A cat's breath smells: causes, diagnosis, treatment, prevention

A conscientious owner of a mustachioed-striped pet should understand well that a healthy animal’s mouth cannot smell unpleasant. This is a clear indication that there is something wrong with the cat’s body, so it needs to be taken to the veterinarian as quickly as possible.

It does not matter whether the animal is young or old - the smell can occur at any age, even in small kittens. Self-medication in this case will not help, but rather will only worsen the situation.

Causes

There are many different reasons for mouth odor:

Dental problems. Tartar deposits, caries, broken and rotten teeth, gingivitis, periodontitis, problems with the salivary glands and many other dental problems are often the causes of unpleasant odor.
Bacterial infection of the mouth, such as rhinotracheitis or calcivirus. Rapid proliferation of microorganisms provokes the development of a strong odor.
Disturbances in the replacement of primary teeth by permanent ones.
Malocclusion. This is why short-faced breeds of exotic cats have bad breath much more often than other cats.
Injuries to the oral cavity, for example, from particles of solid food, dry food.
Diseases of the digestive and endocrine system: gastritis, duodenitis, ulcers, diabetes mellitus, kidney dysfunction also cause odor.
When malignant tumors form, the body suffers greatly from intoxication, which can also lead to the development of a strong odor.
Sometimes bad breath indicates a helminth infection.

Bad breath that does not go away for a long time is an alarming symptom, and without an in-person examination and, if necessary, additional research, it is impossible to determine the specific cause. Therefore, in such cases it is necessary to visit a veterinarian.

Diagnosis of bad odor from a cat's mouth

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//data-ad-slot=”2475549904″ $ads_google = empty($ads_google) ? false : true; ?> if ($ads_google == false) {?> $ads_google = true; ?> } ?> By the specific smell coming from the pet’s mouth, you can determine the organ that is malfunctioning:

Smells of acetone: If your cat smells of acetone from its mouth, and this is accompanied by copious amounts of water, the most likely cause is diabetes. Carbohydrates are not digested, and due to the breakdown of fats, ketone bodies that smell like acetone are formed;
rotten smell of rot: it makes sense to worm the cat. The cause may also be a disease of the digestive system. The stomach may fail because it cannot cope with the cat’s diet;
ammonia: problems with the kidneys or other organs of the genitourinary system.
fishy smell: the probable cause is poor oral hygiene and dental disease.

Whatever the cat’s breath stinks , a veterinarian can identify the true cause and prescribe treatment not for the symptom, but for the disease itself.

Accompanying symptoms

If a smell occurs from the mouth, the owner should pay attention to the accompanying signs:

lethargy of the animal, apathy;
refusal of food, water;
fever, increased temperature;
the cat wants to eat, but it clearly hurts when eating, he holds his head sideways or tries to take food with the side, where it hurts less;
inflammation, redness and bleeding of the gums, ulcers on the tongue, mucous membranes;
nausea, vomiting;
diarrhea, constipation;
increased thirst;
the smell of acetone, urea, sweetish apple often accompanies serious diseases of the internal organs - kidneys and liver.

Strange behavior of the animal, sudden weight gain or loss of weight along with the smell should alarm the cat owner and force him to immediately visit the veterinary clinic.

Why does my cat's breath smell like rotten meat?

I would like to immediately reassure cat owners who are concerned about the bad breath of their cat, your cat is absolutely healthy. And the unpleasant smell is due to the fact that the diet of the cat breed is almost 100% meat and fish products. Yes, it is rare to meet a vegetarian cat. If there are any, it is either because the owners are poor or because the cat is homeless and did not find any other food in the trash cans.

Why does my cat's breath smell like rotten meat? Meat and fish, entering the cat’s stomach, are digested by gastric juices, but this process is long and the smell of hydrogen sulfide, or rotten eggs, appears due to the breakdown of protein products. Should I worry about this if the cat is healthy and leads a normal life?

Signs of a healthy cat may include the following:

The cat willingly eats regular food.
The cat's fur is shiny and soft to the touch.
He plays and readily responds to affection.
The cat sleeps no more than usual.

All these signs do not apply to cats during the period of sexual heat. When a cat wants a cat or a cat wants a cat, you can forget about the adequacy of pets. If such a cat has the opportunity to go outside, then you can hardly wait for him to come home in the next three days. On active days, cats do not care about such little things as an empty and hungry stomach and matted, dirty fur.

If your cat is healthy, has a shiny coat, and eats willingly, bad cat breath can be considered normal.

