As cats are small felines, these results also apply to them, taking into account that appropriately sized bones must be fed.
#Calculus buildup on cats teeth skin#
The study concluded that the mechanical properties of the diet are essential: eating bones, tendons, and skin (like wild felines do) is very important. Not only that, but it also seems that bad oral health is correlated with increased cranial deformations. The wild felines had better oral health, with less plaque, calculus, gingivitis, and periodontitis. In 2016, a retrospective compared the oral health of captive felines that eat a minced meat diet versus wild ones that eat whole carcasses. The first one was done in 1984 on captive tigers and it showed that giving them beef bones to chew on twice a week reduced plaque and calculus with no negative consequences. However, we do have a bit more studies on big felids. īoth studies on cats are quite old and have methodological flaws, but it seems clear that a diet containing bones can at least reduce calculus. The second study on feral cats also reported significantly less tartar, but the same incidence of periodontal disease. The oldest study reported significantly less tartar on the teeth and a bit less incidence of periodontal disease for feral cats than domestic cats. A few studies compared the teeth health of feral cats with the ones of domestic cats to see if a diet containing bones would have an impact on it. It’s quite easy to understand that raw meaty bones offer an abrasive effect as they are much harder than the typical commercial pet food. Raw meaty bones work (but they don’t make miracles) Given the many cons of kibbles concerning your cat’s health such as the lack of moisture, if you are looking to improve the oral health of your cat there are better alternatives, as we will see in the next paragraphs. This doesn’t mean that it reduces the plaque or tartar on the teeth, but it reduces the rate at which new plaque gets on the teeth. Ĭonsidering the number of domestic pets having periodontal disease and calculus, it’s not really a surprise that kibble isn’t that helpful when considering teeth health.Īt best, some kibbles (which are VOHC-approved) with specific shapes, sizes, and textures have proved to reduce plaque or tartar accumulation. Most kibbles will, in fact, just crumble and won’t offer enough resistance to the teeth to have any meaningful effect and that’s if your cat doesn’t just swallow the kibbles whole. While it’s true that kibbles can have an abrasive effect (especially when compared to wet food), it doesn’t mean that they remove the plaque or the tartar. One of the biggest myths about kibbles is that they clean the teeth of our pets. Overall, periodontal diseases are painful and can affect the quality of life of your cat, as well as reduce its longevity. Īn important part of periodontal disease prevention is then the control of the plaque, more than controlling the tartar, which is mainly cosmetic. One of the reasons periodontitis can affect not only the mouth but the whole body might be that it is an entry door for the bacteria of the plaque to go into the body via the bloodstream. While some nefarious consequences of bad oral health are obvious (losing teeth), others are less known: cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes. Periodontitis can only be diagnosed reliably under general anesthesia with probing and dental radiography. In this case, it starts affecting the tissues supporting the teeth and causes bone loss and tooth loss. The gingivitis can, however, progress into periodontitis. In fact, a cat can have severe gingivitis without calculus and vice versa. It’s also important to note that the presence of tartar is a predisposing factor for gingivitis but it is not necessarily a cause of gingivitis. In that case, the gingivitis doesn’t get worse. The bacteria of the plaque and the gums can also exist in a symbiotic relationship. Gingivitis is reversible: it can go away by removing the plaque. The bacteria of the plaque can penetrate the gum and that’s when your cat starts having gingivitis-an inflammation of the gums. It’s also always covered with a layer of plaque. If plaque is not removed, it can calcify in only two weeks and form calculus-also called tartar. The plaque is the bacteria biofilm present on the teeth of our cats. Let’s build up some vocabulary to better understand the two main periodontal diseases: gingivitis and periodontitis. Periodontal disease refers to all diseases linked to the inflammation of the gum. It’s estimated that around 70-80% of cats have some form of oral disease! In today’s article, we are going to see what we can do to prevent these diseases as pet owners, and the role of the diet in periodontal diseases. After having tackled obesity in cats-the second most common health issue-it’s time to talk about the first one: periodontal diseases.
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