Blog de Puree

It can be fairly easy or it can be like trying to hog-tie a rabid wolverine. We were lucky though, as our cat enjoys the chicken-flavored C.E.T. enzymatic toothpaste from Virbac. So much so, that he actually begs for it when we brush our teeth–that’s when we typically brush his. Tooth brushing has become a family affair in the evenings.

Getting our cat to enjoy the toothpaste was easy, but it took a little time. We spent a week or two letting him just lick it from the tube (You squeeze it out like regular toothpaste) as if it were a treat. We reinforced this behavior by supplementing treats with the toothpaste during this time and saying things like, “Good boy,” and “Good kitty,” in the same tone used when he’s playing or has done something good.

The next phase was to put the paste on a baby-sized toothbrush and let him lick it from that, getting him used to the weird apparatus we were now shoving in front of his face. The good thing about our cat is that if there’s tasty treats on it, he’s not too picky about where his food comes from.

Once he started to enjoy the toothpaste from the brush, it was then a matter of getting him to be comfortable while we held him and used the toothbrush (with the toothpaste on it) to very gently brush his fangs and sides of this teeth. He was all tongue for a while as he tried to lap up the toothpaste, not realizing what we were trying to do. At times he would start to chew on the toothbrush. Eventually, he realized what we were doing and now he sits still when we brush–which is a five to 10 strokes with the brush across his teeth.

Some animals will let you do it while sitting or kneeling in front of them, but with our cat we have to have him sit beside us while we hold his head from below and push up his jowl flap (Also known as muzzle puffs) with a thumb to expose his teeth. Then we brush. We find it easiest to hold his head and muzzle with the hand on the side that he’s on and with the opposite hand come in with the toothbrush from in front of his face. (It’s easier than it sounds) Then we switch him to the other side and reverse the process. The only issue is trying to dodge the darting tongue that searches for tasty toothpaste.

We’ll also usually give him a lick of paste from the brush before and after we brush. Verbally reinforcing his behavior is also a good thing.

Along with the hard, plaque removing treats we give Bouche, I’d be willing to bet he’s got the cleanest set of choppers on the block.