Kitten teething is a pertinent topic! You must be taking care of your cat’s food, walking time, training, and playing time. But, most of the time, we overlook things related to their teeth.
As a responsible cat owner, you must know when cats lose baby teeth, how they start teething, and how to take care of your cat during this time!
Therefore, to throw light upon kitten teething, we have come up with this blog which will give a lot of information regarding how and when do cats lose baby teeth, what are the symptoms of kitten teething, and the entire process of when to visit your vet and which toys are best when kitten teeth.
What Is Kitten Teething?
Teething in baby felines is generally a stage when the baby’s teeth erupt from their gums. Basically, tooth buds are buried inside the gum line.
So, tooth buds start forming, and then when the bone grows it comes out of the gum line this is the time they get their baby teeth. These are also known as deciduous it comes nearly when your kitten is 3-4 months old.
Canines and Incisors eject very first followed by premolars and molars. Then they have entire 26 milk teeth after some time.
How Do Cats Lose Baby Teeth?
When cats are small kittens they get a temporary set of teeth. In their lifetime they get the whole set of white pearls 2 times. Then they lose their baby teeth when they are grown into adult cats.
First, it begins with the canines. Then cat incisors start to be replaced with permanent teeth. Month after month, you’ll notice they’ll have a whole new set. Now, they will not have 26 teeth instead adult cats will have all-new 30 white teeth in their mouth.
During this period, you may notice several empty shells (baby teeth) near your kitten’s bed, and you may see a little blood in their gums even if they gulp down their baby teeth while eating their food.
Now, next, you will get to know when kitten loses their teeth!
When Do Kittens Lose Their Teeth?
Kitten start losing their baby teeth nearly when they are 12 weeks old or 3 months old. This can differ from one feline to another. It is generally like us, individuals.
Almost every new kitten loses teeth around the age of six months, and this process continues until they are nine months old. They have all 30 permanent teeth in their mouth throughout this time.
Kitten Teething Chart
To begin with, young kittens are born without teeth. They don’t have teeth until they’re about two weeks old. Teething in kittens begins around the age of 2 to 4 weeks. They obtain their initial teeth, and after a while, all of their tooth buds turn into baby teeth.
When kittens are roughly 5 to 8 weeks old, they obtain all 26 milk teeth. During this phase, kids begin to mouth items and begin to feed their food using their teeth.
Then cat baby teeth fall out when they have reached 11 weeks. It starts from the incisors then canines and premolars and molars.
When kittens are grown into cats they get their first permanent adult teeth nearly when they are around 3-4 months old. They are permanent, and therefore you must take care of their oral hygiene.
Finally, the tooth fairy gives your feline friend all 30 teeth when they reach 6-7 months.
Listed below is the kitten teething chart. You can understand the entire kitten teething process in this.
Now, you know when do kittens start teething and when do cats lose baby teeth. Now it’s time to know about the signs and symptoms of kitten teething.
| Milk Teeth | Adult Teeth | |
| Incisors | 2-3 weeks of age | 3-4 months of age |
| Canines | 3-4 weeks of age | 4-5 months of age |
| Premolars | 4-6 weeks of age | 4-6 months of age |
| Molars | — | 5-7 months of age |
Kitten Teething Symptoms
When kittens are teething they face some discomfort during the process. And, as a responsible pet owner, you must know how they feel and how you can get them relief. Therefore, we have listed quintessential kitten teething symptoms in this section. It will help you to get acknowledged.
- During the teething process cat will start consuming less food. If you notice your kitty chewing her food slower than general then it is a sign that she is facing pain in her gum line. And, eventually, this will lead to weight loss too!
- Then another sign of your kitten teething is when she chews anything and everything. As in, you will notice she will chew beds, furniture, and her teeth too. This signifies her tooth buds are developing into baby teeth.
- Your baby cats’ gum will become sore. The inflammation in gums is likely to occur when baby cats teeth fall out. They may develop gingivitis, which can result in poor breath and inflamed gums.
