Is it true that a tomcat with bad teeth can never become a father?

You might think that it is strange to link a tomcat's bad teeth with a failure to becoming a father but it isn't. This will be a very short post and therefore it might not be interesting but the question needs to be answered.

Domestic cats mating showing how the male grips the female's neck in his teeth to stop her swiping him. Picture: MikeB under license.

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When a male domestic, stray or feral cat mates with a female in heat he clings onto the female's neck with his teeth. This subdues her and prevents her swiping him when he removes his penis because it hurts. It hurts because of the backward facing barbs on his penis which rake her vagina. It sounds a bit gruesome but these are the anatomical facts of the matter.

To answer the question, bad teeth which are painful to use, may curb his instincts to mate with a female in heat. They have to grip the back of the neck of the female quite hard and if the teeth hurt because of gum disease and general poor oral health, he may decline the offer of sex. That is the theory. I can't say that such a tomcat would NEVER become a father.

I'm not sure that it is entirely followed in practice because the male's instinct to mate is unshakeable. Tomcats cats have a few unshakeable instincts, one is the one mentioned in the other is to sustain their lives through successful predation. The other, for a domestic cat, is to seek security and warmth and lastly companionship with a human caregiver.

It seems likely that a young cat would not have rotten teeth and therefore they'd be no obstacle to mating. Only when they get older would there be gum disease at which time the tomcat may show a disinterest in mating.

Here is some more from Bing's Co-pilot:

1. Health and Reproductive Function: A cat’s overall health significantly impacts its reproductive abilities. Bad teeth can lead to pain, infection, and difficulty eating, which may affect the cat’s overall well-being. If a tomcat is in poor health due to dental issues, it might struggle with other aspects of reproduction as well.

2. Nutrition and Fertility: Proper nutrition is crucial for reproductive success. Cats with dental problems may have difficulty eating and maintaining optimal body condition. Malnutrition can directly impact fertility and sperm quality.

3. Behavioral Factors: A tomcat’s ability to mate successfully involves more than just physical health. Behavioral factors play a role too. If a cat is in pain due to dental issues, it might be less interested in mating or less effective in courtship behaviors.

4. Age: Older tomcats may experience dental problems due to age-related issues. As cats age, their teeth can deteriorate, affecting their overall health and reproductive abilities.

5. Dealing with Dental Issues: If a tomcat has bad teeth, it’s essential to address the dental problems. Regular veterinary check-ups, dental cleanings, and appropriate treatment can improve overall health and increase the chances of successful reproduction.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Health tip: checking your cat for gum disease

A lot of cat owners are understandably unaware of the state of health of their cat's gums and teeth. You might get a glimpse of your cat's gums when they yawn but it might not be enough. And the upper outside area of the gums, at the back, is where gum disease can often start. The same, by the way, applies to people. 

If you want to reduce bleeding gums when you brush your teeth you should always focus strongly on the outside upper at the back of the mouth and eventually the bleeding will go away. In addition, you should use a good mouthwash occasionally. 

I'm digressing but the same problem exists with domestic cats and it is perhaps the single biggest reason why domestic cats are put under a general anaesthetic. In fact, Dr. Bruce Fogle in his book Complete Cat Care states that "I anaesthetize more cats to treat the tooth and gum disease than for any other single reason".

Use cotton buds to check for blood on cat gums. Photo: Pixabay.com. Words added.

Certainly, gum disease and dental health is in the top 10 or perhaps top five of all domestic cat health problems. It is, therefore, important to check gum health from time to time. Bruce Fogle states that an easy way to check your cat's teeth and gums regularly "is by running a cotton bud around the gum line". This means gently placing a cotton bud under the cheek against the gums around the upper teeth at the rear of the mouth, as mentioned. A cat should accept this especially as it can be done quickly. If you encounter blood or signs of pain you should take your cat to your veterinarian.

Sometimes veterinarians say that you can check oral health by bad breath but this is rather vague. Also, bad breath can be caused by kidney, liver disease, feline leukaemia or by a bowel infection. Indeed a foreign body such as a bone stuck in the mouth or on oral tumour and older cats can cause bad breath. So the cotton bud check is a good one. I would recommend it.

Canine teeth of cats are dagger-like

The canine teeth of cats are designed to kill by piercing soft flesh (jaguar excepted). The canine teeth of the big cats such as the lion, tiger, jaguar, leopard and the cheetah (which is not in the same category as the first four) have some of the sharpest canine teeth in the animal kingdom according to a study published on Phys.org: 'How the canine teeth of carnivorous mammals evolved to make them super-killers'.