Small infant kittens do not have bad breath. This is facilitated by feeding on milk from the mother cat.

Kittens smell better than adult cats

Diagnostics in a veterinary clinic

Diagnosis begins with a thorough examination of the cat's oral cavity. If necessary, the veterinarian will give the animal a sedative injection because a sick animal may react aggressively, especially if it is in severe pain.

Many cats scratch and bite in unfamiliar surroundings and when they see strangers. This is a kind of defensive reaction.

After the examination, the veterinarian may send the animal for an x-ray if it suspects the presence of various defects of the teeth or jaw. If the cause of the odor turns out to be a malfunction of the internal organs, an ultrasound may be necessary, as well as the necessary blood and/or urine tests.

Treating cat bad breath

You should not listen carefully to the words of your cat-loving neighbor, who cured his purring dog’s mouth stench in some way. The causes of the problem can be completely different, so the first thing you should do is visit a veterinarian: after the appointment, it will be clear on what principle to treat the disease.

If the trouble was caused by an incorrect menu, then the first thing you need to do is balance your diet. The doctor will prescribe medications that will help eliminate the cause.

Problems with metabolism will be revealed by a blood, urine and stool test, as well as a swab of the oral mucosa. An additional symptom will be diarrhea in the cat or rare bowel movements. The diet will require the exclusion of economy-class feed and food from the host’s table.

If diabetes is suspected, it will require lifelong therapy and veterinary supervision.

If problems with internal organs or chronic diseases are indicated, an ultrasound scan or x-ray is taken.

Sometimes it is difficult to independently assess the condition of the oral cavity, so the cat is shown to a specialist: if periodontitis, tumors, caries, or excessively grown tartar are detected, qualified treatment methods will be taken.

Treatment method and prognosis

Getting rid of bad breath is directly related to the treatment of the underlying disease that caused it. When the disease can be cured, the smell will go away on its own.

But in the event that the cause of the unpleasant odor from the mouth is diseased teeth, treatment should consist of removing hopelessly damaged teeth and treating damaged ones, but those that can be saved.

Sometimes in kittens the cause of the smell is a violation of the replacement of baby teeth by permanent ones. You can wait until your baby teeth fall out and the smell will disappear on its own. But in the case when some of the teeth do not fall out within the allotted time and interfere with the correct eruption of permanent ones, they can be removed in the clinic without harm to the animal.

When the cause of halitosis (a pungent odor from the mouth) is periodontal disease, pulpitis, the formation of gumboils and other purulent processes, treatment will consist of a combination of conservative drug treatment and surgical cleaning of purulent cavities.

In most cases, the prognosis is favorable unless the disease is in advanced stages.

Treatment

As a result of the diagnosis, having learned why the cat has an unpleasant smell from the oral cavity, the veterinarian prescribes the necessary treatment. It is based on what problem was discovered.

If a kitten has been diagnosed with diseases of the digestive organs, then it is necessary to reconsider the food that the pet is fed. Food should not only consist of soft options (pates, porridges). It is better to replace cheap dry food with high-quality food high in vitamins and minerals.
When the veterinarian discovers helminths during diagnosis, he will prescribe the necessary anthelmintics.
When a cat is diagnosed with kidney disease, medications are prescribed to help restore this organ.
When a kitten is diagnosed with dental problems, its caries will be treated and plaque will be removed.
When diabetes is detected in cats, medical therapy is prescribed, which will not only help get rid of the stench, but also cope with the underlying problem.

After effective treatment, the bad odor emanating from the cats’ mouth will disappear forever.

What to do at home

It is extremely difficult to treat a cat’s teeth at home, and other diseases can only be cured in a hospital setting. All that cat owners can do on their own is to provide their pet with ideal conditions for recovery.

In some cases, owners will have to inject themselves and give tablets prescribed by a veterinarian.

Cat nutrition plays an important role during the period of treatment and recovery. It is selected according to the state of health and type of disease. Basically, it should be light, high-calorie food, soft, not traumatic to the tissues of the mouth, and easily digestible.

The animal must have unlimited access to water.

Prevention

There are a number of preventative measures to help avoid this problem. After all, inexperienced owners of baleen-tailed cats mostly encounter such a problem. What should you do to prevent your cat from developing bad breath?

