Kibble better for teeth?

Discuss ways to improve the quality of your cat's life and longevity through proper nutrition; a place for all of your questions and answers about feeding your kitty!

Please keep discussions fun, friendly, and helpful at all times. Non-informative posts criticizing a particular brand or another poster's choice of food are not allowed in this Forum. References to any brand of food as "junk," "garbage," or other harsh names will be removed.

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Sweetie

MissNomer

Purred: Mon Jan 25, '10 11:50pm PST


	We had a vet tell us that cats should be given only dry food because it's better for their teeth and they will live longer with better teeth. Then I read the thread on wet food and moisture being better for cats. Our dry food label shows many plant fillers (not good). So now I'm confused as to what's best - a combo of dry high protein food without fillers and some wet food? Any suggestions??

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Ambassador at- the Kitty U.N.

Purred: Tue Jan 26, '10 3:22am PST


	Sweetie, check out catinfo.org for why you shouldn't feed dry. It's a myth that kibble cleans teeth - most cats don't even chew it. If you've ever had a cat puke after dinner you can see that they're swallowing those bits whole.

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Shade

My name is not- Kittyfloss!

Purred: Tue Jan 26, '10 5:39am PST


	Sweetie you are so cute! While it is true that a cat will live a longer, healthier life with healthy teeth and gums, eating kibble isn't the way to go about it. As BK said, many cats don't chew their kibble, so it doesn't do anything for their teeth. For those cats that do chew kibble, all that does for their teeth is push grainy food up against or under their gums where it can lead to tarter and tooth decay as well as infected gums. I know this metaphor has perhaps been overused, but it is the same as saying that people should eat something like corn chps to clean their teeth. If you want to feed kibble, try to find one that is grain free, but wet food would be better. Wet food does not stick to a cat's mouth/teeth/gums like dry food because it is wet. Please read the catinfo.org website that BK mentioned for info on dry food vs. wet (note, the website speaks about raw feeding, but you don't have to worry about that part). Purrs, Shade

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KuJu Ku

Bobtails Rule!

Purred: Tue Jan 26, '10 7:01am PST


	We eat wet food and dry grain free kibble.. although mom would purrfer that we eat more wet, its the dry that we seem to take more of an interest in. Why? we dont know. We are picky also. Edited by author Tue Jan 26, '10 7:02am PST

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Sprinkles

NO I will NOT- shut up

Purred: Tue Jan 26, '10 8:09am PST


	nope thats like the dentist saying you need to eat more hard pretzels.

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Sprinkles

NO I will NOT- shut up

Purred: Tue Jan 26, '10 8:10am PST


	nope thats like the dentist saying you need to eat more hard pretzels.

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Angel Bella- Mae

Kitty Person!

Purred: Tue Jan 26, '10 8:51am PST


	Like it has already been said, dry food really doesn't do anything for your teeth. Mum can speak of it as well because with so-called dental treats she's seen me swallow them whole instead of crunching them. There are many different ways to go about keeping those teeth and gums healthy. Your purrent should start brushing your teeth a few times a week. This is something I still hate, but will tolerate it a bit more than usual. It's easiest done when you are a kitten so you grow up 'knowing' it. Get a toothbrush made for kitties (and toothpaste safe for pets), or use some sort of gauze or a finger brush (which mum has heard various things on finger brushes not really being that good, but other books say they are fine..shrug) regular dental checkups are a must too. Mum is going to take me in sometime this year after she has saved up enough for my 'vet fund'. She did sign me up for pet insurance, but there is a deductable to meet first. There will always be people out there who swear by the kibble cleaning teeth. Mum has a friend who feed her cat exclusivly Science Diet dry food and says that her cat is in 'purrfect' health. She said any time she fed wet food her cat's teeth would be terrible. Regardless of what you feed, I would suggest a brushing 2-3 times a week (even if it is a few seconds is better than nothing!) Raw food diets are better (in general) and if you let the kitty knaw on meaty necks, that is supposed to be helpful and natural way of teeth-cleaning. Some kitties are genetically prone to bad teeth and gums; just like people. Some will need to be cleaned professionally more than once a year, but generally a good cleaning once a year is recommended. Edited by author Tue Jan 26, '10 8:53am PST

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Shadow

Education is the- Key

Purred: Tue Jan 26, '10 9:54am PST


	Here is an article about that click here Cats teeth need to be cleaned if they eat dry or wet food, Cleaning can be done by your vet. There is also a product out there called Petzlife that you rub on their teeth, and it controls tartar, and bacteria. Raw meaty bones do the trick too.

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Gumpy Sweet- Boy

Love wrapped in- fur

Purred: Tue Jan 26, '10 10:10am PST


	Hi Sweetie (love your name), Here is another article written by a vet which discusses why dry food does not clean cat's teeth, click here. The article includes studies which show that dry food does pretty much nothing to improve feline dental health. This "dry food cleans the teeth" thing is a myth, I wish vets would stop promoting it Edited by author Tue Jan 26, '10 10:24am PST

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Sweetie

MissNomer

Purred: Tue Jan 26, '10 10:47am PST


	Wow, thanks for all the good info and resources!! My lady got me some good quality wet food and I ate a bit yesterday then ate a whole can today. It is fine. I'm 11 and not sure brushing my teeth is something I'll let my lady do, but I do chew on my kitty brush, so maybe we'll start there!!!