Cat’s teeth
The development of cat’s teeth is divided into deciduous tooth stage and permanent tooth stage.
There are 26 deciduous teeth in the deciduous stage, namely 6 deciduous incisors, 2 deciduous canines, 6 deciduous premolars in the upper jaw; 6 deciduous incisors, 2 deciduous canines, and 4 deciduous premolars in the lower jaw.
There are 30 permanent teeth in the permanent stage, namely 6 incisors, 2 canines, 6 premolars, 2 molars in the upper jaw; 6 incisors, 2 canines, 4 premolars, 2 molars in the lower jaw molars.
Permanent teeth have two more wisdom teeth, upper and lower, than deciduous teeth. We can start brushing the cat’s teeth after the cat’s teeth have changed, or even develop the habit of brushing the cat’s teeth earlier.
Cat teeth grow and change regularly, and can often be used as a basis for identifying kittens’ age (see below):
deciduous teeth
26 teeth in the deciduous stage.
On the upper jaw
6 milk incisors: the first milk incisor grows at 2-3 weeks; the second milk incisor grows at 3-4 weeks; the third milk incisor grows at 3-4 weeks
2 baby canines: 3-4 weeks of baby canines;
6 baby premolars: 1st baby premolars 2 months; 2nd Mammary premolars erupt in 4-6 months; third mammary premolars erupt in 4-6 months;
jaw
6 milk incisors: the first milk incisors grow in 2-3 weeks; the second milk incisors grow in 3-4 weeks; the third milk incisors grow in 3-4 weeks;
2 primary canines: 3-4 weeks old;
4 primary premolars: 1st premolar none in lower jaw; 2nd premolar 4-6 months ;Third milk premolars grow in 4-6 months;
permanent teeth
Cats will begin to change teeth at 3-4 months of age and continue until 8 months of age. There are 30 teeth in the permanent stage.
maxillary
6 incisors: 1st incisor 3.5-4 months (change teeth); 2nd incisor 3.5- 4 months (tooth replacement); 3rd incisor 4-4.5 months (tooth replacement)
2 canines: 5 months for canine teeth (tooth replacement)
6 Premolars: The first premolars erupt in 4.5-5 months (replacement); the second premolars erupt in 5-6 months (replacement); the third premolars erupt in 5-6 months (replacement)
2 molars; 2nd molars (wisdom teeth) erupt in July-August (new teeth)
Lower jaw
6 incisors: 1st incisor 3.5-4 months long (tooth change); 2nd incisor 3.5-4 months (tooth change); 3rd incisor 4-4.5 months long Eruption (tooth replacement)
2 canines: canine teeth erupt in 5 months (tooth replacement)
4 premolars: 2nd premolars erupt in 5-6 months (tooth replacement) ;The third premolars grow in 5-6 months (tooth replacement)
2 molars: the first molars (wisdom teeth) grow in 4-5 months (new teeth)
Why brush your cat’s teeth?
Relieve cat’s bad breath
When you come to kiss the cat, or suck the cat, you don’t want the cat to have bad breath!
Like humans, cats will have bad breath if they don’t brush their teeth. Kittens start having bad breath when they are about 3 months old.
So insisting on brushing your cat’s teeth can not only reduce the cat’s bad breath, but also prevent the cat’s oral diseases.
Frequently brushing your cat’s teeth can effectively prevent tartar, cat calculus, bad breath, yellow teeth, red, swollen and bleeding gums, periodontitis and other problems.
Reduce cat tooth wear
Cats over 3 years old are prone to With periodontal disease, teeth turn yellow and form slight tartar.
The food residues in the mouth are attached to the surface of the cat’s teeth, and the plaque bacteria will corrode and destroy the cat’s teeth.
If not treated in time, the periodontal ligament will degenerate and form holes, and then Destroy the alveolar bone and even cause premature tooth loss in cats.
Toothbrushing can relatively reduce the loss of the cat’s teeth, and when the cat is old, it can still have relatively healthy teeth.
How do cats brush their teeth
Squeeze cat toothpaste on the toothbrush and gently follow the cat’s teeth vertically In the direction, brush back and forth in a circle, taking care not to miss the inside of the teeth.
How to get cats to like brushing:
Food Rewards
Food Association
Associating brushing with specific foods, such as regular Only eat cat food and brush your teeth to eat nutritional paste.
When you pick up a toothbrush and brush your cat’s teeth, the cat knows that there is a nutritional paste to eat.
The key to the food reward method is that the rewards cannot be flooded. If you eat nutritional cream every day, the nutritional cream will lose its appeal.
You can put nutritional cream and toothbrush together to make it easier for cats to associate.
Step by step
Brushing cats needs to be done step by step, step by step. For the first time, you can make the toothbrush light Touch the cat’s teeth, brush or tap the cat’s teeth lightly, without toothpaste, then end the task and reward the cat.
Let the cat know that there will be a reward for the toothbrush tapping on the teeth. This process may continue several times, and the duration of the clean water brushing can be extended during this process.
When the cat is no longer resistant to brushing, or when there is a faint expectation, you can add the cat to eat toothpaste for brushing. This process is also gradual, gradually increasing the duration of brushing and the number of teeth.
Buddha cleansing method
Not required
If you don’t force your cat to brush your teeth, you just don’t take the initiative to brush your cat’s teeth, and then brush it when the cat sticks to you.
The cat raised since childhood is very clingy and needs you every day to play with or pet it. When the cat is clinging to you, you can try to brush the cat’s teeth, the cat will be very patient.
Habits are developed slowly. The process of learning to brush your teeth can be done step by step. You can get 1-2 teeth for the first time, and then gradually increase. When you pick up the toothbrush, the cat knows to brush its teeth, and it won’t resist when it gets used to it.
The Buddhist cleaning method can not only clean the cat’s teeth, but also reduce the cat’s stickiness to a certain extent.
Sometimes when you are rushing to work at home, the cat comes to let you pet it, it takes you a long time, but if you clean the cat’s teeth, 5 minutes is enough.
Stop in time
Stop if the cat resists, don’t force the cat, you can put the cat down , to see if it is finishing makeup, or continue to come to rub against you, if it takes the initiative to come over you continue.
The cat is the closest to you every day, and the cat’s bad breath will affect the relationship between you, which highlights the importance of brushing your pet cat’s teeth.
