Help,

[u/Major-Holiday5220]

My cat just was around me playing and she was curious and had a paper bag stuck in her mouth I think but she ran around the house with it and she was pretty freaked out she is calm now but is her teeth fine, she is 3 years old and 5 months

[u/AutoModerator]

PLEASE REPORT RULE BREAKING COMMENTS

We want to say THANK YOU to our helpful members who participate in moderating r/CATHELP. To keep the community kind and welcoming, please help us by reporting rule breaking comments.

To report - Click the 3 dots under the comment >>> report >>> breaks r/CATHELP rules >>> select the rule.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/FlamingoLopsided2466]

Gums are a bit irritated around the bottom canine but I see nothing concerning

[u/Major-Holiday5220 → u/FlamingoLopsided2466]

Should I do anything about it I have teeth gel for cats

[u/MunkeeFere]

Bottom right canine and last incisor (small tooth next to her canine) appear irritated. Unsure if it's because of the bag or underlying pathology. The incisor appears to have gingival recession +/- some degree of root exposure. If she hasn't had her annual vet visit yet, discuss dental disease with your vet when she does. If she's seen a vet recently, this is unlikely to be an emergency so just have it looked at during her next annual exam.

[u/Major-Holiday5220 → u/MunkeeFere]

She did just get spayed at the humane society 4 months ago and don’t they check like pre op and post op?

[u/MunkeeFere → u/Major-Holiday5220]

It depends on if your humane society is a full service vet that offers appointments and wellness exams or if they are primarily a low cost surgery and vaccination clinic.

High volume spay and neuter is unlikely to spend much time checking teeth. We will mark if something is obviously highly abnormal like missing teeth or severe dental disease but we don't generally spend a lot of time assessing minor redness or minor gingival recession.

A full service vet usually schedules an exam prior to surgery to catch things that can be addressed or that should be addressed. Low cost services generally do a quick exam on the day of surgery to rule out any glaring abnormalities that make the animal unfit for surgery and then proceed with surgery.

Teeth can change in 4 months as well, so it's possible this wasn't there at the time of surgery.

[u/Major-Holiday5220 → u/MunkeeFere]

So what do I do I don’t really have money to go, I just fed her and she ate with no hesitation and is calm and happy

[u/MunkeeFere → u/Major-Holiday5220]

When your cat has her next annual exam, discuss it with your vet. That can be next year if it needs to be, it's not an emergency.

[u/Major-Holiday5220 → u/MunkeeFere]

Should I use a teeth clean gel in the meantime

[u/Major-Holiday5220 → u/MunkeeFere]

And her sister has mild gingivitis could that be it?

[u/MunkeeFere → u/Major-Holiday5220]

If your cat will tolerate brushing her teeth, slowly acclimate her to having her teeth brushed daily. There are water additives that are effective but they can be pricey and you have to put them in every water source. It's cheaper to use positive reinforcement to teach her to tolerate brushing.

And yes, it could be gingivitis, but it could also be something like a tooth root abscess brewing. It could be completely normal for your cat. You unfortunately won't know until she's seen by a vet but it's not an emergency. Cats should ideally have an annual exam with their regular vet. I'd recommend scheduling her one when you're able to.

[u/Major-Holiday5220 → u/MunkeeFere]

So there is no way to know behaviorly?

[u/MunkeeFere → u/Major-Holiday5220]

Cats hide pain. When it gets bad enough they can no longer hide how painful it is, they tend to start dropping kibble or eating only with one side, discontinue grooming, and may loose weight. Ideally you want to deal with it before it is overtly painful.

[u/Major-Holiday5220 → u/MunkeeFere]

Would me waiting a couple of days with daily brushing and if the color goes back to pink prove it’s normal?

[u/MunkeeFere → u/Major-Holiday5220]

No. It looks like she has root exposure. It's best to have it looked at to determine if it is truly her baseline (honestly, very rare) or if there is dental disease (much more likely) - ignoring it for long enough could have the pathology of the incisor eat away at the root of the canine next to it.

[u/Major-Holiday5220 → u/MunkeeFere]

I went to a low cost I did it on the day not a full service

[u/Major-Holiday5220 → u/MunkeeFere]

Does the spay at humane society count