Why is my cat losing its teeth?

If it is quite normal for a kitten, making its first milk teeth at the age of 2 weeks, to lose them as an adult around 9 months, it is much more worrying than a cat. adult loses permanent teeth.

In this article, we explain why your cat is losing its teeth, and we tell you when this phenomenon is a warning sign and a reason for veterinary consultation.

How Do I Know If My Cat Is Losing Its Teeth?

Unlike the dog, it is much less easy to observe the teeth of cats, which do not roll up their lips at the slightest opportunity and do not allow themselves to be so easily manipulated.

However, you can pay attention to it when your favorite feline opens its mouth, especially to stretch out in a long yawn. If you have the impression that he is missing one or more teeth, you will have to hold him firmly so that he opens his mouth in order to check the state of his dental pavement.

To avoid pointing at your cat several times and instilling fear in him, prefer to do everything at once: observe his teeth, and if he is missing any, his gums, if you can touch the inside of his mouth, he will let you know very quickly if he is in pain or not.

Indeed, know that you will almost never see a cat lose its teeth, for the simple and good reason that it does not have the reflex like us to save its tooth for the little mouse, and will simply swallow it.

Is It Normal For My Cat To Lose His Teeth?

If it is not a kitten, but a young cat in good apparent health, it is certainly abnormal that he loses his teeth, we will come back to this later. On the other hand, if your cat is old, there is no need to worry too much.

Indeed, just like humans, cats are born without teeth, and as they age, they tend to lose some. It’s the cycle of life, and you can’t do anything specific to combat it. Despite everything, it will be necessary to check that he can still eat properly to preserve his health.

Thus, if your cat is old and losing his teeth, you can consider a gradual change of food, by wetting his kibble to make it easier to chew, or by gradually introducing mash or fresh sachets.

Count about two weeks for this transition to go well, you start with 2/3 of your old food the first week, then 1/3 the second week, to finally finally adopt a new diet from the third week. Good news for your old cat: he loves more liquid food and will love this change!

Loss Of Teeth In Cats, When Should You Worry?

If your cat loses a single tooth, it’s not necessarily worrying, and it’s not necessarily serious. Indeed, the cat can break a tooth by eating food that is too hard, or even lose a tooth during a fight.

On the other hand, if you notice the loss of several teeth, your feline may be suffering from:

• Oral disease,
• From a bad diet.

Periodontitis In Cats

According to an American study published by the Cornell Feline Health Center, nearly 85% of adult cats over the age of 6 can be affected by periodontitis. This disease is simply due to the accumulation of tartar on dental plaque over the years.

This accumulation of tartar, if left untreated, can cause gingivitis, that is, inflammation of the gums. This inflammation is conducive to the development of bacteria, which will cause deformation of the pavement, abscesses, loss of teeth, and even necrosis of the gingival tissues.

Bad breath, irritated or even bleeding gums, swollen gums, loss of appetite, difficulty chewing or even excessive salivation are symptoms of periodontitis that should alert you.

An emergency visit to the veterinarian is required for scaling, monitoring, and possibly the pulling of damaged teeth. It will then be necessary to prevent any recurrence by brushing your cat’s teeth, and sometimes adapting its diet.

Poor Diet Causes Tooth Loss

Sometimes the loss of teeth in cats is not related to a disease, but rather to a deteriorated general state of health. This may be the case for a deficient cat, not having enough to eat or simply mistreated.

If you come across an extremely thin, apathetic cat whose state of health seems to be seriously deteriorated, there is a good chance that he has already lost one or more teeth. In any case, you should call an animal protection association to protect him and take care of him so that he gets a second chance.