paste for him.....but as I was about to attempt it he gave me the look: "Please step away from me with that. I cant be held responsible for my actions if you stick that blue, plastic, wierd looking finger near my mouth, woman"

I tried, but his eyes told me not to persist

[KittyWitty]

Hi - same as you say, our old vet told us wet food leads to more dental problems. Although we feed a mix of wet and dry. Moogle likes to graze, so he gets breakfast wet, then all day dry is available, dinner wet when we're back from work, and dry thru the night.

He did have dirty teeth and went for a descale and polish in October, but thankfully no need to remove any.

I did buy a finger toothbrush and paste for him.....but as I was about to attempt it he gave me the look: "Please step away from me with that. I cant be held responsible for my actions if you stick that blue, plastic, wierd looking finger near my mouth, woman"

I tried, but his eyes told me not to persist

Aw how old was your boy when you tried the finger brush? I have a feeling that my boy may give me that look lol

It wasn't even the vet...it was the vet nurse! Then she started going on about preservatives in wet food and that is when my face went dead pan and she added in the..."of course it is your choice". Feel like bringing in the ingredient list of my boys food and showing her that he is not being feed junk!

[Crewella]

I do give some of mine a raw chicken wing every few weeks, just to give their teeth a workout. Three of them go for it and three don't, though of the three that don't one is 19 and one has no teeth at all .... so it's hardly surprising .....

[KittyWitty]

I do give some of mine a raw chicken wing every few weeks, just to give their teeth a workout. Three of them go for it and three don't, though of the three that don't one is 19 and one has no teeth at all .... so it's hardly surprising .....

I would love to try my boy on raw chicken wings but not sure how to start and where to get them, in what state to give him them etc! He hasn't lost any of his baby teeth just yet so not sure if his teeth are strong teeth?

[lilynmitz]

The theory is that crunching dry food helps scrape the tartar and plaque off. But if they swallow it whole, as mine almost always do, there goes that theory. And even if they do crunch it, the bits can get stuck between their teeth and actually increase the risk of tooth decay. In the wild, crunching bones did the job, but most cats probably died of natural causes before tooth decay set in.

Just feed your cat a good healthy diet of something he likes.

[Crewella]

Mine are all older cats, and some are ex-strays (who came to me with perfect teeth), so I'm afraid i've no idea on younger cats!

My OH likes to barbecue chicken wings, just bought from the supermarket raw, and I just nick one of his, cut it at the joints and give the bits to the cats on a washable floor or outside. Daz eats the lot, bone and all, so does Peaches, but Merrick tends to leave the widest end of the bone (so if you do try, be aware you might need to look for any bits left over ..... before they fester in a corner!). It's fine for them to eat raw chicken bones, it's cooked bones that become brittle and dangerous for cats to eat.

I got the idea from some posters on Cat Chat, so hopefully someone else will know more.

[KittyWitty]

Mine are all older cats, and some are ex-strays (who came to me with perfect teeth), so I'm afraid i've no idea on younger cats!

My OH likes to barbecue chicken wings, just bought from the supermarket raw, and I just nick one of his, cut it at the joints and give the bits to the cats on a washable floor or outside. Daz eats the lot, bone and all, so does Peaches, but Merrick tends to leave the widest end of the bone (so if you do try, be aware you might need to look for any bits left over ..... before they fester in a corner!). It's fine for them to eat raw chicken bones, it's cooked bones that become brittle and dangerous for cats to eat.

I got the idea from some posters on Cat Chat, so hopefully someone else will know more.

Thanks for that Crewella

[meriad]

I feed (and always have done) mine a mix of wet and dry... they have dry to graze on throughout the day and get anything between 1/2 and 1 pouch of wet food in the mornings and evenings.

About twice a week or so, I also give them a few of the Science Hill Oral Care dry food kibbles as a treat - they all like them and I do think they work. Apparently they have some enzyme added which adds to the dental care; it's not just their size


I've tried the raw chicken wings but mine just don't seem to get the hang of that unfortunately - because that would be ideal

[KittyWitty]

Just gave Comet his first bit of tuna and he LOVED it!

