A very common problem for which cats are usually taken to the vet is cat with bad breath. Many owners sometimes may not notice other symptoms related to this problem, even more obvious symptoms, such as the presence of thick saliva coming out of the mouth, the fact that the cat is eating less or that he complains while eating… But rest assured certain that thehalitosis is immediately noticed. If only for the fact that when the cat yawns in our face, a few centimeters from our nose, sometimes his breath is so stinky that it risks making blonde highlights.
Types of bad breath in cats: the causes
It’s easy to say that cats have bad breath. In reality we must distinguish the type of bad breath. This is because there are many causes of bad breath. For example, if we hear a sweetish and rotten smellit is possible that the cat suffers from some form of stomatitis, gingivitis and faucitis. If the smell is more reminiscent of rotten fish, with a uremic notethen that bad breath is probably caused by chronic renal failure. Sweetish, fruity, acetone odor? We could be faced with typical diabetes mellitus breath.
There are therefore different ones causes that cause bad breath in cats:
Instead, we need to dispel the myth according to which the bad odor comes from a digestive problem. This is because the cardia, once the food bolus has passed through the stomach, closes, thus preventing bad odors from returning.
Does a cat with bad breath have other symptoms?
A cat with bad breath usually doesn’t just have this as a symptom. If the problem is a disease affecting the mouth, such as stomatitis, periodontal disease or eosinophilic granuloma, we will probably also have other symptoms:
If the problem, however, is a uremic breath due to chronic renal failurewe will also have:
Cat with acetone smell from diabetes? There will also be other symptoms:
Remedies for bad cat breath
Even i remedies for bad breath in cats depend on the cause. Following a visit and blood and urine tests, the veterinarian will be able to establish what the most probable cause is. Bad breath is due to the massive presence of tartar? After having duly disinfected the gums through the use of antibiotics (also essential in the case of abscesses) and anti-inflammatories for veterinary use, he will probably proceed with a scaling and teeth cleaning.
Next you should set a dental hygiene plan aimed at keeping the cat’s teeth clean and brushed, as far as possible. Which is easier said than done because most cats are not cooperative and do not tolerate such manipulation, even when we use toothbrushes and toothpastes specifically for them.
Is the problem chronic kidney disease? In this case, bad breath is caused by excess urea also eliminated in part via the salivary glands. In this case by setting a therapy aimed at reducing azotemia, it will also secondarily improve bad breath.
The same applies to the fruity odor caused by diabetes mellitus: through appropriate feed and insulin therapy, as soon as the blood sugar levels have returned to acceptable levels, thesmell of acetone will reduce.
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