Cat Anatomy: The Teeth and Tongue

Cats use their mouths for many things, including eating, drinking, and grooming.  While cats typically breathe through their noses, they can also get air into their lungs through their mouths when necessary.  Have you ever wondered about the anatomy of your cat's mouth?  Please keep reading to learn more about the anatomy of a cat's teeth and tongue.

Kitten (Deciduous) Teeth

As in humans, cats have two sets of teeth - kitten (deciduous) teeth and adult (permanent) teeth.  A kitten's deciduous incisors begin to come in at two weeks of age.  At three to four weeks of age, a kitten's canines begin to come in.  Deciduous premolars begin to appear when a kitten is between four and six weeks old.  All a kitten's baby teeth should be present by the time he is eight weeks old.  A kitten has 26 teeth in total.  

At 12-16 weeks, a cat's permanent incisors will begin to come in.  Premolars, molars, and canines begin to appear between four and six months of age.  A cat should have all 30 of her adult teeth in by the time she is seven months of age.

Pro Plan Dental Crunch Cat Snacks Review

FTC Disclosure: As part of Chewy.com's Blogger Outreach Program, we received a bag of Purina Pro Plan Dental Crunch Cat Snacks with Natural Chicken & Liver Flavors Cat Treats for a fair and honest review.  Receiving the treats did not influence my (or my cats') opinions.  All opinions expressed on Fur Everywhere are my (and my cats') own.  Chewy.com is not responsible for the content of this post.

I selected Purina Pro Plan Dental Crunch Cat Snacks with Natural Chicken & Liver Flavors Cat Treats this month for Carmine and Milita to try because they really love the other Pro Plan treats they've tried, and I had no idea Pro Plan makes dental treats.

Pro Plan Dental Crunch Cat Snacks have several benefits:

• They help reduce tartar buildup.
• They are high in omega-6 fatty acids and protein.
• They are made with natural chicken and liver flavors.
• The treats have no added artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.
• The treats' crunchy texture helps clean your cat's teeth and freshen breath.
• They are made in the USA.

The ingredients in Pro Plan Dental Crunch Cat Snacks with Natural Chicken & Liver Flavors Cat Treats include: ground yellow corn, chicken meal, corn gluten meal, animal digest, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols, powdered cellulose, fish meal, animal liver flavor, glycerin, calcium carbonate, natural flavor, salt, brewer's dried yeast, vitamin E supplement, and tricalcium phosphate. 

I would love to see real meat added to these treats, but I figured a treat that can help my kitties' teeth is worth trying.  So what did Carmine and Milita think about the treats?

Carmine comes running from wherever he is anytime he hears a Pro Plan treat bag rattle, so it wasn't hard to get his attention!  Carmine really loves these treats!  And do you know what the best thing is?  He actually chews them!  Carmine has a habit of not chewing his kibble or treats.  Instead, he usually just swallows them whole.  A lot of treats are small, which is great for cats, but it also allows them to swallow the treats whole if they choose to, like Carmine does.  The Pro Plan dental treats are too big for Carmine to swallow them whole, so he chews them up every time.  Finally, a dental treat that will actually help his teeth because he chews it up!

It's hardly any surprise that Carmine liked the treats - he is very picky about his food, but he loves just about any kind of treat.  The real test is whether the treat critic in the house - Milita - liked them.

Milita also likes the treats!  She's not quite as enthusiastic about them as Carmine is, but she definitely gave these treats her paw of approval!  

I will definitely be purchasing more of these dental treats when our current bag is gone.

Purina Pro Plan Dental Crunch Cat Snacks come in Chicken & Liver and Lobster & Scallop flavors.  You can purchase a 1.8-ounce bag of either flavor on Chewy.com right now for $3.25.  Don't forget that Chewy also offers cat food, litter, and toys for purchase as well.  All orders of $49 or more ship for free.  

Don't forget - some kitty has a special day tomorrow.  We hope you'll stop by to see who it is!

Carmine's Vet Visit

As promised, here is an update on my little baby, Carmine.

We went to the vet on Tuesday to get an opinion on his health and to see what else we could do to help with his stress levels.

The vet noticed what I've known for years - Carmine is a *very sensitive* cat.  He picks up on stress and he is stressed *very easily!*

She weighed him and he has maintained his weight (thank God!).  He has been feeling lighter to me and some days he is too nervous to eat much, so I was really worried he was losing weight.  She gave him an exam, too.  His heart is perfect (yay!).  But his teeth are not :(  Carmine goes to the vet on a regular basis and they always look at his teeth, so I was disappointed to hear that he now needs 1-4 extractions, depending on how many they can clean up versus have to pull.

The vet specifically said that she doesn't want to put him through the stress of an oral surgery and recovery from extraction/s *until* the family is gone.  She thinks the stress would be too much for my baby and I totally agree with her on that.  She wants Carmine to come back for his dental surgery in three months.  The family is *supposed* to be gone by Sept. 1.  IF they keep their word (God, PLEASE let them keep their word!!!) then he will have some time to recover from this situation before we have to take him in for his surgery.

I really hope my little boy isn't in pain from his teeth.  He doesn't really chew his kibbles, but he never really has crunched his kibbles the way Milita does.  It concerns me that he eats on the side of his mouth when he's eating wet food sometimes.

I'd much prefer to take him in right away for the surgery to make sure he's not in any unnecessary pain, but I think the vet is right - I think we need to wait for this stressful situation to be over before we stress him with the surgery.  I just hope we're doing the right thing.

She also recommended Rescue Remedy for cats for him in conjunction with the Comfort Zone deffuser for his stress/anxiety, so I'll look for that as soon as I make it over to PetSmart.  I feel so helpless sometimes to help my baby.  I just want to make his anxiety go away.

We are sorry we haven't visited many of your blogs lately.  We plan on visiting everyone again soon.

Signs Your Cat Needs a Professional Dental Cleaning

You can tell when your cat's teeth need cleaned professionally by a veterinarian if he or she exhibits any of the following signs:

-Bleeding and/or red gums

-It appears to be difficult for your kitty to eat crunchy or hard food (like dry cat food)

-Yellow staining on the gum line

-Bad breath

-Tartar on the back teeth, which looks yellowish-brown

In my next post, I will review how you can acclimate your cat to regular teeth brushing at home.

Making Teeth Brushing More Enjoyable for Your Feline

In between professional teeth cleaning by your veterinarian, it is recommended that cat owners brush their cat's teeth at least once a week at home.

You can buy special beef flavored toothpaste in some pet stores (like PetSmart). You can also buy a traditional toothbrush for your kitty; however he or she may tolerate a finger brush better. Sometimes a finger toothbrush is included with a traditional toothbrush at pet stores.

National Pet Dental Health Month

February is National Pet Dental Health Month.

It's important to remember that, like humans, cats need regular dental check-ups and care.