Cheetah canines. Screenshot from 3D video below

The canines are like daggers which for large prey animals are used to bite down deeply into the throat of the prey to suffocate them. 

The jaguar has the strongest bite of all the big cats; strong enough to bite into the carapace of a turtle. They do like turtles. It is remarkable that they can pierce the shell of a turtle. And they chomp down on the heads of caiman in the shallow waters. A truly devastating predator.

Jaguar’s Taste for Turtles

The cheetah is much lighter and quite delicate by comparisons but their teeth are classic canine killers. Predators that employ the throat bite have slender curved canines. The scientists say that they act as hooks to help hold prey and stop them escaping the cat's grip on them with their bite. These cats normally attack 'soft prey' meaning the skin can be pierced. But it seems to me that the jaguar is an exception.

Cheetah skull with long sharp canines by Evans EvoMorph Lab on Sketchfab

Note: This is a video from another website. Sometimes they are deleted at source which stops them working on this site. If that has happened, I apologise but I have no control over it.

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It is interesting that the canine teeth of a feline are called "canine teeth" because the word "canine" implies a dog. Perhaps we should call the canine teeth of cats, "felines"! The adult cat has 30 teeth: 12 incisors, four canines, 10 premolars and four molars. The premolars are shearing instruments used to cut flesh to pieces which are small enough to be swallowed. Cats do not masticate their food as humans do with blunt molars. Their molars are like scissors, chopping up the flesh. One problem with commercially prepared wet cat food is that it does not need shearing and cutting because it's too soft. This may be unhealthy for domestic cat teeth. The whole issue of what to feed domestic cats is a big one and we see lots of periodontal disease in domestic cats, in part because of their commercial diet.

Cat Health Tip: Checking for Gum Disease

Do tigers lose their teeth because they break over time?

Tigers certainly do lose their teeth especially the canine teeth because they are used so heavily when attacking and holding prey. I am referring to wild tigers in their habitat. I'd expect captive tigers to suffer from teeth breakages less often.

They have four canine teeth, two on the upper jaw and two on the lower jaw. The photograph on this page shows all four of these teeth either broken or almost entirely missing. The photo below shows intact canines. 

I've seen lions with pretty well the same problem, missing perhaps one, two or more of their canine teeth through heavy usage.

Broken or badly work tiger teeth. Photo: Getty Images.

It must be a hazard for the big cats and it must affect survivability. I'm not saying tigers can't survive with broken canine teeth but it must be harder. Tigers have longer canine teeth than other big cats and in a fully grown tiger they can be nearly 8 cm long (6.4-7.6 cms - 2.5 to 3.0 inches). In addition to breakages, as they get older their teeth become more yellow.

Intact tiger teeth. Photo in public domain.

In addition to broken teeth often teeth are worn down. A tiger can starve because of bad teeth. Bad teeth may also encourage them to seek easier prey which means they might move closer to human settlements to search for domestic animals. This brings them into contact with people and possible retaliatory attacks which may take their life.

Canines have pressure sensing nerves attached to them which allows the cat to sense the location where the canine is inserted into prey for best effect.

What are cats' fangs called?

A cat's fangs are canine teeth. Humans have them too but they are hardly noticeable as they are nowhere near as impressive as the feline versions! The cat with the biggest fangs is the now extinct sabretooth tiger. The canine teeth of domestic cats are very important for killing prey. When a domestic cat chooses to kill prey by breaking the spine, they are able to position one canine tooth between the vertebra at the nape of the neck and insert it at that point which severs the spinal cord, which in turn kills the animal.

Image showing the teeth of a cat including the canines. Image: PoC.

How many teeth do cats have? The answer is 30. For humans it is 32 (this is for adults in both cases).

If it is dark, domestic cats use their whiskers to feel for this position. You can see them instinctively push their whiskers forward when they are interested in an object placed before them. You might see this in play, for example. Whiskers are incredibly sensitive because there is a huge conglomeration of nerve endings at the base of each whisker which allows them to almost feel something and measure the shape of that object. They can feel the minute air currents passing around buildings and objects which allows a cat to "see" during the night together with their night vision based upon a reflective layer behind the retina.

Breaking the spine is one way that a domestic cat kills prey but there are others. For example, I have seen my cat kill a pigeon by suffocating it. This is the method used by the big cats to kill large prey animals. It was very interesting although sad to see him kill a pigeon in the same way. The canine teeth would have been part of that process as they would have pierced the neck of the pigeon.

