Cats 101 : Cat's Bad Breath Home Remedy

Bad breath, it happens to the best of us, including our beloved feline companions. Many cases of our morning breath can be solved with a morning brush routine, cat bad breath often indicates a more serious medical problem, with both oral causes or systemic ones.

Go nose-to-nose with your sleeping cat and give her a loving sniff. If it's not sweet kitty breath that you know and love, but a stench that makes you wince, something may not be right. Just as the eyes may be windows into the soul, a kitty's breath may hint to her health.

"A healthy cat's breath should not be offensive," says Eric Davis, DVM, a fellow of the Academy of Veterinary Dentistry and director of the Dental Referral Service at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine.

Cat bad breath is a common issue that owners deal with. Imagine if you didn’t brush your teeth for months, or years? Many cats develop bad breath, or halitosis, from poor oral health. The good news here is that there are home remedies for bad breath in cats. Before we discuss how to solve cat bad breath at home, first let’s dive into the reasons why your cat may have halitosis.

Why Does Cat Have Bad Breath?

Oral Causes.

According to International Cat Care, 85% of cats have some form of dental disease. A cat's teeth and gums have naturally occurring bacteria. As these germs multiply and aren't removed via brushing, they can develop a bacteria plaque film on the teeth, this film hardens through natural minerals in your cat's saliva and becomes tartar. The bacteria in your cat's mouth that are not removed release smelly compounds after they breakdown leftover food particles.

Not only does this cause cat bad breath, but mouth bacteria can travel via the blood to various organs, where they can cause infections throughout the body, often resulting in heart and kidney disease. The accumulation of tartar also forces the gums down, causing them to recede, which loosens the roots of the teeth. Eventually, those loose teeth fall out. This all makes for one stinky and painful kitty mouth.

Cats also can expose their teeth and gums to foreign objects, from bugs they catch and eat to nonfood objects that can cause injury or oral trauma. Cats are known for their frequent hairballs and vomiting. Imagine how foul your breath would become if you couldn't clean your mouth after being sick and you begin to understand why cat bad breath develops.

Further oral causes of halitosis in cats include oral tumors, abscesses from dead teeth, and inflammatory gum conditions.

Systemic Causes.

The source of cat bad breath can't always be traced to the mouth. Some of the more common systemic causes of bad breath in cats are serious medical conditions that necessitate prompt medical treatment.

Chronic kidney disease.

Kidney disease affects approximately one out of every three cats, reported Pet Health Network. As kidney function decreases, waste products, such as urea and ammonia, build up in the cat's blood. This may cause the cat's breath to smell like urine or ammonia.

Diabetes mellitus.

Diabetes mellitus is a disease of the pancreas. Diabetes mellitus is a failure of certain pancreatic cells to regulate blood sugar. If your cat's breath stinks like a fruity odor, this is a sign of ketoacidosis, which may occur in diabetes. It's a potentially life-threatening condition.

Gastrointestinal trouble.

Breath that smells like feces can occur with continued vomiting, especially when there is a bowel obstruction. Bowel obstructions are a medical emergency.

As you can see, bad breath in cats is anything but a frivolous and smelly inconvenience. While bad breath in people can be related to nonserious causes, such as eating garlicky food, bad breath in cats is more often a longstanding and serious condition. Luckily, there is often a solution.

Natural Remedies for Cat Bad Breath.

Another cat bad breath home remedy is making use of bad breath treats. Most pet stores sell some type of bad breath treatment. These little snacks can be high in sugar and preservatives, so make sure to check the ingredients. Organic products are always the best. Bad breath treats are meant to help alleviate the bad breath, and that only. If your cat has an underlying medical ailment causing the bad breath, the treats will only give you brief relief.

Brush your cat’s teeth regularly.

It's not an easy task, but brushing your cat's teeth can help prevent tartar and plaque buildup. Human toothpaste is not intended for your cat because it is not digestible.