Feline Dental Care

This week, I had to take Jango to the vet for her yearly check-up and shots. During her examination, the doctor noticed how dirty Jango's teeth were. She was also showing signs of advancing gum disease. Apparently, this is a problem among the oriental breeds (Jango is Siamese) and she really needs to have her teeth brushed on a regular basis.

I had no idea! I had been around cats my entire life and the idea of cleaning a kitty's teeth had never been broached. After all, cats are infamous for their meticulous personal hygene. They lick themselves clean, and bury their own messes. So naturally I assumed that dental care was also part of the package.

So, not only do I have to start brushing Jango's teeth, I also had to buy a special toothbrush and kitty toothpaste. This turned out this was easier said than done. No such products were found at Target or Fry's. I had to make a special trip to PetSmart.

And that's another reason why I knew nothing of feline dental care--the lack of selection and availability of products required to do the job.

And what a fun job it's going to be. NOT! Jango doesn't like being held, much less have a plastic rod shoved in her mouth. This is definately going to be a two person job. A job that nobody is looking forward to doing. That's why we haven't done it just yet. The vet took care of that just the other day and her teeth are not yet dirty enough to warrart putting Jango--and us--through the pain.