CLICK THIS LINK TO SEE A RANGE OF ARTICLES ON CAT TEETH

It is the canine teeth, their fangs, which hurt us when a domestic cat bites either their human companion or somebody else. They are not particularly sharp but sharp enough to create a deep puncture wound in a person's leg because the cat's jaw is very strong. In this way they can "inject" mouth bacteria under the skin which is why people have to be cautious after being bitten by a cat. Not every bite leads to an infection but some do and you can check this out by clicking on this link if you wish.

A domestic cat's incisor teeth are very small and rather insignificant but they are there to help groom themselves. You can see this when they nibble their fur with their incisor teeth. And of course, they help when they're eating by tearing off flesh and then passing it back to the carnassial teeth which have a shearing action a bit like scissors as opposed to the grinding action of human molar teeth.

Cat's Canine Teeth

As the cat has a shortened face there is also a shortened jaw with less space for teeth and as a consequence cats have fewer teeth than other carnivores; usually 28 or 30 compared with 42 for dogs and bears.

A cat's teeth are specialised for different tasks.  There are the incisors which are the small teeth at the front of the mouth, used for holding and nibbling (you will see a cat nibbling his fur when grooming).

Cat's canine teeth. See note at base of page

There are the rear molars which move against each other like the blades of scissors for slicing and cutting.  Then there are the large strong and somewhat flattened canines (the fangs you see on either side of the front of the upper jaw) which are used for stabbing and delivering the killing bite usually to the nape of the neck of small prey if we are talking about the domestic cat.

It is said that the cat's canine teeth fit between the neck vertebrae of prey like a "key in a lock" (Paul Leyhausen).

It has also been suggested that the canine teeth of the cat can feel like the fingers of a hand due to the conglomeration of nerves at the base of the teeth.  This allows cats to feel for the gap between the prey's vertebrae before biting and severing the spinal column thereby killing the prey.

The canine teeth of the cat forces the vertebrae in the neck of prey apart a bit like a wedge being hammered into a gap.  This breaks the spinal-cord.

Note: Regrettably I have lost the photographer's name. If you claim this image please tell me in a comment so I can add a credit and a link of your choice.

Does dry cat food clean cats' teeth?

No, not really. The idea behind the belief that dry cat food can clean a cat's teeth is that being dry it has an abrasive quality that cleans the teeth like a toothbrush. The mechanical abrasion theory is based on the shape, texture and fiber alignment of the dry kibble.

Apparently dry cat food does reduce the build up of plaque and calculus but in a limited way.

The action is limited because the kibble is normally broken by the tip of the tooth and so does not have any abrasive action at the place where periodontal disease takes place: the line where the gums surround the teeth (gingival margin). Periodontal disease (gum disease in layperson's terms) in cats and dogs is one the most common health problems for these companion animals.

Also dry cat food is high in carbohydrates. That surely is not good for teeth health.

Plaque: soft and colorless. A mixture of food particles, organic and inorganic material and bacteria.
Calculus: also called tartar. Hardened plaque. Mixture of calcium phosphate and carbonate with organic material¹.

Note: 1. Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook

Associated: Picture of cat with gingivitis.

Cat Dental Cleaning Procedure

Brushing Truman's teeth - Photo by John Morton

Unfortunately, cat dental cleaning procedure requires a general anesthetic. There are therefore cat dental cleaning risks because general anesthesia of cats carries risk of injury and possible death.

A general anesthetic is essential for the veterinarian to fully assess all the teeth and to clean below the gum line.

Before a general anesthetic cats should be evaluated to minimize the risk. This includes a physical examination and basic blood and urine analyses.

What is the risk of injury or worse for a cat when under a general anesthetic? The risk is surprisingly high. I was in a veterinarians the other day and a fellow customer was having his cat's teeth cleaned. He was anxious as he had been told that the risk of death was 1 in 100 (1%). 

Gaynor J.S.; Dunlop C.I. Wagner A.E. et al. (1 January 1995). Complications and mortality associated with anesthesia in dogs and cats, concluded in their study that there was a 1 in 9 chance of "complications" and a 1 in 233 chance of death. 

In this study: Brodbelt DC, Blissitt KJ, Hammond RA, et al. (September 2008). The risk of death: the confidential enquiry into perioperative small animal fatalities, the risk of death was put at:

• for sick cats 1 in 71 (1.4%)
• for cats generally 1 in 895

Well, there you have it. For the sake of clean teeth you have quite a real risk of death. Like all these things it is a balancing act of risk versus benefit. See also feline gum disease.

What causes cat scratch fever?

The rickettsial organism Bartonella henselae causes cat scratch fever. The organism is between a virus and a bacteria in type. It is in infected fleas. If the cat has fleas the disease is transmitted to a person by a bite or scratch as the organism is in the cat's mouth and/or on the cat's claws from grooming.

