Change of teeth in cats

Your kitty's teeth will go through a lot in the course of its life: Your velvet paw can use its teeth as a weapon against unwelcome enemies, catch mice or birds and crush tasty food. And even if your kitten no longer has to catch and break down its own food, healthy teeth are important for its health - because insufficiently developed teeth can be associated with unsightly secondary diseases. Find out what is important when changing teeth, when you should see a vet and how you can support your cat!

When does the change of teeth begin in cats?

The big change of teeth, in which the 26 milk teeth are replaced by 30 permanent teeth, takes place from around the third month. However, exactly when the change of teeth begins varies from cat to cat. By the seventh month of life, however, all milk teeth should have been replaced by permanent teeth. The adult dentition consists of

• 12 incisors

• 4 pointed canines or fangs

• 10 front molars (so-called premolars) and

• 4 posterior molars (so-called morals)

The change of teeth in cats in chronological order

The changes in the cat's teeth can be divided into 3 different phases:

1. Milk teeth: In the first 2-3 weeks of their lives, kittens are completely toothless. Due to the toothless teeth, the nursing mothers of the kittens are not injured when drinking. The first milk teeth come through in the second and third week of life.
2. Adult dentition: From the age of 3 months, the 26 milk teeth are gradually replaced by permanent teeth. The process should be completed by the seventh month of life at the latest. The adult dentition consists of 16 teeth in the upper jaw and 14 teeth in the lower jaw.
3. Age-related tooth loss: The last major change in a cat's teeth occurs in old age. Despite healthy teeth, senior cats can experience natural tooth loss, similar to humans - it is normal for a few teeth to fall out. However, if several teeth come loose, a visit to the vet is advisable, as there may be another reason behind this.

Symptoms of a change of teeth in cats

Cat owners often don't even notice when their kitten's teeth change - because some velvet paws don't even realise it. Other kitties react irritably to the change of teeth and may struggle with these symptoms:

• Bad breath
• Slow eating
• Increased salivation
• Rubbing the jaw
  
• Licking the gums
• Loss of appetite
• Tilted position of the head

Risks when changing teeth

In many cases, the change of teeth is only accompanied by these harmless symptoms, which hardly cause any pain in our velvet paws. Occasionally, however, dental problems can occur during the change of teeth, e.g. severe inflammation. If these problems occur, you should contact your vet:

• Persistent milk teeth: If milk teeth do not fall out naturally, so-called "double teeth" can occur in the cat's teeth - the milk tooth and the new tooth remain next to each other in the jaw, which can favour malocclusion. If you notice this problem in your cat's jaw, the milk tooth should be extracted by a vet.
• Fever: In some cases, kittens develop a fever or an elevated temperature and their general condition also deteriorates. A visit to the vet is also advisable for this complication.
• Missing permanent teeth: Occasionally it happens that there is no permanent tooth waiting to erupt under the milk tooth - in such cases the milk tooth should be retained. To be on the safe side, you could have an x-ray taken by your vet.
  

Changing teeth in cats: How you can help

As a cat owner, have you noticed the symptoms of changing teeth? Or is your velvet paw suddenly behaving differently: is it rubbing its snout against objects or its humans? If you want to do something good for your cat, you can make the change of teeth easier for them with the following measures:

• Gum massage: Pamper your velvet paw with a small, careful massage of the gums - but only if your kitty is not afraid of contact. Approach carefully and gently touch her lips first while cuddling. Now gently pull the lips upwards and observe whether your cat allows you to do so. If she doesn't reject your touch, you can gently massage her gums.

• Antiseptic treats: There are antiseptic snacks especially for cats that can soothe minor irritations and infections.

• Bite toys: During the change of teeth, a bite toy can help your cat to alleviate the itching - even if bite toys are rather unusual for velvet paws.

• Wet food: Give your kitten soft food so that it can chew and digest its food easily. Occasionally, hard dry food or a crunchy treat can help to loosen loose milk teeth.