My cat has really bad breath. Any at-home treatment ideas?
I’ve had a lot of cats in my lifetime, but my 3 year old cat is the first one I’ve had who has bad breath. It’s unbearable!
I will be switching cat foods soon. As soon as this bag runs out, no more Whiskas! But, I don’t know if that is the problem.
I have seen breath fresheners for dogs, but none for cats.
I am going to mention it to her vet next time I take her in to see if it is feline halitosis. I have heard of people brushing their cats’ teeth, but my cat would never, ever let me do that. Is there anything I can do to freshen her breath at home?
Thanks!
P.S. Feel free to chuckle if you would like. I know I would. 
Filed under: Bad Breath Treatment
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Bad breath is something to pay attention to. There could be lots of reasons. Your cat could be getting into something gross. Or maybe has a dental problem. Or other internal health problem. If your cat has a healthy diet, there should be no bad breath on a regular basis. I would start by checking the teeth, then making sure you are feeding kitty a very high quality food. After a couple weeks of a new diet, if still bad breath, then go to the vet.
I wish I knew. One of my three has bad beath, too. I’ll keep checking back to see if anyone has any good advice. By the way, mine eat wet little friskies.
dog had the same thing….vet cleaned her teeth and cleared up that problem….
You never mentioned brushing your cats teeth…they have cat tooth paste and finger brushes, ya know. I used to get my cat’s teeth cleaned once a year- by the vet (requires anesthesia)
i personally have 3 cats with a few in the past i would say give them a small dab of food that smells good or even a really small drop of toothpaste but check with your vet first to make sure its ok. good luck.
My cat does too! Ugh.
His teeth and digestion were all checked out by the vet and he got the thumbs up. Very healthy teeth infact, we got praised for those.
But his breath is rank.
He has been eating Innova brand food.
I tried a lot of things… Treats with parsley and other natural herbs, wheat grass… Nothing worked too well and I hated cleaning up after him. Wheat grass makes them spit up.
Recently he’s started getting Greenies cat treats and those do seem to be helping. You just need to make sure to give them what the package sugguests, in this case it is about 18 pieces. It seems like a lot, but it has helped.
If you just rub some cat toothpaste in her mouth that helps.
My daughter had the same problem and had to have her cat’s teeth scraped. The cat had periodontal decease. No longer does the cat have bad breath.
If it’s that unbearable then she needs to have her teeth cleaned by the vet or more done.
YIPPEE! CATS! sorry….I’m random.
*Anyways,* I recommend some kitty-safe mouthwash or toothpaste. Mix it in with your cat’s food.
I had the same exact problem! At all the pet stores, they sell these ‘cat mints’. It’s like a treat for cats but it doesn’t stink up their breath! It’s like $1.00 and it really works. I know some of them say ‘chicken flavour’ and ‘fish flavour’ and more, but it smells nothing like it! IT REALLY WORKS! Oh, and just a heads up: I left the mints on the edge of a table, my cat knocked them over and ate all of them. (Keep them out of reach) HEHE GOOD LUCK!
If your cat has feline halitosis it is because the teeth are
rotting and they have a lot of plaque and tarter, pls take
the cat to the vet, to clean and extract the bad ones. I know
because my cat casper has the same problem. Good
luck!
First, when switching foods, you want to combine the two and gradually make the change over a weeks time.
Next, bad breath can be many things, not just the food. It could be a dental issue or mouth ulcer or tumor. Could be heart disease or kidney disease. Could even be diabetes. Consult with your vet before switching foods. She should be examined to be sure it’s not a more serious issue.
Quote:
"Dog/Puppy or Cat/Kitten Bad Breath—My pathology teacher used to tell us, “Cells are cells. They all act alike.” Treating bad breath in pets is much the same as treating bad breath in humans. One thing I’ve noticed though is that pets get sores on their tongue from Chlamydia or herpes infections more often than humans do. When this happens, the tongue can erode. When this happens, you will see lots of saliva, the pet tries to eat, but can’t, and they start to lose weight. Open their mouth, and check for sores. If it smells like rotten tissue and you see those tell-tale red sores, see your local vet. Feed liquid diets for a while until they recoup and their tongue heals.
If the teeth are red at the gum line, it could be a tooth coming in (pets will be less than 8 months of age) or maybe the teeth need cleaning (you will see lots of tarter built up around the back molars, on the canine teeth, or behind the front teeth.)
Don’t confuse these types of halitosis with the smell of healthy puppy and kitten breath which naturally goes away when the gut flora is established.
With all halitosis, it’s important to determine the cause of the bad breath and rectify it. Halitosis is a symptom of something not working right in the body (except when you eat garlic.) Healthy breath is part of a healthy body. These things can be corrected. Covering up the symptom with mouthwash or mints is only a temporary fix to a deeper problem."
End Quote.