Regular consultations with a specialist will help avoid these problems.
It is necessary to teach the kitten to brush its teeth and treat wounds that arise in the oral cavity. Brushing your teeth should be done daily. The veterinary pharmacy has a range of toothpastes aimed at both kittens and adult cats.
A balanced diet will help avoid the problem of unpleasant odor from your pet’s mouth.
Special toys, available in a wide range in veterinary pharmacies, will help cope with this problem in cats. Pets, happily gnawing on it, will simultaneously cleanse their teeth and gums of plaque and small food stuck between the teeth.
You can also try cleaning tartar at home. The veterinary pharmacy has all the necessary products: brushes, gels. If the actions are not successful, then you should seek help from a veterinarian.

Possible complications

If any disease is neglected, it can lead to serious consequences. This is especially true for such complex systemic diseases as endocrine and hormonal disorders (diabetes, thyrotoxicosis, and so on), diseases of the digestive system, liver and kidneys. A number of diseases threaten the cat with death.

But even damage to the gums and teeth can cause irreversible consequences. The cat may lose teeth, which will cause disturbances in its nutrition and lead to complications with the digestive system in the future.

Types of problem

To determine the disease, you need to know what your cat’s breath smells like:

Rot

A putrid stench indicates digestive problems. Most often this happens from cheap, low-quality feed. Also, a rotten smell is accompanied by helminths. But any disease of the gastrointestinal tract, even indigestion, can be accompanied by such a smell.

Ammonia

The ammonia spirit will report diseases of the kidneys and the urinary system as a whole. Kidney failure cannot be completely cured, but a cat's body can be maintained in near-normal condition for a long time.

Sweet smells

A cloying sweetish smell, perhaps the aroma of rotten meat, signals problems with the liver.

Acetone or vinegar

The smell of acetone or apple cider vinegar, overripe apples, indicates diabetes. This disease has recently become increasingly common in cats.

About cat smell

A healthy and well-groomed cat does not have a pronounced, specific odor. What is commonly called “cat spirit” is the smell of urine - pungent and occurring in the absence of regular cleaning of the room and compliance with hygiene standards. Here the culprit can be considered not the cat itself, but its owner.

If an unpleasant odor begins to emanate directly from an animal that is being monitored and properly cared for, then the reason most likely lies in certain diseases characteristic of representatives of the cat family.

The cat is a hunter, a predator by nature. Therefore, these animals are extremely clean and ensure that there are no foreign odors.

An unpleasant odor should not occur even when your pet's fur gets wet.

The kitten has bad breath: what to do?

If a problem is detected in a timely manner, the kitten's owner can help him independently. Everyone knows that before vaccination you need to get rid of worms. But many people forget about the need for quarterly deworming.

Be sure to read:

A cat is vomiting yellow liquid: normal or pathological, first aid, what to do, best medications, diet

At the same time, the mouth cavity is examined. If a yellowish coating is detected, you can try to accustom your pet to brushing its teeth. Naturally, human brushes and toothpaste will not work; you need cat ones.

If foci of inflammation are found in the mouth, but there are no ulcerations or runny nose, you can try medical gels Metragil-Denta or Dentamed, veterinary products Dentavedin or Zubastik. Feed additives help clean teeth - dental bones

An effective teeth cleaning product - Hill's veterinary nutrition t/d. The granulated food is rich in fiber with specially oriented fibers that remove plaque. The feed mixture contains essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Therefore, after changing teeth, nutrition can be used as the main one.

How to treat halitosis

It is obvious that the treatment of the above pathologies should be carried out by a veterinarian, who will help balance the cat’s diet and select effective methods of therapy.

But some dental problems (which are the most common cause of halitosis) can be corrected by the cat owner himself. For example, using special brushes and gels you can remove tartar and plaque. This procedure is not pleasant for a cat, so most often animals do not tolerate mouth cleaning calmly, but for the sake of the animal’s health, the owner will have to make an effort. If you brush your cat's teeth from childhood, she will get used to it and will not show aggression during it.

Brushing your teeth is the main weapon in the fight against pathogenic microflora

If you cannot rid your cat of dental plaque on your own, and there is caries or loose teeth, then you will need to take the animal to the doctor. The veterinarian removes severely spread tartar under anesthesia and carries out the necessary procedures to alleviate the pet’s condition.

When brushing your cat’s teeth, it is necessary to monitor the presence of plaque on the tongue and whether there are injuries or ulcers in the oral cavity, since most often it is in them that harmful microflora is formed, which leads to bad breath. Problem areas are treated with antiseptics, which are available in the first aid kit and are suitable for the oral cavity. Ordinary chlorhexidine is suitable; it heals mouth ulcers well, and also prevents the growth of harmful bacteria.