What are some tips on brushing a cat’s teeth?

Original Question: How can clean the inner side of my cat's teeth? Like anybody, the inner teeth is where food is chewed and needs to be brushed. Is there an electric toothbrush for kittens? - Shekar

Feb 10, 2019

Hi Shekar,

Thanks for your question.

I appreciate your thoughts on this and I can’t comment on the human dental perspective, but when it comes to our pets, it is well observed that the tartar accumulates on the outside of the teeth. Regardless, bacterial and plaque will still accumulate on all surfaces of the teeth so it’s important to implement through dental cleaning.

I have never seen a cat electric toothbrush. My first thought would be that the buzzing and vibration that it emits would scare most of our pets and is probably one of the main reasons why they don’t exist. However, an electric device is not necessary in order to perform thorough at-home dental cleaning.

I commend you for focusing on this. Brushing a pet’s teeth is too challenging a task for most people and for good reason. If a pet is not sensitized to it when they’re young, they will typically reject it later. It sounds like you have started considering this at the right time. I recommend that you view our video on brushing a cat’s teeth to get you started.

My recommendation is to get a high-quality toothpaste and brush. If you’re putting in the effort to brush your pet’s teeth then spending the extra money for a good product is ideal. I recommend you look for enzymatic toothpaste. This will help reduce the bacterial load in the mouth and reduce gingival disease. Products that are approved by the VOHC (Veterinary Oral Health Council) have been rigorously tested and are proven to be effective. Look for this seal on any dental product and it will be reliable.