[tadita83]

Ok this may seem like a silly qustion, but here it goes. I have a cat that lives indoors and he has the most awful smelling breath. I wouldn't mind if he was outdoor, but since he is in my house I was hoping there was something I could do about it. I've tried those cat treats that are supposed to help, but he won't eat them. He will only eat soft cat treats and all the dental ones are hard. He will eat hard cat food, but not hard treats which is rather weird I know. I've heard of people brushing their pets' teeth before, but that's just not going to happen with this one. He would never stand for that and we all know that when a cat has made up his mind the decision is final!! :)

So any suggestions?

[0rphan]

Hi... it could be that your cat has a tooth or gum problem.

If it has gum disease or even a bad tooth this could be the cause of the smell.

You say it will only eat soft food and not even the hard treats, which to me does indicate some sort of problem, maybe not enough yet to cause it pain, but enough to create bacteria which will cause the smell.

There is also the possibility of a stomach problem, this would also cause a smell when breathing.

My advice would be to take your cat to a vet, get it examined just to be sure of the correct diagnoses.

[tadita83]

He will eat hard food but just not hard treats. Its after I let him outside and it kind of smells like dead animal. I live surrounded by two farms that slaughter animals occasionally so I think that he is just getting into something around the house, but I will definitely take that into consideration

[linnealand]

Breath that bad is a classic symptom of tooth decay and/or gum disease. Another much other less likely possibility is that he's suffering from digestive issues.

How old is he? I'm assuming that he's not young; age will contribute greatly to these problems. Have you checked inside his mouth? How does it look to you? Be on the look for inflamed gums, rotting or discolored teeth, missing teeth, and abscesses.

Believe it or not, this is definitely a case that needs to be handled by your vet. If it is indeed a dental issue, your cat will probably need to undergo a full cleaning. If he is very, very old, they might not risk putting him through the procedure because he would need to be put under for the cleaning to be performed properly.

Just so you are aware, severe dental issues are not to be taken lightly. For one, they can cause a tremendous amount of pain for your cat. This pain often causes the cat to eat significantly less, which can also result in severe weight loss. Moreover, these dental issues can bring on more serious infections not limited to the mouth. One classic example are abscesses under the jaw, which require immediate vet attention and antibiotics.

The best way to avoid dental problems is to avoid them. I know you said that you are sure that your cat won't tolerate brushing, but since I don't know how much you know about the components involved in brushing cats' teeth, I'll just tell you what my experience has been. First of all, it's ideal if you start doing it when they're young (for future reference). The brushes I had looked a little more like eye shadow brushes than the toothbrushes made for people. The toothpastes on the market made for cats are flavored to be incredibly palatable. Two of my last cats were extremely finicky eaters, but they were more than happy to get to taste their tasty toothpaste during brushings. I won't pretend to tell you what's actually possible with your kitty, but you might have a better shot at accomplishing this task than you think.

Also, eating a decent proportion of crunchy food is better for cats' teeth than soft food; the crunchy bits can scrape away some of the tartar as they chew. Remember, however, that if your cat is suffering from dental issues, the crunchy food can be painful to eat and could potentially cause more damage. Cats with dental issues so severe that they stop eating even canned food are sometimes recommended baby food mixed with a touch of water as a last resort to get them to keep eating.

Taking care of this issue now will save you money in the form of extra vet bills down the road. Dental issues are not the kinds of things that will resolve themselves. Take him to the vet, and please let us know how it goes!