The Cat Thread

Will give it a go. Thanks. Anything to make sure she doesn’t end up with no teeth. Although cats don’t need their teeth to eat, I don’t think?

They don't need their canines thats for sure.

Um. Yes they do. Even with a couple of molars missing ours will tilt his head and chew his wet food from the side with the most teeth.

Cats who eat dry food are much less prone to the disease as their teeth are scraped cleaner by the food. Cats on a wet food diet do not benefit from that cleaning action so tend to have more dental issues.

Google is your friend on this, there's lots out there from reputable sources.

they need them to crunch through spiders and worms and flies, and sometimes bees and daddylonglegs!

Our cat had gingivitis before becoming a rescue cat, only has 6 teeth remaining and that number continues to drop.

Nearly all of her molars are missing, all that remain are her front teeth and canines, doesn't stop her eating/enjoying both wet and dry food.

They're fine without them. Cats with FIV are prone to getting gingivostomatitis which causes massive, painful inflammation in response to tiny amounts of plaque. The most successful treatment is complete extraction of every single tooth in their mouth, and they live happy and pain-free lives as a result. They just crunch through stuff with their iron gums. It sounds like Patch has resorptive lesions.

Also, I hear the "dry food cleans teeth" theory a lot but cats teeth aren't built for chewing like ours are, and house cats don't typically sit and gnaw on bones like dogs do. If you watch a cat eating dry food, it doesn't chew it into pieces before swallowing, it just swallows it whole. If they do bite down on dry food, it just shatters in their mouth - can't see them getting much tooth cleaning from that. It seems to me that it's more of a plausible-sounding homily that originates from manufacturers of kibble than an actual evidence-based recommendation ¯_(ツ)_/¯ (I just had a little google and found this article talking about teh same thing: https://thecatsite.com/ams/does-dry-food-actually-clean-your-cats-teeth.30205/) (ETA: yay, I found a better one, with citations from actual studies! http://www.catbehaviourist.com/blog/6-reasons-dry-food-clean-cats-teeth/ )

I used to give mine Plaque-Off as well, but I didn't find the research for it very compelling. I could only find one study that claimed it was efficacious, and that was a small scale study in humans, that was done by the same dentist who patented and sells the product itself. It's possible that high quality studies into Plaque-Off do exist and I just wasn't able to find them ofc. But lots of feline dentists swear by it, the cat seemed to like it, and it didn't seem to do him any harm. He still had to get all his teeth removed, though. (Mine had FIV and gingivostomatitis, not what Patch has)

Stupid bastard is just sitting there staring at the bulb with his tongue out.

Hmmmmmm. Fake sun....

Here’s hoping for a trouble free fresh start; just moved in to my new (tiny, 28m2) apartment after getting divorced. Duvel (yes, after the Belgian beer; no, not my doing) is currently lying next to me on the couch while I enjoy a much deserved bourbon. Here’s to a fuss free transition!

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he's just getting charged up ready to attack

cheers to you and Duval all the best in the new place, give it two weeks till the settee is shredded

28m2

Teeny tiny. Barely room to swing a cat.

Out of curiosity does it include kitchen area and bathroom or is it a bedsit?

Looks pretty content :thumbsup:

Any clues on how to stop a cat coming into the house and eating our cats food when we’re at work. Ours is old (16) and getting a bit stressed about the interloper. I think she’s also a bit too old and cantankerous to put a collar on for a secure cat flap. Mrs has been working from home today so defending the house.

If your cat is chipped you can get a cat flap that will read said chip and admit only her.

take a day off work, wait for it with massive bucket of water..............

or get a microchip catflap - thats what i did in the end.

Microchip flap? The only line of defence between Patch and blakc kitty who is determined to come in everyday and keeps failing but keeps trying...

Cheers will look at the chip, the wife has used the garden hose on the little fecker twice this morning!

We have one of the chip-based flaps. Works brilliantly on allowing Ned to get in and out, and stops next doors fluffy thing from doing the same.

Bonus points for the hilarious site of Ned squishing his nose up against the flap for a second while the chip reader works. makes me laugh every time.

Barely room to swing a cat

haha, haven't heard that one in a while!

Why ain’t you guys suggesting the wee wee option this time?

Lula Balula just loves wandering down other peoples boats and peering through their windows, not sure any one has ever told her that curiosity kills the cat...

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Cheers all, microchip cat flap now in place

That was quick! 😸

Lula Balula ... That's the life i want...