If you been following this blog, you have already meant Vernon and know his story. In short he came to us as a shelter foster with a load of issues in his mouth.
He eventually became our foster fail, and as the picture shows above he is a much different cat now than when he was rescued. One thing we have noticed is his continued issues with his mouth.
In this post I will talk about cats and bad breath, the causes, and treatments that work. We love our cats, but if your cat has bad breath, and your next to it, when it yawns, oh boy 😷
So there are many causes for bad breath, some serious, but usually it won't be serious. The serious illnesses that can cause bad breath include kidney disease, respiratory, liver disease, diabetes, and even skin disease.
By far the most common reason for cats bad breath is periodontal disease, which is a disease caused when gingivitis isn't treated. It can cause pain, and tooth loss among other things.
Now for the more serious causes, here is what to look for. If the bad breath smells sort of sweet, it may be diabetes. If it smells like urine, you may be dealing with liver disease.
If you notice your cat has mouth ulcers or sores, that may be cancer related. That is what Vernon had, but thank God it wasn't cancer, most likely he got into something that burned his mouth.
The above picture is of Vernon at the shelter days after he was rescued. Now lets get into the treatment, you guessed it the best treatment for bad breath is to brush their teeth.
Experts say, it would be ideal to brush their teeth everyday to prevent any of these diseases. Use treats as a reward, when trying to brush your cat's teeth.
A treat might not actually be a treat, but a reward like drinking from the faucet, which happens to be something Vernon likes to do. It can even be their favorite food or an actual treat.
You brush it's teeth with a gel like substance. Look for it online or at your local pet store. Once you get into a routine, you can apply the gel further into your cat's mouth as long as your not making it uncomfortable.
Also don't mistaken your cat's bad breath for a disease, it may be as simple, as what it just ate. Just remember cats eat a lot of fish meals, so if that is the smell you are getting then your cat is fine.
Now if it isn't that, the best thing to do is call your Vet, and have it checked out. Most likely the only thing you'll need to do is get a professional cleaning.
For more about cats and their bad breath Click Here. Before we adopted Vernon he had a full dental done, and even though it came bad with issues, none of them were serious. However we have the dental gel in house, and may start to use it as a preventative, if his bad breath continues. For now he looks like a perfectly healthy cat.
