Have you ever seen your cat grinding teeth when eating? Recently my cat also started grinding her teeth. Generally, any of my cats don’t do this, but one of them started to do it.
It was weird because she won’t stop, and I felt she was trying to tell me something. I wanted to know how to fix her pain. So, I went to a veterinarian, and he told me cat grinding teeth when eating can be majority due to oral problems.
Well, many owners go through this situation, so I thought of writing a blog on this, how it is causing, and how to fix this.
Why Do Cats Grind Their Teeth?
Cat grinding teeth when eating can be because of oral trauma, oral tumors, intestinal lymphoma, feline tooth resorption, lack of potassium in food, stress, malformation, etc. if you want to know, a little deep read down below.
1. Cat Grinding Teeth Is a Sign of Dental Disease
Cat grinding teeth while eating can be due to oral pain. We have listed several dental diseases in the list; just go through them.
1.1 Tooth Resorption
This is a quite common oral problem in adult cats breeds. In this condition cat’s teeth gum line partially or fully stops resorption. So the enamel on her teeth begins to break, and sometimes it can lead to entire teeth loss too.
Feline odontoclastic resorptive lesions (FORL) are painful and when she suffers from this medical condition cat starts to grind her teeth to soothe her pain.
1.2 Inflammation In Gums or Ulcers
One of the most highly cat gum diseases is gingivitis. The symptoms of these are blood in the gum line or swollen and reddish spots in the gums.
This occurs due to the accumulation of tartar and plaque in your feline’s teeth. If gum disease is not treated at the right time, the kitty can lose all her teeth or could also possibly get an ulcer (stomatitis).
It aches a lot, and to comfort your cat, you can give her antibiotics but remember that it won’t heal the ulcer; just soothe her pain.
1.3 Dental Abscesses
Another reason for a cat grinding teeth when eating is due to an abscess. It can appear anywhere on their skin, from their backsides to the insides of their mouths.
Not just teeth grinding, but there are also a few unpleasant symptoms also related to this. Like blood, weight loss, irritation, pus, pawing near an inflamed area.
1.4 Malformation
Just like our human teeth, alignment gets disturbed similarly; cat teeth alignment is also misshaped. This either happens because baby teeth fail to break or due to friction caused by the upper and lower cat’s jaws. This is generally due to a genetic disorder. Thus, your cat has no hand in it.
And, to soothes her dental pain caused by abnormal alignment, your cat will grind her teeth.
1.5 Cat to Grind Her Teeth Cause of Injury in Mouth
As you know, felines love playing outdoors, and they’re always in a curious mood. And, while playing and exploring, there are higher chances of your kitty getting hurt. Sometimes it can cause tooth injury too!
Fractured teeth or there is any sought of cut to their tongue, cheeks, or mouth is common in cats if they play outdoors. So, they will tend to grind their teeth to cool down the discomfort caused in their mouth.
1.6 Tumor in Mouth
Any cat can become the victim of mouth cancer; the chances are highly predictable when cats are older. Of course, a cat doesn’t smoke, but your smoking habits can affect her health too. According to some experts, if a cat lives in a smoking house, her chances of being infected by a tumor are higher.
Cats ideally behave in a strange manner when they are affected by tumors. She may start grinding her teeth. If she does so, it is a sign for you that she might be affected by the tumor.
2. Cat Grinding Teeth Is a Sign of Pain in Other Body Part
Not necessary that when a cat grinds her teeth is because of dental issues only. Well, it can also be due to pain in other body parts also like head pain, abdominal pain, etc.
And, cats grind teeth to show their pain to you. She is trying to communicate that there’s something wrong with her.
3. Your Feline Friend Is Under Stress
It is quite essential that before you take your cat to the veterinarian for the medical examination, you also confirm whether she is under stress or she is feeling anxious or not.
Because cat’s bruxism can also be because of the stress and anxious behavior! Yes, cats also experience stress. They also go through emotional distress, and as a result, they will keep grinding their teeth.
