Dry food or tooth-brush? :-)

[Kiran]

[Adapted from a different thread but I though the topic is important
enough to have its own thread.]

I am perplexed by how many intelligent-appearing people accept that
food should be used as tooth-brush in a cat's life. This despite the
fact that they probably rely on a toothbrush rather than pretzels to
clean their own teeth.

I got the same line pushed at me that dry food is good for a cat's
dental health. But having a brain that does work once in a while, :-) I
was forced to face the following simple question: Do I chew nuts to
clean my teeth or do I use a brush for that purpose?

So I got a little toothbrush for my cat and learned to brush her teeth.

It works a lot better than any dry food.

More importantly, it frees me to select her food based on nutritional
considerations alone.

By the way, nutrional considerations are difficult enough to satisy in
commercial food. Good protein source, seafood not too often, low carbs,
no wheat or corn gluten, low Phosphorous, etc., and then she has to
accept to eat it! I am still looking for a canned variety that would be
acceptable on all fronts.

But I am glad at least I don't have to worry about the food also
functioning as a toothbrush!

[MaryL]

"Kiran" <ki...@no.email> wrote in message
news:090620060914575435%ki...@no.email...

Excellent post!
MaryL

[tension_on_the_wire]

On Mar 31, 9:34 pm, Moonlight Mile <MoonlightM...@somewhere.net>
wrote:
> X-No-Archive:

> I use dry food almost exclusively and think it is OK. A tell-tale sign of
> problems is halitosis. And gum disease should also be easy to spot. But if
> you're content brushing your cat's teeth, I can't see how it can do any harm.
> Make sure you get the gums and the tongue.
>
> I now use dry food Paws, for both indoor cats. I'm forced to remind myself that
> I now have only one cat. My cat Stormy if 2.5 years, my mothers cat, died on
> Wed. March 28, 2006 at about 4:45 PM. The vet thought it was most likely a brain
> tumor or lesion. We were the best of friends. Four days later and the tears
> still come.
>
> Did I poison Stormy? I had changed to canned food ( not on any "banned" list )
> because she just wouldn't eat much. Combine that with a partially paralyzed rear
> leg that she had to curl her toes/claws so they were pointing backward and walk
> on the _top_ of her rear foot. You get the picture. She gamely fought on, but it
> was time.
>
> No one accepts responsibilty. It's hard to find reliable answers.
>
> MM- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

I am sorry for your loss.
--tension

[cindys]

"Moonlight Mile" <Moonli...@somewhere.net> wrote in message
news:MoonlightMile-A9E...@news.west.earthlink.net...

snip

>
> I now use dry food Paws, for both indoor cats. I'm forced to remind myself
> that
> I now have only one cat. My cat Stormy if 2.5 years, my mothers cat, died
> on
> Wed. March 28, 2006 at about 4:45 PM. The vet thought it was most likely a
> brain
> tumor or lesion. We were the best of friends. Four days later and the
> tears
> still come.
>
> Did I poison Stormy? I had changed to canned food ( not on any "banned"
> list )
> because she just wouldn't eat much. Combine that with a partially
> paralyzed rear
> leg that she had to curl her toes/claws so they were pointing backward and
> walk
> on the _top_ of her rear foot. You get the picture. She gamely fought on,
> but it
> was time.
>
> No one accepts responsibilty. It's hard to find reliable answers.

--------------
I'm not sure why you feel responsible. If Stormy had a brain tumor or
lesion, there was nothing you could have done. But at any rate, I am so very
sorry for your loss. Speaking from experience, it takes a while to start
feeling better after the loss of a beloved pet, and I don't know if we ever
get over it completely. My dog, Alvin has been gone for a year and a half,
and my best friend of 17 years, Molly the cat, has been gone for about six
months. I no longer think of them every day, but when I do think of them I
still cry. For me, in both cases, six weeks seemed to represent a turning
point, when I was finally able to stop feeling so sad every day and begin to
smile again. You too will smile again, but it will just take a little longer
than four days. In the meantime, allow yourself to grieve but don't forget
to think of the happy times too.
Soothing purrs are being sent your way.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.