[joolie75]

Aw how old was your boy when you tried the finger brush? I have a feeling that my boy may give me that look lol

It wasn't even the vet...it was the vet nurse! Then she started going on about preservatives in wet food and that is when my face went dead pan and she added in the..."of course it is your choice". Feel like bringing in the ingredient list of my boys food and showing her that he is not being feed junk!

It was within the first month of obtaining him But, to be fair, he was a rescue, and they put him at 2-3 years....and who knows what happened to him before....maybe he ran away from his original home because they tried to brush his teeth - hahah!
Seriously, it was probably too late....I think, next kitties we adopt, we will go for younger, and for sure try to get them into habits.....would love to be able to give Moogs a pedicure, but like teeth brushing, that aint gonna happen without one of us recieving fatal injuries

[KittyWitty]

Aw how old was your boy when you tried the finger brush? I have a feeling that my boy may give me that look lol

It wasn't even the vet...it was the vet nurse! Then she started going on about preservatives in wet food and that is when my face went dead pan and she added in the..."of course it is your choice". Feel like bringing in the ingredient list of my boys food and showing her that he is not being feed junk!

It was within the first month of obtaining him But, to be fair, he was a rescue, and they put him at 2-3 years....and who knows what happened to him before....maybe he ran away from his original home because they tried to brush his teeth - hahah!
Seriously, it was probably too late....I think, next kitties we adopt, we will go for younger, and for sure try to get them into habits.....would love to be able to give Moogs a pedicure, but like teeth brushing, that aint gonna happen without one of us recieving fatal injuries

The Logic gel arrived today and I tried it on Comet's paw...he licked it right off! so now that I know he likes the taste, I'll start trying to brush his teeth with it.

I'm quite nervous about it

[Hunnybunny]

I'd stick with wet, add dry so they can graze 24/7 especially in summer when wet is horrid if left and add in raw chicken wings to keep the tartar levels down as a natural teeth cleaner (if they'll take to them of cause!!)

[KittyWitty]

Thanks hunnybunny, the wet food is never there long :L plus Scotland doesn't get too warm in Summer so that shouldn't be a problem.

Will try him on chicken wings when his adult teeth come in.

[MarkB]

I don't think dry is any better. When I adopted Kylie in 2002, the vet told me to feed dry only as wet food sticks to the teeth like toffee. Thankfully I chose to ignore her advice. Dry food can stick in teeth just as easily, if not more so. An all-dry diet can cause so many health problems - especially with the kidneys. Not all cats will drink enough to compensate. Also an all dry diet can cause weight problems. I feed main meals as wet and dry for overnight/grazing.

[Hunnybunny]

The whole cat food issue is a can of worms and to be honest mine use the 'spoilt brat' principle which basically means I feed them what they want and when they want it!! Thankfully I didn't use this principle with the human children!!

All comercial cat food is pretty dire I think as cats digestive systems and basic physiology hasn't evolved much but humans like convenience and value for money and so the dry food was born and then the marketing people span it on health grounds and blah, blah we all know the vets spin on dry and why they push it!!

If I were starting with babies I would try my very best to go natural and feed raw but still with limited dry as it has its uses as a mid meal snack and doesn't go off.;

[MarkB]

I always say the same, but chances are, I will continue adopting older cats with health issues and picky appetites

Kylie was only 2 when I adopted her in 2002, but to this day, she has never touched real meat, either cooked or raw. Lazarus won't touch any meat or fish. It isn't through want of trying, but they refuse point blank whenever it is offered.

[KittyWitty]

Comet loves little bits of meat, can't wait to start him with a little bit of raw meat nuggets

[KittyWitty]

So for the past 4 days I have been giving Comet his Logic Gel on his paw, until today! He actually let me brush his teeth with the finger brush!!!!

Hopefully this is a sign of things to come! Perseverance!

[Marla]

Well done Comet for being such a good boy and letting Mummy brush your teeth!

[Crewella]

Well done Comet!

..... and you're braver than I am, I don't dare try that with my lot!

[KittyWitty]

haha! Since he is teething now I think it is helping to stimulate his gums too so double whammy!

[joolie75]

Wow! Well done!

[KittyWitty]

Think it was a 1 time fluck. Not let me do it since haha!