What are the causes of bad breath in cats?

Bad breath in cats may be caused by reasons such as food, teething, oral diseases, gastrointestinal problems, and lack of vitamins. If you find that your cat has bad breath, you can first open its mouth to check for any abnormalities. If the cat's gums become red and swollen, and there are ulcers in the mouth, it is necessary to pay attention, as it may be caused by oral diseases. It is recommended to take the cat to the pet hospital as soon as possible to check the specific cause and treat it accordingly to avoid delay in the disease.

Food reasons

If you consistently feed your cat soft food and don't brush its teeth, these food residues will ferment in the cat's mouth, causing a bad smell. To address this, it is recommended to feed the cat hard cat food, and also brush its teeth or use toothpaste to clean its mouth.

Teething

Around three and a half months, cats will begin to teethe, and due to the falling teeth, they may have bad breath and bleeding gums. To deal with this, owners can use oral disinfectants to spray into the cat's mouth, and this should improve after the teething period.

Oral diseases

If the cat has bad breath along with symptoms such as swollen gums, drooling, and decreased appetite, it may be caused by oral diseases such as stomatitis, oral ulcers, and gingivitis. In this case, it is necessary to take the cat to the pet hospital for inspection and treat it according to the examination results.

Gastrointestinal problems

If the cat has no oral problems but has constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, and other symptoms, the bad breath is likely related to its gastrointestinal system. In this case, the owner needs to adjust the cat's gastrointestinal system, feed it probiotics, and regulate its diet. If there is no improvement, it is necessary to go to the pet hospital in a timely manner to treat the gastrointestinal disease.

Lack of vitamins

If the cat's nutrition is unbalanced, picky about food, and only eats meat, it may easily lack vitamins, causing bad breath. In this case, the owner needs to buy some vitamin supplements for the cat, and it is recommended to consult a pet doctor for the best choice. Blindly supplementing vitamins may cause vitamin B poisoning.