SparklyUnicorn Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 (edited) I can't believe this is a thing. I came across an article about this. I don't have a death wish so...um no...I'm not doing that. Edited February 20, 2018 by SparklyUnicorn 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 No way. My cat would not tolerate that. Nor has my vet every suggested that. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 20, 2018 Author Share Posted February 20, 2018 Same here. No vet has ever mentioned it. My cat barely tolerates having her fur brushed. She would NEVER go for tooth brushing. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terabith Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 Are you crazy??? Hell no! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 20, 2018 Author Share Posted February 20, 2018 The article mentioned that the cat my be resistant to it. Really?! Good grief. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 My cat needed a bunch of teeth extracted a few years ago and the vet sent us home with a toothbrush for her. She's a great cat but there's just no way we're even going to try that - even after the expense of the extractions. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldberry Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 Always think of this video.. love the look on the cat's face.. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 20, 2018 Author Share Posted February 20, 2018 Always think of this video.. love the look on the cat's face.. That's how I look at the dentist! :laugh: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosika Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 I don't brush their teeth, but I try to incorporate foods that act as nature's little toothbrushes LOL. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
almondbutterandjelly Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 I can't believe this is a thing. I came across an article about this. I don't have a death wish so...um no...I'm not doing that. That was my exact thought! No, thank you, no death wish for me! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 Uhm, I prefer my skin remain on my body and not be obliterated into a million pieces found scattered hither and yon! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdj2027 Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 I got a lecture from my vet about not doing it. Sorry, not going to happen, she is a disgruntled old lady and i have no desire to be on the wrong end of either her teeth or claws. It's bad enough I have to shove down her medication every three days. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 Nope! Our vet has never suggested it, either. We've only ever had one cat that has dental problems. He's had to have a few teeth extracted as he's gotten older. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El... Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 Hahaha! No. I'd definitely get scarred. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freesia Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 The book I got when our cat was vaccinated said to do it. I was amazed. My farm boy dh just laughed when I asked if we should. So, no, we don't here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 Of course I do. It's a lot cheaper than paying for a professional teeth cleaning or dealing with the fallout of gum disease. I brush my teeth too. It's not very hard. You build up gradually, just like when you start clipping their nails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimomma Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 We do not do this although one of our cats has a relentless obsession with our toothbrushes. It takes three people, protective gear, and special equipment just to clip their nails. I try to look at their teeth periodically because one had dental issue years ago and I cannot even manage to do that. However, my dd cat sits for a few families and there is one with two cats that has her brush their teeth daily. The cats have been trained to do this and seem to enjoy it. There is "toothpaste" and apparently it tastes good to these cats so they are all about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolatechip Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 What the?!?!? Never in a gazillion years will I ever brush a cat's teeth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freesia Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 Well, we don't clip her nails, either. She is seriously not a compliant cat and never has been. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 Um, no. That sounds like a recipe for trouble! We clipped claws a few nights ago. It involved wrapping cats in towels and dodging nips. So, no, not even gonna try it. Nope. No how. No way. Nada. Not happening. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 21, 2018 Author Share Posted February 21, 2018 Of course I do. It's a lot cheaper than paying for a professional teeth cleaning or dealing with the fallout of gum disease. I brush my teeth too. It's not very hard. You build up gradually, just like when you start clipping their nails. Maybe a kitten, but I've never had a kitten. All my cats have been adults from shelters. I never clip nails either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 I've taught adult cats to accept toothbrushing and nailclipping. It's not as hard as you're all thinking! LMAO! And if you clip their claws then you don't have to worry about getting scratched. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 21, 2018 Author Share Posted February 21, 2018 I've taught adult cats to accept toothbrushing and nailclipping. It's not as hard as you're all thinking! LMAO! And if you clip their claws then you don't have to worry about getting scratched. I've never been scratched. Probably because I don't brush their teeth! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 Well, one vet suggested that I brush the dog's teeth and I flat out refused and said that is where I draw the line. Once I switched to raw, it didn't seem to be a problem. I would never even dream of trying to insert something into a cat's mouth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 (edited) Always think of this video.. love the look on the cat's face.. I think this cat just proved that toothbrushing is cruel punishment. However, it is very funny! Edited February 21, 2018 by wintermom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 No. We have to literally give a sedative to brush his fur, cut out the mats, and clip nails. Even then it’s a 3 person job and we barely make it out alive. I tried putting those claw caps on him as a kitten so it’s not like we haven’t worked with him consistently.