6 Cat Dental Products You Never Knew You Needed
Vets explain how chicken-flavoured toothpastes and nifty finger brushes can prevent more than ‘tooth fur’
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Imagine how gross your mouth feels if you skip brushing your teeth just once (the disturbing phrase ‘tooth fur’ comes to mind). So, why do so many cat parents consider dental care optional? Um, maybe because my cat would never let me brush their teeth, you may be thinking. Sure, we never said it would be easy, but unfortunately it is a pretty essential part of their pet care so you’d better get yourself some cat toothpaste and a veterinarian-approved toothbrush and get to work.
Why you should brush your cat’s teeth
“Cats are very prone to gingivitis and periodontitis, which can be caused by a build-up of plaque and tartar and a sensitivity to the bacteria that grows on it,” says Dr Lori M Teller, a veterinarian and professor at Texas A&M University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. “This can lead to bad breath, inflamed and swollen gums, oral pain, pawing at the mouth and tooth loss.” It can even lead to heart and kidney issues because bacteria can travel from blood vessels in your cat’s mouth to organs.
Dr Karen Hayworth, a veterinarian at VCA Northview Animal Hospital, recommends brushing your cat’s teeth daily. Which is a tall order and – let’s be honest – probably not always feasible for busy pet parents. If you aim for three times a week, and supplement with dental treats and professional cleanings at the vet’s office, it will do a lot for your cat’s health. “It’s well established that good oral hygiene is associated with good health,” Dr Hayworth says. “And we want pets to be as comfortable as possible as they get older.”
How to brush your cat’s teeth
If you have a kitten, great. “It’s going to be easier to normalise this activity with them,” Dr Teller says. But you still can make some progress with an older cat – just harness some patience and practice over a period of a few weeks. Start with a professional dental appointment performed by your vet under anaesthesia, then wait a couple of weeks before attempting any upkeep.
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“It’s important to use a super-soft toothbrush – either designed for cats or infants,” Dr Teller adds. “But pick up an enzymatic toothpaste that’s made for animals rather than a human toothpaste, which has foaming agents that will harm a cat if they swallow it (which you can count on).” Some cats just won’t tolerate brushing, and for them, products like rinses, wipes, gels and dental chews can be used in between professional cleanings.
But nothing beats brushing, Dr Teller says: “While these are reasonable alternatives, nothing will be as effective as brushing your cat’s teeth on a daily basis.” Ready to level up your cat’s oral health? Below, the best products on the market. For a longer list of recommendations, including many cat foods, visit the Veterinary Oral Health Councilopens in a new tab (VOHC).
The best cat dental products
Btw, our editors (and their pets) picked out these products. They’re always in stock at the time we publish, but there’s a chance they’ll sell out. If you do buy through our links, we may earn a commission. (We’ve got a lot of toys to buy over here, you know?)
This dental kit has everything you need to clean your cat’s teeth. Most cats tolerate rubber finger brushes better than toothbrushes, but if your cat’s not cool with that either, an odourless and tasteless cleaning gel and water additive can do their part to combat plaque and tarter, while secret ingredient Oxygene tackles bad breath.
This toothbrush gets high marks from veterinarians. It has bristle heads on both ends, in different sizes to accommodate different sizes of pets, and it has ergonomically correct angles to make brushing your cat’s teeth easier.
Also recommended by most vets, Virbac’s C.E.T. Dual Enzyme toothpaste is designed to inhibit the formation of plaque. It has no foaming agents, so the toothpaste is safe to be swallowed – which you can expect your cat to do with flavours like poultry, beef, and vanilla-mint.
Wiping isn’t as abrasive as brushing, but you can still get a decent cleaning job done. It doesn’t hurt that these wipes freshen breath too.
This one’s pretty simple: just sprinkle the North Atlantic seaweed powder – which claims to prevent plaque from sticking to teeth and soften existing tarter – onto your cat’s food.
Brushing is ideal, but a brushless squirt-in-the-mouth gel is convenient plan B for controlling plaque.
The entire Greenies brand is on a mission to keep pets’ teeth clean. These crunchy treats come in a huge range of sizes and flavours, from tuna to catnip, and as less than two calories per treat.
Kellie Gormly
Kellie B. Gormly is an award-winning journalist based in Pennsylvania who writes for many national publications, including The Washington Post, Woman's World, Catster, and Dogster. Kellie is a volunteer rescuer who fosters kittens and cats at her home, where she has several of her own cats and betta fish.