Conference misery::feline

    My siamese gets really bad breath so we get his teeth cleaned twice a
    year.  OUr other cat gets hers cleaned too, but she doesn't have a
    problem with halitosis. 

    One of my cats also has a problem with bad breath.  It's not so bad
    when we're at home, but when we go for long car rides and he yells at
    me, it's pretty bad!  Also, when he stands next to me while I'm
    sleeping, and tries to be my alarm clock, I'd kinda prefer he had
    better breath.
    
    Any suggestions?
    
    Thanks,
    Sarah

    Try a little fresh catnip.  It seemed to help Christophers breath
    a little -- and he had killer breath.  We keep a few large pots of
    it growing all year round and they graze on it a few leaves at a time
    (after they worked out that it would always be there, before that we
    had several zonked cats laying around the furniture).  
    

has your vet checked for enzyme imbalance in your cats?  Very bad breath
is not normal, and I would want to assure myself that the cat's digestion
was normal.  You might also begin to clean the cats teeth with a gauze pad
wrapped around your finger - rub gently along the gum line and clear off
particles of food from the teeth.  You might also try feeding another
type of food - perhaps dry kibble or lamb based or something to see if the
breath changes.  At any rate, stay on top of this, it can't be an indicator 
of anything good.

    Bad breath can be a symptom of a lot of different things.  Some that
    are listed in the Cornell Book of Cats:
    
    1)  Abscess in Mouth
    2)  Inflammation of Mouth
    3)  Kidney Failure (Uremia)
    4)  Oral Foreign Bodies
    5)  Periodontal Disease
    6)  Tooth Abscess or Decay
    7)  Tumors in Mouth, Pharynx, or Tongue
    
    I would run the cat to the vet and have him check for these things.
    
    Jo

    An addition to the list in note .5
    
    And (this only applies to outdoor cats) eat the eating of mice.

    
    I know this is a very old note but it never seemed to come to any
    conclusion.  Dillan too has "killer breath".  The vet does his teeth
    regularly and he is otherwise as healthy as can be expected (he had
    Key-Gaskell syndrome when he was 2 and has never been 100% since).  He
    is now 11 years old.
    
    Are there any tablets like the ones you can give to dogs to freshen the
    breath??
    
    Sharon

    Lady Di (she'll be 6 months old tomorrow) has developed bad breath
    in the past two weeks.  She's always eaten Fancy Feast cat food
    (refuses to eat dry food) and tender vittles for snacks during the
    night.  Lately, her breath is so bad we can smell it when she's licing
    herself clean.  I was wondering, too, if I should call the vet about
    this.  Any suggestions?  I can't tell, either, if she's lost any baby
    teeth.  According to other notes, they fall out between 4-6 months.  
    Eloise

    Scuff (almost 12 yrs. old & 14 lbs.) previously ate the same diet your
    Lady Di eats.  He weighed in at 16 lbs. and I had to get him down per
    the vets orders.  I stopped Tender Vittles altogether, they are very
    high in sugar.  He has lost three of his fangs to date, all decayed at 
    the root and then eventually fell out, he did loose one in a scuffel
    with a neighbor's cat.  His gums were extremely reddish/purple and 
    the vet gave me CLAMAVOX (amoxcillian) liquid that we now administer
    daily to keep the bacteria count down and results in fresh breath.  
    He also had breath that would kill a moose when he cleaned himself.
    Scuff has refused dry food his whole life, now he hasn't
    got the teeth to eat it anyway.  I did switch to 9-Lives soft for
    awhile, but he seemed to get bored with it so I stopped buying it.
    My vet knows what I'm doing and will give me the CLAMAVOX without a
    visit.  If I felt the situation was getting out of hand, I'd make an
    appt. without hesitation.  
    
    Tartar build up is common in cats, some have more than others.  This 
    can cause the killer breath you describe.  Vets can clean a cats teeth,
    but they put then under to do it.  Where Scuff is older, the vet
    prefers not to put him thru the ordeal.  He is very easy to medicate,
    so I don't mind giving him the liquid.   
     

    My opinion is Lady Di is real young to be having a problem with
    bad breath....I expect that in older kitties when there teeth aren't
    great...but I wouldn't expect it with young kittens.  You might want
    to call the vet...an atleast talk to her.
    
    Sandy

    Doodlebug, Via and Boomer all 3 have horrendous breath!  It would be
    enough to gag a maggot...... they eat nothing but dry Science Diet
    (well, occasionally they get a small can of wet as a treat for all 5
    cats).  The 2 older cats are fine, as far as the breath is.  D, V and B
    are almost 9 months old.

    M-L

    PS  Doodlebug also has a horrible problem with the other end of her
    anatomy.... I would almost prefer the bad breath.... geez she stinks
    sometimes!  Usually when she is the most relaxed and happy!