How can I keep his mouth healthy?

[ja9390]

I have been feeding meals consisting of raw muscle/organ meat a few times per week as a supplement to his canned diet, to encourage him to gnaw and clean his teeth that way, but is there any type of safe water additive that acts as a bacteriostatic agent? I would use this for both cats but it's Diego's brother, Maestro who is genetically predisposed to bad breath and tartar build-up, and he won't eat raw meat at all. Except for little bits of sharp cheddar as a treat every now and then, the only thing he'll ever eat is cat food. Thankfully, Diego has never had any build up on his teeth at all. His breath is always fabulous. Now that we know he's diabetic, his oral health has become an immediate concern of mine, despite this. Also, I could probably climb Mt. Everest easier than I could brush their teeth, so the toothbrush suggestion is out.

 

[Jeanne & Dottie]

I'd need a lot of prayers, and a bottle of gin to fortify myself before I would try sticking a toothbrush in a cat's mouth. I only have one good hand, and I like the fingers on it.

Raw meat is what cats should be eating, since they're obligate carnivores, but as for myself, the slaughterhouse industry scares me...so much bacteria getting slung around in the huge commercial enterprises. I hate even handling raw chicken.But those who process raw specifically for carnivores like cats, are supposed to be extra special specialists in keeping that to a minimum, as their customers actually eat their food raw. Are you buying fresh or getting it from a Raw Supplier?

I do know that there's a balance of bone and marrow that should be fed in proportion to meat, so nutrients don'g get lopsided....but as to the proportions.... I do feed a little raw, but I cheat, and just started using Stella & Chewy's freeze-dried raw turkey, and the bone/marrow balance is already pre-added to the mixture. It looks a wee bit different when reconstituted, than from the store raw..so it gets past my" heebie jeebies", too....Both cats appear to like it.

Found a site that proposes raw is actually better for cats' mouths and that together they cancel at least some of the bacteria out...just a brief statement, but here's the whole page if you want to read it.

The excerpt is below:

"Raw chunked meat helps at least somewhat with dental health. Meat scraping across a cat's teeth as they tear at it will help remove most debris. Small cats, such as our domestic cat, do not chew large bones, (such as chicken bones) as proponents of whole prey feeding purport. Small prey such as mice, rats, small birds, insects, snakes, and lizards are eaten whole or with only one or two bites and these prey generally have small bones.

The acidic aspect of meat inhibits the growth of bacteria. Cats also have an enzyme, lysozyme , in their saliva which attacks bacteria as it enters the mouth by digesting the coating on it, thereby killing it"

So perhaps the interaction of acid in the raw food combined with the cat's saliva creates a balance that we'd only hope to get with a mouthwash? Perhaps you don't need any added help?

There's a few raw feeders on the board. I hope they'll weigh in on this. I'm curious too.

 

[Vyktors Mum]

I use a product called Plaque Off sprinkled in the food, breath has never been sweeter. It's safe for diabetics but should not be used in hyperthyroid kitties. The dog version is fine too, the only difference in the cat version is the addition of brewers yeast to make it more appealing. There are products you can put in the water but I don't know which are safe for diabetics and I've heard a lot of people say their kitties wouldn't drink the water with the additives.

 

[ja9390]

The acidic aspect of meat inhibits the growth of bacteria. Cats also have an enzyme, lysozyme , in their saliva which attacks bacteria as it enters the mouth by digesting the coating o

Perfect. For now I've been buying it fresh because freeze dried is expensive and raw cat food suppliers are basically the same. I'm still trying to figure out where to go to get THE freshest.

 

[ja9390]

I use a product called Plaque Off sprinkled in the food, breath has never been sweeter. It's safe for diabetics but should not be used in hyperthyroid kitties. The dog version is fine too, the only difference in the cat version is the addition of brewers yeast to make it more appealing. There are products you can put in the water but I don't know which are safe for diabetics and I've heard a lot of people say their kitties wouldn't drink the water with the additives.

Idk why those little weirdos like yeast so much, lol. Thanks! I may end up giving this to maestro if he never takes to raw meat