Homes should be treated for fleas and the cat should be flea combed regularly. Avoid heavy duty chemical treatments as these are toxic.

The symptoms occur about 3-10 days after being scratched. At the site of the scratch in about half the cases, the skin becomes red and raised. The lymph nodes in the armpit, groin and neck become tender. This can last for several months.

Rarely the person suffers more severe illness and in 5% of cases the person suffers from flu like symptoms.

Cats are usually asymptomatic (no signs).

People who have cat scratch fever should consult their GP. If the cat does show signs take him or her to the vet. Treatment includes the drugs azithromycin and doxycycline.

This is absolutely not a reason to declaw a cat.

Cat Toothpaste and Cat Teeth Cleaning

Hands up the cat guardians who clean their cat's teeth.....

I don't, never have. But it concerns me. Most of us don't think about it. We don't see is as something we can do. Cats won't let us do it. But the domestic cat diet is not kind to teeth. Cat gum disease (periodontal disease) is "one of the most common problems seen in the veterinary practice"(Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook). Teeth are a concern. For many cat guardians teeth are out of sight out of mind until the cat their is bad breath or your cat is losing teeth or drooling. We should check our cat's teeth and gums regularly. Teeth cleaning at a veterinary clinic involves anesthesia and that has a risk. Apparently one in 100 cats die under anesthetic (source: my vet talking to another client).

Go on, check my teeth - Photo by polandeze (Flickr)

I don't think that it is practical to start trying to brush you cat's teeth if your cat is an adult and has never enjoyed that process!

However, if you are or have acquired a kitten this is what you might consider doing to get your cat to accept having his or her teeth cleaned:

1. Gently rub the cat's muzzle over his teeth. Your cat should accept this as it is like a cat face rubbing for scent exchange greetings, so say the authors of theCat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook.
2. Next raise your cat's lip and massage his gums with your finger. Do this routinely until fully accepted then;
3. Wrap a piece of cloth around your finger and gently rub his teeth and gums. Once accepted the toothbrush can be introduced;
4. Try a child's toothbrush. It should be soft. You might try a finger tip tooth brush. There are also cat toothbrushes available.
5. If your cat won't accept a toothbrush of any kind you can go back to putting gauze around your finger and using that as a brush.
6. Before using actual cat toothpaste the authors of the Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook recommend that you use the water from a can of tuna.
7. The toothpaste can first be used by offering it to your cat on the tip of your finger.
8. You can now start to brush his teeth. The same principles apply to our teeth regarding technique. The most important part is where the gum meets the tooth. The brush should move over this area.
9. You should brush the surfaces that you see (the outside surfaces). The cat's tongue, it is said, will distribute the toothpaste over the inside areas.
   

Good luck.



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Cat Teeth Neck Lesions

Cat Teeth Neck Lesions are occurring far more frequently now that 25 years ago. What are they? Doctors, lawyers and dentists etc. like to use fancy language to describe conditions.

Image in public domain as assessed.

A "lesion" (a term we hear about a lot in medicine as it also refers to soft tissue) is a general term that describes an area of the body that is not normal. The abnormality could be due to injury or disease. The word comes from the Latin, "laesio", which means an attack or injury.

OK, lesions in the teeth are going to be holes, cracks or bits knocked off. In this instance it refers to holes (eroded areas). Where are these defects? The "neck" of the tooth is the area of the boundary between the gum and the tooth, just below the gum line.

We have then a hole in the tooth just below the gum line. How did it get there? Vets aren't sure. There are a number of theories. But there has been a large increase, as mentioned, in occurrence, over the past 25 years. What has happened over these years? Is it that vets are more aware of the problem? Is it something to do with the food that cats eat? The accumulation of plaque plays an important part in initiating the onset of this condition, it seems. Humans have plaque. Plaque is food debris combined with salivary protein and bacteria. It causes gum disease (periodontal disease).

The bacteria in plaque like sugars and starches. Sugars are found in foods containing carbohydrates. The bacteria that thrive on this sort of food produce acid. The acid destroys the tooth enamel causing tooth decay (holes in the tooth).

Is it unreasonable to surmise that the greater incidence of Cat Teeth Neck Lesions is due to the proliferation of dry cat food (kibble) which has high levels of carbohydrates in it? Indeed, wet cat food has carbs in it as well. Cats don't need carbs as they live off animals (protein and roughage) in the wild. Wild cats don't suffer from Cat Teeth Neck Lesions. My personal and unscientific and untested conclusion is that dry cat food could be the culprit.

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