Cats are carnivores, so their teeth are fashioned after their nature. Their teeth are set for hunting and killing prey. Also, cats don’t chew, so they use their teeth for shredding their food into swallow-able sizes.
Just as humans, there are two sets of teeth in a cat’s life; the 26 primary or baby-teeth and 30 adult or permanent teeth. Cat teeth are made up of three parts; the pulp, dentine, and enamel. “Do cats really teeth?” Let’s find out.
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What Is Teething?
Teething is a process where animals (mammals) shed off the early set of teeth (usually referred to as primary teeth, kitten teeth, milk teeth, or baby teeth) and replacing them with permanent teeth or adult teeth.
Teething process in an animal depends on a variety of factors. Some of these include the type of animal, the nature as well as the age of the animal.
Types Of Teeth
It is essential to know and understand the dental formula of your feline friend. Like all animals, the dental formation of cats is a result of an adaptation to their nature, eating habits and their genres.
Cats at infancy have 26 baby teeth which give way to a set of 30 healthier teeth at adulthood. Each type of tooth is set out in specific numbers to perform precise functions.
Like humans, cats have 4 types of teeth; the incisors, canines, pre-molars, and molars.
A cat has thirty teeth in total, and each tooth plays an important role.
The different types of teeth are further discussed below:
Incisors (I)
Incisors are the smallest teeth in size. They are also known as the ‘front teeth.’ The primary function is to help the cat to hold the prey in their mouth. They are less rigid because they have only one root to hold them. It is generally more natural for a cat to lose the incisors than the other types of teeth.
The number of incisors in a cat’s dental formula is 12, set out as 6 at the upper jaw and 6 at the lower jaw. It’s highly likely that almost all the incisors will drop off during the infancy stage of the kitten.
Canines (C)
One of a cat’s instincts is to hunt and kill the prey, and the canines are the most important for this function. This is because the cat deploys such teeth for their hunting and shredding activities.
Canines are long teeth with long single and deep root. This gives them more stability, and unlike the incisors, they do not come off easily. Usually, cats have 4 canines; 2 each at the upper and lower jaws.
Pre-molars (PM)
Unlike our incisors and canines that have distribution in both the upper and the lower jaws, cats have an uneven distribution of pre-molars. There are 6 pre-molars in the upper jaw and only 4 at the lower jaw. The primary function of pre-molars is chewing prey. Another unique feature of a cat’s pre-molars is the root configurations.
The upper molar1 ( UPM1) has only one root while the lower molar 2, lower pre-molar 2 and the lower pre-molar 3 have 2 roots each. Lastly, the upper molar 3 have 3 roots. These multi-rooted teeth are very stable, but difficult to extract.
Molars (M)
Cats enjoy an even distribution of molars with 2 each, both at the upper and the lower jaws.
One noticeable feature of the settings of these teeth in cats is the uneven root system. The upper molars have only one root while the lower molars have 2 roots.
Teething In Cats
The teething process begins in cats from as early as about 3.5 to 4 months of age. This is when the primary or the kitten incisors start to give way for replacement by incisors.
By around 6 to 7 months, a kitten would have replaced all the 26 baby-teeth with new sets of 30 permanent or adult teeth. Occasionally, there may be some slight changes in the period of a cats’ teething process depending on the cat’s breed.
What Does The Teething Process Look And Feel Like?
The formation of the new set of adult teeth begins in the buds of the kitten which are located in the upper and lower jaws. With time, the adult teeth grow bigger and progressively press against the roots of the baby teeth, causing them to weaken out.
They eventually give way to the new adult teeth as the pressing continues. It then makes the enamels fall out; offering a chance to the new set of permanent teeth to grow. It is not uncommon to see the loose empty shells of fall-out baby-teeth on the floor. However, there are also chances that your kitten could have swallowed them.
What Are The Signs In Cats Teething?
As a cat owner, there are some simple signs to look out for to know if your cat is teething.
These signs include:
- Drooling: Your kitten may begin to drool and salivate during teething.
- Kittens may be reluctant eat at times because of fear of the pain.
- Your kitten may become irritable and less active. She may begin to chew on things like shoes, clothes, and furniture.
- Breath odor is another observable phenomenon during a cat’s teething period. The odor may last as long as the teething process continues.
- Also, your kitten may meow more often than usual, possibly with a sort of complaining plaintive manner. This is usually caused by the pain she is experiencing.
Helping Your Kitten During The Teething Process
As a caring and loving cat owner, you need to show more affection to your kitten during the teething process. This gives her some soothing relief. Also, you can help reduce her chewing on shoes, furniture, clothes, and injurious hard objects by providing alternative cat-teething toys to her.
There are different kinds of teething toys for cats and kittens. You can help her with a Dental Mint Stick Cat Toy, a Cat Chew Toy, Kitty Chew Wheels or some other soft cat toys that are readily available in animal care stores. Your affection for the cat will naturally comfort her during her teething process.
The Occurrence Of ‘Retained-Tooth’
Some little complication may occur during the cats’ teething process. One such natural complication is the ‘retained-tooth’ tendency. This is a case when a baby-tooth or kitten-tooth refuses to go off even after the evolving of an adult tooth.
It basically means that a baby tooth appears simultaneously with an adult tooth. The in-coming adult tooth may have to force itself out at an irregular angle. It may result in either crowding, improper positioning of teeth, or what is known as ‘teeth-overlay.’
Likely Results Of A ‘Retained Tooth’
The retained tooth is also called a deciduous tooth. When a deciduous tooth and a permanent tooth co-exist in the same socket in the jaw, they bring about teeth crowding. The resultant crowding will encourage the trapping of debris in the teeth.
With minimal or no care, this may encourage tartar formation and deposits, tooth decay, and periodontitis. Combination of these conditions could lead to the eventual loss of teeth.
Conclusion
For a cat owner, it is essential to study and understand the dental intricacies of your cats. This will provide you with proper insight on how to care for all her dental needs. The teething process in your kitten is a period to show more affection and pay more attention to her.
And as a general rule, remember to consult your veterinarian in case you notice unusual development during your cat’s teething process.
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