How to Cure Bad Breath in Your Cat

While the breath of your cat may not always have a fresh smell, if you notice a foul odor coming from your pet’s mouth, that may be an indication that it has some serious medical or dental problem that requires attention. To keep the cat’s mouth clean, brush it regularly to help deter bad odor, or have a visit to the vet.

You will need the following items to take good care of your cat’s mouth: cat toothbrush, cat toothpaste, cat dental treats, specific cat food, lemon juice, parsley, 0.12% Chlorhexidine.

What you would want to do firstly, is to let your veterinarian ascertain the cause of your cat’s bad breath. Some diseases such as cat immunodeficiency virus, kidney disease, and chronic renal failure can result in cat halitosis. Diabetes can make your cat’s breathe smell unusually sweet. Gastrointestinal problems, oral infections, and liver problems can also cause bad breath. A thorough examination, including blood or urine test, can help ascertain the cause of the bad breath and your cat can be given proper medical treatment.

Secondly, let a vet give your cat’s teeth a professional cleaning. You can also ask the vet for a recommended toothpaste The major cause of the cat’s halitosis is poor dental hygiene. Tartars or plaque may accumulate in your cat’s teeth over time, especially the gum-line, leading to tooth decay, gingivitis and bacterial infections of the mouth. These dental problems cause bad breath and require a vet to clean properly, removing all tartars or plaque from your cat’s teeth under anesthesia to remedy the bad breath.

Thirdly, ensure you brush your cat’s teeth on a daily basis. Most pet stores and the vet have a special soft toothbrush and enzymatic meat-flavored toothpaste, particularly for cats. When brushing a cat’s teeth, rub the paste with your fingers on its teeth, and gently brush to remove tartars or plaque that have built up over time to improve the breath of your pet.

The fourth step to take in order to maintain the good oral hygiene of your cat is to feed it with croquettes. Some manufacturers of pet food make dry cat food specifically for removing tartar and plaque from the cat’s teeth. When the cat is chewing, the kibble will help to scrub the surface of the teeth, giving them fresher breath. You could also ask your vet to prescribe diets for cats with dental problems.

Another great method that can help your cat’s oral hygiene is by adding one or two drops of lemon juice without sugar to their bowl of water. The lemon helps to improve your cat’s breath, neutralizing the effect of odor-causing bacteria in your cat’s mouth.

You could also mix a small spring of parsley in your cat’s food periodically. Parsley has odor-reducing properties and it’s highly recommended for freshening your cat’s breath.

Lastly, you may spray 0.12% Chlorhexidine into your cat’s mouth for about a week or two. But you need a vet’s prescription to use this drug. Its actual function is to reduce inflammation and bacteria in your cat’s mouth.

Please always check with your veterinarian before starting anything that involves your pet’s health concerns.

A pet sitter/friend of mine also wrote a great article about this subject, check it out http://www.profpetsit.com/blog/my-pet-has-bad-breathe-what-can-i-do/

admin

How to Cure Bad Breath in Your Cat