With patience, most cats can be trained to accept home dental care. It’s easiest to start when they’re kittens, but even older cats can become accustomed to dental care. It is important to go very slowly: plan on taking at least a month to reach the point where you can brush your cat’s teeth. 

-         Pick a quiet time when your cat is relaxed. If your cat at any time becomes stressed or starts to struggle, stop and wait until another calm time. Excessive holding could cause your cat to fight, and could escalate into a scary, negative situation for your cat.

-         Only toothpaste made specifically for animals should be used, as human toothpaste can be harmful to pets if swallowed. Cat toothpastes are available in many different flavors, you will want to experiment to see which your cat likes the best.

-         Start by placing a small amount of toothpaste on a treat your cat likes. You will want to do this daily for a few days before proceeding to the next step.

-         Once the cat is eating the treat/toothpaste combination, start offering just the toothpaste on your finger, as a treat.

-         In a few days, offer the toothpaste on a toothbrush, or finger brush. A brush with the bristles concentrated in a small area, with minimal thickness to the head is best. A CET mini toothbrush is ideal for cats.

-         For a right-handed person, hold the toothbrush in a pencil grip in your right hand. With your left hand placed over your cat’s nose, use your left thumb to lift the right lip near the canine tooth. Steady your right hand by placing your ring and/or pinky finger on the cat’s chin, and wipe some of the toothpaste onto the canine teeth. Let the cat go, praise him, pet him, etc. If this was easily received, repeat the process on the other side. If not, STOP, and give your cat time to realize that the situation wasn't so bad.

-         Once your cat is accepting the tooth brush or finger brush on his teeth, gradually start to slide your thumb back so that you are exposing the cheek teeth and do a few brush strokes on these teeth. The direction of the strokes is not important.

-         Gradually increase the amount of brushing done on each side of the mouth, and always reward your cat afterwards.

-         In animals that will not tolerate a toothbrush, you may want to try a soft cloth or gauze with toothpaste on it.

-         For a cat that will not accept toothbrushing, we recommend Hill’s TD as a dental diet or CET dental treats to help with dental care.