The cat is one of the domestic mammals with the fewest teeth: it has 30, and like other mammals it loses its deciduous teeth between 4 and 6 months. The he alth of the cat's mouth is paramount as it uses its mouth to hunt, clean and most vitally: feed.
Gingivitis is the inflammation of the gums and is a common problem in cats, but if it is not treated properly it can get worse. Gingivitis can affect cats of all ages but occurs most often in kittens or young adults.
In this article on our site we are going to tell you how to recognize gingivitis in cats and how to act against feline gingivitis.
Recognizing gingivitis: symptoms of gingivitis in cats
The first thing to help a cat with gingivitis is identify the problem: gingivitis usually starts with a fine red line along of the gums and swollen and red gums are seen. A cat with gingivitis will suffer from pain and may eat less, especially refuses to eat dry food because this type of food is hard and causes more discomfort and pain than wet food and soft, you can also have bad breath and stop cleaning.
Gingival pain can lead to behavioral changes such as depression, our cat can also become more irritable and may even tend to bite more. The most important signs that we can observe in cats with gingivitis in cats are:
- Loss of appetite
- Weightloss
- Difficulty swallowing (dry feed)
- He won't let his mouth be touched
- Bad breath
- Excess salivation
- Behavior changes
It is important to emphasize that many other pathologies of the mouth and teeth, other than gingivitis, will cause these same signs, so if you observe these signs you should go to your veterinarian so that he can carry out a differential diagnosis and confirm that it is gingivitis.
Causes of gingivitis in cats
The first thing we want to avoid is poor oral hygiene: dental plaque contains toxins that can cause gingivitis, with which is usually associated with the presence of tartar.
But the cause of gingivitis is not necessarily poor dental hygiene, there are other factors that can favor the triggering of gingivitis in your cat: a diet with soft food, an immune problem associated with bacterial activity.
Feline gingivitis can also be caused by a virus in your cat's mouth: the most frequent virus responsible for the appearance of a gingivitis is the calicivirus. You can vaccinate your cat regularly to immunize it against calicivirus.
Feline leukemia virus can also be a triggering cause of feline gingivitis, as well as kidney failure. You will find on our site some tips to remove tartar from cats.
Feline gingivitis treatment
In cases of mild or moderate gingivitis, generally the vet can give some analgesics and then to control the bacterial plaque the cat will receive Antibiotics in conjunction with cleaning the mouth and polishing teeth, as well as brushing at home and mouthwashes.
If some diets show odontoclastic resorption, the affected teeth will be extracted. In cases of cats suffering from calicivirus, a specific treatment with interferons will be done to fight the virus.
In more advanced or severe cases, complete extraction of the teeth affected by gingivitis should be performed.
Prevent gingivitis in your cat
The best and only truly efficient measure to prevent the appearance of gingivitis in your cat is brushing his teeth.
Brushing a cat's teeth may not be an easy task, so we advise you to get your cat used to it from a kitten: brush his teeth once 3 times a week is a good rhythm, you should use a cat toothpaste because human toothpaste contains fluoride that can be toxic to your cat.
Brushing your teeth also helps prevent oral problems in general and is a good opportunity for you to check your oral he alth of your cat.
