Do you love to cuddle and sleep with your kitties? Are you habitual of giving them a nose-to-nose touch and a sniff to give them a good night kiss? These are all sweet and cute symbols of love that you may have for your kitties. But while doing any of these acts, have you ever smelled bad breath coming out of your cat’s mouth?
Do you simply close your eyes for any such sign and think it to be normal in the case of animals? If you are of the same thought, then you need to wait and think it over again.
Just like those cute little eyes of your kitties allow you to touch their soul, narrating their nature and playfulness, their breath says a lot about their health. A healthy cat never has an offensive breath, and you need to note it down in bold words if you continuously witness a stinky odor from your cat’s mouth.
Here, we are going to tell you all the real reasons that induce terrible breath in your cats. Also, we are going to list down a few ways in which you can prevent them from accruing any major ailments that come associated with bad breath. Read further to get acquainted with the bad breath reasons and ways to gain control over it:
Why your cat’s breath is offensive?
Yes, a cat’s breath will surely not smell like a flower bouquet, but it neither should smell like a tarnished tuna fish stuck between your teeth. A little bit of odor is not abnormal, but an excess of it in a continuous fashion is a cause of concern.
If your cat’s breath releases an unpleasant odor, then it is not something that can be overlooked or avoided. You cannot think of popping some mint in your cat’s mouth and forgetting everything because this foul odor reveals that your cats are not in good health. Here are a few reasons that cause smelly breath in cats:
Diet:
Yes, your cat’s diet can also result in bad breath. Consuming food such as liver, fish products, and other such food items can contribute to bad breath. Sometimes your cats may also accidentally tend to chew things that they are not supposed to, such as rubber bands, erasers, or similar foreign particles. These can go inside and get clogged in their mouth, causing a stinky odor. However, such a case is easy to handle because one can remove such a thing once they find out that something is stuck in their cat’s mouth. Changing food habits can help save your cats from letting out a rancid wheeze.
So, you must be quite careful about your cat’s overall health to maintain its dental health. In this regard, we have provided a basic diet chart consisting of the vital nutrient elements that will prevent your kitty from having bad breath as well as provide it with the desired nutrition.
Nutrients |
Sources |
Desirable benefits |
Vitamin A |
Codfish liver and oil. |
Builds a strong immunity, gives good vision, and prevents skin problems as well. |
Vitamin D |
Liver, sunlight, and Vita-D supplements. |
Develops strong bones and teeth, and also prevents pre-mature tooth erosion. The deficit of this vitamin may cause bad breath in your cat. |
Proteins |
Chicken by-products, corn gluten meals, grounded whole grain wheat. |
Builds strong muscles and prevents fatigue. It also strengthens cells, thereby preventing oral cell degradation. |
Carbohydrates and fats |
Corn gluten meal, flaxseed, soya bean oil, and dried egg products. |
These provide a good source of energy and also store energy for future use. |
Calcium |
Chicken, lamb, fish. |
Calcium supports the formation of healthy bones and teeth. Hence it helps in preventing bad odor from your cat’s mouth. This mineral also facilitates blood clotting. |
Phosphorus |
Meat, eggs, and dairy products. |
It helps in better functioning of muscles, and also supports healthy teeth and strong bones. |
Sodium |
Meat products and salt. |
It Aids muscle movement and maintains optimum body fluid levels. |
Oral Diseases:
The foul odor exhaled from your cat’s mouth can be a result of bacterial buildup in the mouth owing to poor dental hygiene. Further, this bacterial and plaque buildup can result in tartar if not treated at the right time, causing periodontal disease. If you happen to find your cats drooling, chewing from one side only, finding difficulty in eating, then there are high chances that your cats are facing dental issues that need to be addressed by a veterinary doctor.
Gingivitis/Stomatitis:
Inflammation sensation in the gums causes gingivitis. And inflammation in the mouth’s mucus lining results in stomatitis. Cats can easily become prone to these diseases due to failure in following proper dental health. Allergies, viruses, and bacteria are other reasons that cause your cats to suffer from stomatitis and gingivitis. Also, it is suggested that you should seek medical advice from a vet in such a case as it can also give birth to other infections, namely Clacivirus and FIV.
Metabolic diseases:
Sometimes bad breath is not just confined to oral hygiene and disorders. In a few instances, these symptoms can be an alarm signal for more severe conditions in your pets. Especially for elderly cats, bad breath can be a symptom of kidney-related disorders. If your cat’s kidneys are overwhelmed and incapable of working effectively for detoxifying purposes, then there are chances that it may cause the building up of toxins in the blood, further giving birth to bad breath. Also, there are chances of your cats being diagnosed with liver issues and diabetes. So your cat’s bad breath can be a signal that you need to walk to a vet to get your cat checked thoroughly for any metabolic disease.
Other symptoms:
Apart from bad breath symptoms, you also need to keep an eye on other shreds of evidence that acts as an indication that your cats may be prone to something more serious.
