Any tips on how to brush cat teeth? My cats freak out when I tried to brush them.

It’s usually just a matter of getting him or her accustomed to it. Dracula still acts like a huge victim when he’s getting his teeth brushed, but he gets better about it the more frequently I do it. He used to do the same thing when I’d clip his sharp evil nails, but these days he doesn’t care as much, probably because he realizes I’ll let him attack me more when his nails aren’t giving me big gashes. Recently after tooth brushing we give him candy afterward, sort of like a human dentist would. It seems to help him recover psychologically.

It is best to try to do it when your cat is already calm. Trying to start a traumatic process when your cat is agitated by something else is just not going to work out well for anyone. Also, try to keep the process as quick as possible – once they get used to it, you can increase the brushing time. But, at first it is important to get them used to the process, the taste of the toothpaste, and texture of the brush. Then reward them afterward with a treat you know they like. Positive reinforcement usually works well with cats.

If your cats are really uncontrollable, I came across this product called Klaw Kontrol

It seems sort of like a straight jacket to me, so I’d feel bad trying to use it. But the kitty in the photo seems perfectly happy. I don’t know how much catnip they promised him to get him to sit like that! ;) And, if your cats are struggling when you try to brush, I’m not sure how you’d get this contraption on them in the first place… That might be harder than just brushing. But, then again, you never know with cats…. it might work out for you. Let me know if you try it! Good luck!

hehe..I love the Klaw Kontrol pic. The cat looks really relaxed as if at a spa. Today I switched from using the soft finger brush to the bristle brush. Each cat cooperated for the most part. The brushing time was brief with plans to increase it each time. On average how long should each brushing session take?-S

I think the goal is to gradually increase the brushing time until you are able to spend at least 1 minute on each side of the pet’s mouth. So, 2 minutes total brushing for each daily session.

I believe it is most important to try to pass over all the teeth, inside and out once per day, however long that might take. I don’t see a cat sitting still for a brushing much longer than that anyway… But, 30 seconds or so is good in the beginning. It’s better to do a little at a time than to try to prolong it and upset the kitty.

What flavor toothpaste are you using? My cat doesn’t seem to like the one I got, but it is the only one I can find…

We started with Malt flavor toothpaste which I think the cats prefer over the current orginal flavor. They don’t particularly enjoy the brushing session but tolerate it more depending on the flavor.-S