If your veterinarian has observed that your cat has poor dental health, if you have smelled an unpleasant odor coming from your cat's mouth, or if you just want to do everything you can to keep your cat's mouth healthy, you will want to learn to brush your cat's teeth.

Just as we must brush our own teeth on a regular basis to keep them healthy, regular brushing improves the health your cat's teeth as well.

Many cats will allow brushing if a routine is introduced slowly and somewhat early in life.

You will need a toothbrush that is comfortable to use in the small areas of the mouth. You will also need special cat toothpaste. And if your cat has painful teeth, tartar, and/or gingivitis or if you've noticed a foul odor coming from your cat's mouth, its teeth should be professionally cleaned before you begin a home-care routine.

This video  produced by the Cornell Feline Health Center is a great place to get started. The video is divided into clearly labeled chapters—Introduction, Preparation, and so on—that can be individually viewed. This is a useful option for cat owners who have a dial-up connection (over which the full video might be slow to download) or who want a quick review of just one or two parts of the video.

"A Guide to Feline Dental Care" from VeterinaryPartner.com is a short article explaining what to look for when examining your cat’s mouth.

The Feline Advisory  Bureau, a British charity dedicated to feline well-being, has created an  info sheet  with detailed  information about the anatomy of the feline mouth and oral diseases. A second  info sheet  covers feline tooth anatomy, types of teeth, diseases of the teeth, and home dental care.

Hill’s Pet Nutrition has created a  website to support the "Pets Need Dental Care, Too" campaign (the campaign is a partnership between Hill's, the American Veterinary Dental Society, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Academy of Veterinary Dentistry, the American Veterinary Dental College, and the Academy of Veterinary Dental Technicians). The website includes a  section on home dental care and address both canine and feline dental care. In addition to providing information about brushing teeth, this site promotes prevention using prescription diet food.

Lastly, the American Veterinary Medical Association  discusses  the implications of  poor dental hygiene on dental disease and briefly reviews steps for prevention. (Although the information is pertinent to dog and cat owners, the discussion is more focused on dogs than cats.)

The Cat Doctor

Portland, Maine