4. Neurological Problem
Bruxism can also be because of neurological issues. It is not just limited to body-brain can also be a reason. Neurological problems like brain tumors, Bartonella, rabies, etc.
5. Cat Grinding Teeth Due to Hypokalemia
Hypokalemia is a condition in which the body is deficient in potassium. Hypokalemia is more common in cats, and it’s commonly linked to renal failure. Kittens also grind their teeth to alleviate their discomfort.
Make sure to also check on your kitty’s health as lack of potassium is likely to occur earlier in cats.
6. Wrong Food
Diet plays quite important. Tooth grinding in cats can be because of a lack of the right food.
This is especially related to older cats. Cat food should be changed with time. Young cats eat kibbles, but seniors cats can’t because it is hard and feline teeth must be strong enough to eat that.
Therefore, make sure to switch to soft food items for a senior cat.
7. Foreign Objects Trapped in Her Teeth
Cat is grinding her teeth sometimes due to a very basic problem that is because of foreign material lodged in the oral cavity.
Pet cats can’t do floss, so they grind their teeth while eating.
8. Nausea Can Make Cats Grind Their Teeth
Another reason for tooth grinding in cats can be due to feelings of sickness and nausea.
Nausea can be because of overfeeding, heart attack, allergies, etc. Therefore, keep a check on the cat’s mouth, and sign related to nausea.
9. Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Cat’s when having irritable bowel syndrome, can lead to bruxism. They are trying to indicate that they are suffering from inflamed bowel disease. And, cat grinding her teeth is part of communication.
Generally, when a cat suffers from this, she suffers from diarrhea and stomach cramps which can lead to immense pain. They grind their teeth to control their pain.
Confirm this disease properly; sometimes, when a cat has an allergy, her body can respond in the same way.
How Can You Treat Cat Grinding Teeth Problem?
There is good news for you, cat grinding teeth when eating problems can be treated. Read down below to know-how!
1. Meet the Professionals for Treating Her Inflamed Gums
In case your cat’s gums are inflamed, and because of this, she grinds her teeth, then you can take her to a professional expert for cleaning her teeth appropriately.
This treatment will keep all gum problems, bacteria causing bad breath and oral discomfort away from her mouth.
2. Regular Check-ups
Medial check-ups keep damaged teeth and other ailments away. Not just for humans but your pets too. So, make sure to take your kitty to appointments and never miss any sessions.
3. Feed Right Cat Food Products
Eating wrong food items can also lead to major teeth grinding problems in cats. Therefore, make sure you choose the right cat food for your kittens and cats. Add all essential nutrients to their diet.
You can also try feeding your pet some dental chews for healthy gums. Oral hygiene is important; therefore, make sure you get the right chews too.
4. Cleaning Her Teeth in the Right Manner
Make oral hygiene is an essential part of a cat’s daily regime. And, cleaning teeth in the right manner is foremost important.
If you don’t know how to clean a cat’s teeth, then seek veterinary help.
5. Use Right Cat Oral Products
To curb dental problems, you must take care of your cat’s teeth. Right care comes from choosing the right oral products. Enzymatic cat toothpaste is recommended to keeps all germs away from the cat’s teeth, and she can also swallow the paste.
6. Don’t Take the Matter in Your Hand, Meet the Vet
Taking early precautions will never let you down. So, right when you see any disorders in your cat, make sure to take her veterinarian immediately.
Maybe the cause won’t be big, but smaller health problems can always lead to higher risks. So, keep an eye on your cat’s health. And, if you see symptoms like bruxism, drooling, sleeping unnecessarily, immediately take her to the vet.
Summing It All Up!
The majority of the reasons for cat grinding teeth when eating is developed due to dental issues, but there are many reasons associated with it. Whereas the other reasons can be due to nausea, stress, neurological issues too.
If you want to know more about it, read above; plus, I have also listed how to prevent such a medical situation.
If you have learned new things in this article, make sure to share this with others too!
References
- Cat Teeth Grinding: What You Need to Know – PetMD
- Big Cats, Big Teeth – National Geographic
- Diet and Dental Health in Cats – PetMD