Thread: teething and tooth brushing

I don't know if you've found anything that works for you yet, but here's what I'm using:
Virbac Toothpaste Kit Cats Fish Flavour: Amazon.co.uk: Garden & Outdoors
It looks like this is its counterpart in the UK
Amazon.com: CET Toothbrush for Cats: Pet Supplies

My cat hates people dealing with his mouth, but he tolerates me brushing his teeth if I do it within a small window of time and respect him when he's definitely DONE. We both got the hang of it in about two weeks. The instructions are helpful. Oliver's reaction to the flavor seems to be neutral, although according to the reviews a lot of cats like the taste. The finger brush seemed awkward and I think his gums were too sensitive for it, so we quickly switched to using the small brush, with much more success. There's also quite a bit of toothpaste in the tube, so it should last ages.

I've been brushing his teeth at approximately the same time every evening, when he's a bit on the sleepy side. I always let him smell the brush first so he knows what's going on. Learning how to hold the head is a bit tricky, but with practice it should get much easier. I always rattle his treat jar as soon as I'm done and then reward him.

Since he likes things that are small and plastic, he's taken the brush and God only knows where he's hidden it. We've switched to a baby "milk-teeth" brush which works alright, but the smaller one that came with the pack was easier for his back teeth.

It's a hassle at first, but in the short term his breath is much better; if I neglect it for a couple of days I notice the difference right away. In the long term, it avoids a lot of problems. My friend has just had to extract eight teeth out of her two year old Burmese's little mouth.

Good luck!