Dental care in cats is one of the most important health issues that cat owners should be concerned about.

Your cats mouth is the most biologically active part of their body.
Periodontal disease (which is a gum disease) is by far and away the most common oral disease in cats.

It is also the most common of any kind of disease, in both cats and dogs, and it is also the most neglected and overlooked disease as well.

This condition is so important, that if not treated seriously, your cat can suffer serious periodontal disease before anything is done about it, and in severe cases, it may than be too late. If this condition is left untreated, periodontal disease only gets worse and it will eventually affect the general overall health of your cat.

This condition is also very important because most cats will be genetically predisposed to dental problems to start with, and even with good preventive care, may need extra help. Some cats will be born with great teeth and gums and overall strong tooth constitutions, while others will develop all kinds of dental problems.

Bacteria from a mouth that is full of disease, can affect several organs in your cats body as well as the nervous system.

What is important to understand is that this condition is just not for the feline that is getting old, as it can affect cats at any age.

However, there is a lot of evidence that poor dental care, especially in older cats, can lead to diseases that will affect their heart and liver if not properly treated.

So what exactly is periodontal disease and what does it affect?

Periodontal disease involves the gum of your cats mouth (the gingiva) and also the bone structure (the alveolar bone to be exact).

This disease will vary in forms of severity that ranges from inflammation of the gums to the bone structure actually loosing support, resulting in your cats teeth being loose, or in the worst case scenario, falling out.

Proper dental care in your feline will help to prevent several of the following periodontal diseases. Gingivitis is the earliest stage of the disease, and if not caught and corrected, could lead to a lot bigger issues.
It is usually very ease to spot and diagnose yourself as you will see basically a red line, which is inflammation, of the gum tissue itself.

Bacteria in your cats mouth, along with its own saliva and way bore food particles, produces plaque. The build up of this plaque produces gingivitis. Once the plaque builds up to form deposits in the cats mouth, the saliva that normally protects your cats mouth becomes ineffective.

Plaque will harden into what is referred to as tarter, and enlarges the pocket between the gum and teeth, thus creating a virtual breeding ground for bacteria that will grow and foster if left unchecked. Your felines gums may at this stage become a reddish color and actually start to swell in many cases.

The good news, however, is that if you can catch this early enough, no damage has yet to be done to the supporting bone tissue of the cats mouth.

Proper dental care can reverse the effects of gingivitis.However, if not caught and treated properly, the advanced stage sets in, which is known as Periodontitis.

Over a period of time, the toxins produced by the bacteria will cause the pockets that have begun to develop, to become even deeper. The deeper and worse they get is what will than actually cause the bone structure surrounding your cats teeth to erode.

This stage of the disease can not be reversed. Your cats teeth will start to loosen, and eventually they will fall out, even if they are perfectly good and healthy teeth.

So what can you do? Preventing this condition is really quite a simple process.

There are several very good products in today’s markets that will allow you to properly brush, and even floss your cats teeth. There are all kinds of fun flavors, ranging from tuna flavor to exotic flavors that make the process very easy for you to do.

The key here to remember is that the mouth is the most biologically active area of the body, and thus, it can not be ignored. Your cat has an extremely rough tongue by birth. You will need to make sure that your scrub it thoroughly on the inner surfaces.

The most important part of the brushing process, however, will be to clean the surface of the teeth that is part of your cats mouth facing the cheeks as this is where the majority of the bacteria will hide.

Brushing your cats teeth once a day may sound a little absurd, but would you go a day without brushing?
It should be no different for you feline friend. There are also several very good rinses and gels that contain Vitamin C and Zinc, which are extremely important in nutritional balance in your cats mouth.

Dental care in cats is again, the most important function you can do as a cat owner in maintaining the health of your feline best friend.

I am an avid lover of pets and my wife and I have had several pets throughout our years. We are especially fond of dogs, and we have a 12 year old Dalmatian (our 3rd) and a “mutt” that we rescued when someone threw him away to die in a vacant field.

He found us, nearly starved to death, and weighed about 2 pounds.

After severe bouts of mange and severe dehydration, and over 1,000.00 in veterinarian bills, we saved the little guys life, and he is one of the best, if not the best, dogs we have ever had and today is a muscular, fit, and firm 70 pound best friend.

After finishing my MBA, which at middle age was not easy, I decided to keep the research work ethics that I acquired, and devote about two hours each night in understanding the health benefits of supplementation for both humans and pets and how they might strengthen our, as well as our pets, immune system in a preemptive approach to health rather than a reactionary approach.

Both of my daughters are avid cat lovers, and asked me to help them with health concerns and challenges with their cats.

I am not a veterinarian nor claim to be, just a lover of pets that loves to research and pass on some knowledge that might be helpful, or at least stimulating to the thought process.

Several of the articles that I have written can be found on my website;

Liquid Vitamins & Minerals for Humans & Pets http://www.liquid-vitamins-minerals-humans-pets.com/

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