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 (edited) I've never been scratched. Probably because I don't brush their teeth! I've never been scratched either (except once when I was, um, doing something under my blanket and my cat decided she should pounce on my hand). Never been scratched by my cats, I mean. Got scratched by the older kiddo several times. Not while watching her brush her teeth, though. It's not hard. But maybe I just don't get the humor here. It seems pretty stupid to laugh at how weird it is to care about your pet's health - and I don't understand why you'd laugh about how you'd definitely get scratched or whatever when you've never even tried it and therefore don't know how your animal would react. (Of course, I'm not dumb enough to flip my cat onto her back to brush her teeth.) Edited February 21, 2018 by Tanaqui 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 No, because I value my life. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKim Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 That's a big thing around here in the last couple years. All the vets are pushing pet dental care and trying to sell dental insurance for them and such. Crazy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 21, 2018 Author Share Posted February 21, 2018 I've never been scratched either (except once when I was, um, doing something under my blanket and my cat decided she should pounce on my hand). Never been scratched by my cats, I mean. Got scratched by the older kiddo several times. Not while watching her brush her teeth, though. It's not hard. But maybe I just don't get the humor here. It seems pretty stupid to laugh at how weird it is to care about your pet's health - and I don't understand why you'd laugh about how you'd definitely get scratched or whatever when you've never even tried it and therefore don't know how your animal would react. (Of course, I'm not dumb enough to flip my cat onto her back to brush her teeth.) I didn't laugh. Don't know why you would assume I was laughing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El... Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 So this is interesting. Four years ago, my cat had some bleeding from her gums. She's always eaten only dry food. One vet wanted to remove a bunch of her teeth, which would have cost over $1000. I saw the gums bleeding. I took her to another vet, who said her problem was very common, that her body was dissolving/losing teeth, and that this would keep happening whether we had some teeth removed or not. She wanted to do $600 of teeth cleaning under anesthesia, but her surgery room was having a problem and she couldn't schedule the work then. So, we had to wait. Two months later, I got a bee in my bonnet about food quality, having upgraded our family's diet a lot, and took a look at the Purina cat chow label. I switched the cat to a food with lots of meat, no grain, one of the Iams dry foods. Then we moved. Several months after that, we had another vet appointment with a third vet. There were NO dental issues. Her gums and teeth looked perfect. She'd gained half a pound. The vet wanted to talk about her weight (boy, did she glare!). Guess we're not going back to the cheap chow. I'm so glad we didn't spend $1000 to have her teeth pulled!!!! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samba Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 We've never done it and the vet has never suggested it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann.without.an.e Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 When I saw your title all I could think was "oh no, someone would die in that process". :lol: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 21, 2018 Author Share Posted February 21, 2018 now how about flossing.... :leaving: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 (edited) I told my wife about this thread. She thinks Americans are such great consumers that the Vets create the market and the "need" and the consumers buy. She said that Cats are naturally clean and that we feed them a very high quality dry Cat food (made by a company called Solla in Colombia, possibly exported to the states) and they are on their own and have no dental problems or other problems that we know of. I told her that of our dogs, I think our late Rottweiler might have put up with that. He was very easy going. And, my late Old English Sheepdog. She agreed with that. I don't think any of our cats would put up with that and we wouldn't want to torture them and risk injury to ourselves. Edited February 21, 2018 by Lanny 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 (edited) Shirley you're joking...my cats would eviscerate me it I tried to brush their teeth... :ack2: Edited February 21, 2018 by trulycrabby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 21, 2018 Author Share Posted February 21, 2018 I told my wife about this thread. She thinks Americans are such great consumers that the Vets create the market and the "need" and the consumers buy. She said that Cats are naturally clean and that we feed them a very high quality dry Cat food (made by a company called Solla in Colombia, possibly exported to the states) and they are on their own and have no dental problems or other problems that we know of. I told her that of our dogs, I think our late Rottweiler might have put up with that. He was very easy going. And, my late Old English Sheepdog. I don't think any of our cats would put up with that and we wouldn't want to torture them and risk injury to ourselves. That's exactly how I see it. If someone wants to brush their cat's teeth..fine. I'm not doing it. I have enough trouble wrestling with my children with their teeth brushing. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosch Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 No, but our vet has recommended it. Our cat had one canine removed due to an abscess. I agree about vets pushing care that isn't needed...but I have to admit that we just took the cat to have a cardiac ultrasound. (sigh) She has a heart murmur. (sigh) If she wasn't the beloved pet of the boy child I would have never considered it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 Our 14 year old cat had to have 3 abscessed teeth removed and our vet did suggest we brush our cat's teeth. The cat stopped eating and became really weak, so it is a health concern. I've had a lot of cats over the years and some do seem to be much more prone to tooth infections. That said, it's not likely that I'll be adding cat tooth brushing to my schedule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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