Oral health for kittens

Milk teeth

Good oral health starts off when your kitten is young! When she comes home, she will still have her milk teeth, which she will enjoy using to nibble at anything she can find. These baby teeth are quite fragile, so her kibble needs to be softer and easier to break open than an older cat’s.

Adult teeth at 4 months

Around the age of 4 months, her adult teeth start coming through. You might find the odd milk tooth lying around, but most of the time the kitten swallows them (don’t worry, it’s completely normal). Her food now needs to be a bit harder, so that as her tooth breaks the kibble it gets ‘brushed’ while she’s eating.

Toothbrushing for optimum dental hygiene

Toothbrushing is the gold standard for oral care, using a special cat toothbrush and veterinary toothpaste is recommended. You may have to persevere as many cats and kittens may not take to brushing straight away! The right food will go a long way towards good dental hygiene.

Other sections:

Bringing your new kitten home

What to buy your new cat

Kitten behaviour and training

Kitten nutrition, growth and diet

Kitten insurance

Neutering your cat

Exercise and going outside

Kitten fleas and worming

Grooming your cat

Kittens and children