Dental disease, especially periodontal tissue disease, is the most common type of disease in cats.

Dental health is directly linked to the lifespan of a cat. If the teeth are good, the cat usually lives longer.

Fortunately, however, dental disease in cats is completely preventable, just like people’s.

And brushing your teeth is one of the very important ways.

Some people think that snacks or certain brands of cat food can clean teeth.

When most cats eat cat food, they will choose to swallow it directly instead of chewing it, so snacks should be purchased according to the cat’s own needs.

It is not recommended to buy teeth-cleaning snacks for cats, as they will cause diarrhea if they are not eaten well.

Some people may think, Oh my god, forget it, it’s so hard to cut the cat’s nails, and if it asks me to brush its teeth, then it won’t bite me to death.

In fact, it is not that difficult. As long as you use the right method, brushing your cat's teeth is very easy, and your cat will also gain long-term oral health.

As time goes by, you will find that brushing your cat’s teeth will become part of your interaction with it and become an indispensable daily routine.

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So before brushing your teeth, let’s take a look at what tools you need to prepare.

In fact, the range of toothbrushes you can choose for brushing your cat’s teeth is not very wide. There are only three categories:

Baby toothbrush

Finger toothbrush

Toothbrush for cats

Among these three types, I personally recommend baby electric toothbrushes and finger toothbrushes.

Of course, if you are just starting out, a finger toothbrush may be the most acceptable tool for most cats.

You can start with the easiest one. After the cat accepts your brushing its teeth, you can switch to a tool that is more comfortable for you.

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As for toothpaste, there are so many to choose from. I personally recommend choosing brands with flavors that cats like, such as cheese, fish, and meat.

It is best to buy imported products. You will only use a few tubes of this thing in a year. Safety is the most important thing for imported products.

Cats’ toothpaste is edible, so there is no need to rinse the cat’s mouth when brushing its teeth. Just let the cat eat the remnants after brushing. Why does it sound a bit disgusting...

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So how often should you brush your teeth?What does it look like?

In fact, ideally, you need to brush your teeth every day for the following reasons:

The most common areas where periodontal disease occurs are the upper teeth and back teeth, and the disease is usually more severe in these areas.

After a heavy meal, plaque will accumulate on the tooth surface, especially under the gum line, and plaque "mineralizes", which means it turns into a hard substance. This process generally does not exceed 36 hours.

Once mineralized, it will be difficult to remove with a toothbrush.

This is why you need to brush your teeth every day.

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Next, we start the teaching of brushing teeth with finger cots.

Step one:

When the master is in a good mood, he can hold it on a table. Of course, it can also be placed on your lap. First, let it smell the toothpaste as shown in the picture above.

Second step:

Next, let the cat taste the toothpaste, and then use your finger dipped in toothpaste to rub it back and forth on the cat's upper gums a few times.

Of course, if you find that your cat rejects this toothpaste in the first and second steps, then consider changing to another toothpaste. Generally, cat-specific toothpaste will not be as acceptable as nutritional paste, but it will not be rejected by most cats.

If you encounter difficulty in rubbing the gums, repeat steps one and two until your cat can accept your behavior.

As long as the cat accepts your behavior of rubbing its gums, end it immediately, and then be sure to reward it with its favorite snacks to strengthen its behavioral feedback. Our preliminary tasks are completed.

Step Three:

When the cat accepts you "brushing" its teeth with your fingers, you can then wear a finger cot to brush.

Brush gently in circular motions along the tooth area below the gum line. The entire process should not take more than 30 seconds.

Don’t try to brush all areas of your cat’s teeth when you first start, and stop when you’re done. You can try different areas every day.

Some cats may only allow you to brush the outside of their teeth at first, and not the inside or deeper teeth.

It doesn’t matter. After getting used to it for a period of time, usually 7 days or 1 month, it will slowly let you brush all its teeth.

Remember, snack rewards and verbal praise after brushing your teeth are very important procedures and must not be missed.

Brushing teeth is really a very simple and effective way to prevent oral diseases. Therefore, parents of furry children must not ignore this matter.

Some types of oral diseases are so devastating that you may not regret it until the time comes.

If it is not treated, the cat will be in pain every day. Think about when you have a toothache, the cat’s toothache will not be weaker than that.

And cats usually endure the pain. Article source: Cat Academy