It's that time of year again: time for your cat's annual oral check-up. Taking your cat to the vet for an oral check-up once a year is a vital part of your feline's health regimen. By getting a dental examination, you can be sure that your animal is in a hale and hearty condition.

Once a cat reaches a certain age, it gains its permanent teeth. As is the case with human children, baby kittens first develop "baby" teeth before growing longer lasting permanent ones. Three or four weeks after a kitten is born, their temporary teeth are in position. Then, the permanent teeth begin to replace the temporary teeth, a process usually completed 3 to 4 months later. By the time the cat becomes an adult, it will have 30 permanent teeth to replace the 26 baby teeth it lost.

So, like humans, cats loose their "kitten" teeth to gain "cat" teeth, but unlike humans, cat's diets don't consist of sweet and sugary things we humans are so fond of. Because of this, it is more likely that cats aren't going to have to worry about massive amounts of tooth decay.

However, cats can't take care of their teeth by brushing or flossing as well as we can, so a common problem cats have is a gum disease called gingivitis. In fact, this is such a frequent phenomenon, over 70 percent of cats older than 3 years are burdened with this ailment. A sure sign of gingivitis is ugly tartar or calculus along the gum line, horrible "dog breath" and badly irritated gums. Taking the cat to its personal dentist to be relieved of its tartar and plaque is the best way to handle this situation.

Going to the vet for a check-up also will ensure that your animal does not have any broken teeth. Cats can break a tooth by trying to chew some food that is just too hard. Though the cat may not exhibit any signs of immediate pain, it is still irritable to the animal. This irritation frequently manifests itself when a cat starts to sneeze uncontrollably, a sure sign it's time to visit the vet.

Even if you don't see any obvious problems involving your cat's mouth or teeth, a consistent annual check-up may identify problems lurking underneath the surface. Serious conditions like resorption lesions, feline immunodeficiency, feline calicivirus, or feline leukemia, may be diagnosed through a regular routine health check.

In summary, find a veterinarian you can trust and have your cat seen by the vet on a consistent basis. A regular checkup is the best thing you can do for your cat.

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Heather enjoys and builds websites on a range of topics. Her most recent efforts are focused on how to get my ex boyfriend back (tips and strategies for saving a relationship that's on the rocks) and how to find the person behind a prank call or unlisted cell phone number by performing an unlisted phone number search.