Here are a few symptoms that you should be cautious about:
Symptoms |
Cause |
Frequent urination |
If the breath of your cats smells fruity, then there are chances that they may have accrued diabetes. Other symptoms that accompany such a fruity breath are frequent urine passage. |
Weight loss |
If you can also see your cats losing weight for quite some time along with adverse breath symptoms, then there may be probable chances of your cats having some underlying kidney issues. |
Discoloration of gums |
A cat’s teeth say a lot about its overall health. If your cats are fit and fine, then their gums should be slightly pinkish and should transform into white color after being pressed for about two to three seconds before retaining their original color. If you witness the color of the gums to be red, yellow, white, or inflamed, your cats need some serious attention and an appointment with a vet. |
Drooling |
It can be an indicator that your cat is prone to oral cancer or gum diseases. |
Yellow eyes |
If your cats show yellow eyes with bad breath, then probably your cat may be suffering from liver-related problems. |
How to prevent bad breath?
Once you gain control over the bad breath problems of your cats, the next thing you need to do is to adopt preventive measures. It is suggested to put a stop to such problems creeping up in the future. As said earlier, your cat’s teeth act as a mirror for their overall health and should be paid keen attention to prevent them from falling prey to diseases. So here are a few things that you need to do:
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Make use of water additives:
For this, take your cat to a vet to get a recommended water additive to add to your cat’s water. The vet will look into the medical records of your cat and will suggest an adequate water additive that serves effectively in the removal of plaque and bacteria. These water additives are similar to mouthwashes and can play a high hand in getting a cure for your cats’ oral health.
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Regular brushing of teeth:
Brushing your cat’s teeth may not be as easy as it may sound and may require you to run after your cats to get them to sit down for a brushing session. Your cats may not like the idea of getting their teeth brushed, but it is mandatory to get them cleaned. So, you have to chalk out your own ways of making your cats get accustomed to brushing. Start with a slow and steady manner so that your cats get used to it. Also, ensure that you make use of toothpaste recommended by a vet and do not pick on any random toothpaste, or it may prove toxic for your furballs.
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Using dental-friendly meals and treats:
The Pet industry is a whole big industry that you may like to explore by going online and hitting the internet. You can get to avail a whole lot of cat treats that can help fight the bad breath. You can also get a vet consultation for the type of products to buy so that you are assured of the effects.
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Take a vet consultation for designing your cat’s diet for proper oral care:
As said earlier, your cat’s diet may be one of the biggest reasons for acquiring bad breath, and thus you need to have good control over your cat’s diet. If you are habitual in feeding your kitties with wet cat food, including kibble in their diet is a smart way of limiting their intake. Raw foods are also sometimes a reason for bad breath, so it is better that you knock the doors of a vet to get a proper diet chart for your cute little felines.
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Regular vet visits for dental health check-ups and cleaning:
Teeth cleaning for both humans and cats is the same. But the only difference is that your cats have to be on anesthesia before the cleaning process starts. A cat that is in its senses won’t let teeth cleaning sessions be a success, so anesthesia is what can work wonders at such a time. A vet can let you know if your cats require a teeth cleaning and if they will benefit from it by merely having a look at their teeth. So it is recommended that you pay regular visits to a vet to keep the bad breath away.
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Dental chew toys:
Yes, just like your pups, your kitties can also enjoy a chew session to some extent. So picking on a few dental chew toys such as Petstages Catnip & Dental Health Cat Toys can be a way out to get your cat’s teeth clean in a fun way out. Not only will these chew toys help your cats maintain better oral hygiene, but they will keep them engaged as well. It will also prevent them from nibbling on wires, plastic shoes, and others such similar things that they are not supposed to chew. Also, ensure that the toys you are getting do not have choking hazards that may raise an issue for your cats.
Excellent tips to get your cats ready for brushing:
Clean teeth are not only related to maintaining cleanliness but are also a health indicator for humans, and this is no exception for cats. Prevention is better than cure is an old saying that we all may have heard numerous times in our lives and need to follow the same to safeguard our cats from falling ill. Getting your kitties to brush regularly is one of the most effective ways to keep them in good health, but we all know how cumbersome his task can be. Here are a few tips that you can apply while getting your kitties to brush every morning, just as we humans do:
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You can consider dipping your fingers in tuna juice or chicken juice before inserting it into your kitty’s mouth so that they develop a liking for the same. Further, you can emerge as a winner by bribing them with their favorite chicken and fish juice and getting their teeth cleaned at the same time.
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You can also consider purchasing a finger brush and wrapping it over your finger while attempting to clean your cat’s teeth.
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Try brushing your cat’s teeth when they are tired and worn out, you will face less friction and opposition from your cat’s side.
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Make your kittens comfy by cradling them in your arms, and then, you can gently proceed by lifting their lips and cleaning their teeth.
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Go slow is the primary motto for getting your cats habitual to teeth cleaning. A short brushing session is enough to start with and can help in paving the way for elaborated cleaning sessions.
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Bribing them with their favorite treat in return for tooth brushing is another trick that you can use to tame your cats for a cleaning session.
Conclusion:
We hope that this guide proves helpful to you to get acquainted with the real reasons for your cat’s emanating lousy breath. There are various reasons for the same, and thus you need to be vigilant enough to keep an eye on the symptoms that warn you of your cat’s deteriorating health. You can also try following the prevention tips mentioned above to kiss goodbye to your cat’s bad breath.
