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The
first thing you should do is to visit a veterinarian,
since bad breath can be a sign of an underlying medical
issue. If everything checks out fine with the cat’s
health, there are steps you can take to make it easier
to be around your cat.
Look
at the cat’s diet. If he’s eating a wet food with a
strong aroma base, he could be carrying this odor with
him long after mealtime is over. A switch to a different
flavor, or a more premium formula, might solve this
problem. Another alternative is to switch the cat from a
wet to a dry diet.
Bad
breath can also be the result of the build-up of plaque
on the teeth. When plaque hardens into tartar, it must
be removed under anesthesia by a veterinarian. However,
you can remove plaque before this happens by brushing
the cat’s teeth daily, or at least every other day.
(Please see the Is It Really
Necessary to Brush My Cat’s Teeth? Page.)
When
brushing the cat’s teeth, use only a toothbrush and
toothpaste developed specifically for felines. Human
toothpaste should never be used on a cat, since it
contains sudsing agents which can harm the lining of the
stomach when swallowed. Unlike people, cats can’t gargle
and spit out toothpaste, so they must swallow it.
You
can also give the pet feline breath mints. These
products will successfully mask the unpleasant odor.
However, used by themselves, they will not solve the
underlying cause of the bad breath, which should be your
goal.
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