my moms vet wants to pull all her cats teeth....

[samnsara]

.....has anyone experienced this before? The cat has major dental issues and her lymph glands are always swollen and the smell is awful. Moms hesitant and the cats about 7 so a lot of years ahead of her yet....but if her teeth are that bad the infection may kill her. Any thoughts?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. House cats do fine with no teeth.

They need teeth for hunting and killing, but not so much for eating because they don't really chew their food like we do. If she's fed mostly canned food she should be OK.

[Sanity Claws]

2. I have had a couple of toothless cats

They did fine. Even ate dry food, as well as canned.
They were rescue cats so I don't know their full history. Two had no teeth when they came to me. One had been rescued from the street and had to have all of his teeth pulled because of a massive infection. That boy thanked the vet who did the surgery. No joke. He hadn't been able to eat or even close his mouth. After the surgery, he put his paw on the vet's hand and looked up at him with gratitude.

[joeybee12]

3. One of my cats has stomatitis probably the dental

Issues your Mom's cat has. In many cases having the teeth pulled is the only way to get rid of the issues. We're treating Sam with antibiotics to manage it and it really helps but down the road the teeth will probably have to go. If your a mom's cat is healthy otherwise and antibiotics aren't helping perhaps getting the teeth pulled is the best route. It won't shorten the cats life and she'll still eat fine, perhaps better because the pain from the dental issues inhibits her eating. Good luck

[radical noodle]

4. Does your mom trust her vet?

My 16-year-old cat had 7 teeth pulled and she recovered nicely. I've known people with cats who had to get all their teeth removed due to physical problems as you describe. Without the removal, her cat will not be healthy and will likely die before it's time. Your mom may have to change the cat's food, but the cat will be okay. If she's uncomfortable with it, go to a vet that specializes in cats and get another opinion.

[LOL Lib]

5. The rotten teeth have to go. Seen this many times in dogs and cats.

Kitty will feel much better when the pain and infection are gone! Dogs and cats live fine with no teeth.

[CrispyQ]

6. I have a cat with zero teeth & she does just fine.

I adopted her from the Humane Society & they had pulled all her teeth because they were so bad. She loves to eat & not having teeth hasn't hindered her.

[Doreen]

7. I have never had a cat that needed it's teeth taken out

but I have worked with animals all of my life and have talked to people who had cats who had to have them removed and the cats did just fine. After awhile they even ate dry food. I would go ahead with it if it were my cat because it sounds like your mom's cat has infection and that can eventually make the kitty very sick and cause other health problems that can not be corrected.

[shenmue]

8. Hugs

[procon]

9. Two of my dear cats had their teeth removed for medical problems too.

One just had his large canine teeth extracted and it didn't cause him any problems at all. The other one had all his teeth removed. He did just fine afterward and didn't seem to act like he had any pain, and it instantly stopped his medical problem and he even gained a little weight because he could eat better. His face looked normal, you could not tell he was toothless. He ate his kibble just as he did before, chomped on grass, carried around his favorite toy, shredded toilet paper and tore up magazines, and continued the wrestling matches with his house buddy, usually winning the contest over a cat with all his toofies.

Think of what's best for your kitteh, he depends on you to make good decisions about his health and wellbeing. You can do this. I can say to you from experiences that you both will be happier once its done.

[Arkansas Granny]

10. Has she considered getting a second opinion?

[elehhhhna]

11. Maybe go to the vet with your mom and let the vet explain this

Last edited Sat Apr 15, 2017, 01:45 PM - Edit history (1)

To you. It does sound horrifying at first. But it's really not that big a deal, and it will extend the cats life.

[Motley13]

12. My neighbor had to have his cats teeth pulled when it was quite young

they were making the cat ill. Cat does just fine.

[okasha]

13. Yes.

I had a kitty with recurrent, non-responsive mouth/gum infections. He was eight when his teeth were pulled, and made it to seventeen in well-fed comfort on a mix of wet and dry food.

[japple]

14. Yes. If it's stomatitis, the teeth will have to go. One of my late, great kitties, Myrtle, had

to have all of her teeth removed. She had no problems eating afterwards, and her disposition improved greatly after she recovered from the surgery.

PS: For a few days after the surgery, we fed her Gerber's strained meat baby food (the kind in the little jars-meat only, no onion powder or vegetables) mixed with a little water and warmed up so that she could smell it.