- Some other signs of the cat’s dental issues are excess drooling, blood in gums and cat pawing at her mouth. All of these are severe conditions, and you must take veterinary help in such conditions.
- Irritation in the gums is the most common symptom in the kitten teething process.
- If you touch her face she will be irritated. And, because of the pain her face will become a bit sensitive.
- Because of the pain in her teeth, your kitten will restrict her grooming habits even more.
When Is It Essential to Meet the Vet?
If your kitten shows symptoms like sore gums, blood in the gums line, bad breath issues, or if gingivitis occurs then these are the serious medical situations during the time when kitten teeth so make sure to go for a check-up because if not taken care of at the right then it can lead to long-term dental problems!
Kitty goes through immense pain as this process can be hurtful hence you must visit a veterinarian. He will conduct a health assessment and ask for medical history. Just follow what your vet says and give your kitten proper medication according to his guidance.
During teething some kittens’ teeth don’t fall out and this situation is called the “retained deciduous teeth” condition. It happens when roots of teeth are partially resorbed or not at all resorbed. In such a case, your cat has to go under tooth extraction surgery.
So, make sure to regularly go for dental checkups so that situations like this never happen in the future.
How to Help Your Kitten With Teething at Home?
As you know already kitten suffers from pain during teething and at this time you can help her at home. Yes, you can, we will tell you how in this section.
- During teething cat struggles a lot while eating her food. So to give her relief, you can make her feed soft food. Choose wet cat food more than dry ones. Kibbles are hard and chewing kibble during gum soreness will give your cat immense pain.
- Don’t choose to play games which include mouthing like catching mice toy.
- Bear in mind to keep all hazardous things away from your cat during teething. Things like wires, dangerous plants, and any edgy and sharp objects. These all stuff can injure her.
- Don’t give your kitten freedom to chew your hand if you don’t stop her, in the start, this habit will pass on later when she will become an adult. And, during that time it will be way more difficult for you to get rid of chewing habit. As a result, make it a point to demonstrate her discipline right from the start.
- You can offer your kitty some dental chews, treats and chew toys it will help to calm her urge to chew things. Make sure the toys are appropriate and mushy. Give her toys made of soft rubber and plastic. When she feels discomfort give her toys two times a day for a short period.
- During kitten, teething makes sure to reduce her brushing time. Brush their teeth gently especially in this period as it can hurt her gums.
- Invest in Binke, it is the right choice toy for your kitten when she is under teething process. It’s made of fabric, and chewing on it will activate her jaw muscles.
Can Teething Hurt My Kitten?
The straight-away answer to is kitten teething process painful is simply yes!
Kitten teething process is more than slightly unpleasant. But this is a part of the cat growing process. They will feel soreness because of the eruption of the new teeth in their gum line.
During this time she may even avoid feeding her favorite food due to soreness. Therefore, make sure to you make her feed enough food easily, and she doesn’t lose weight.
She can potentially swallow any small object due to her mounting habit especially during teething so remember to keep away all small objects from her.
Toys That Help Teething Kittens
Now, you are aware of when do cats lose baby teeth and things related to kittens teething. Under this section, we will present toys that can soothe the kitten’s chewing urge, and it will not even harm her sensitive gums.
You can buy Petstages Fresh Breath Mint Stick you will be perplexed by knowing its benefits. It is a two in one cat toy which will fulfill your kitten’s chewing urge with that it will also provide her fresh breaths! The stick section contains dry mint which lures your cat to chew the stick and the fishnet helps to remove plaque and keep her mouth healthy.
Next, you can buy rubber chew toys like Pet Craft’s Cactus Interactive Chew Toy Teeth. It’s constructed of soft rubber and is absolutely non-toxic. Which will not hurt your kitten’s teeth. It comes along with a catnip bag which you can fill inside it.
Besides its cute looks, it will perfectly soothe kittens’ chewing urge too. It is soft in chewing which means her gum line won’t feel any sought pain.
You can also invest in a fabric chew toy like Yeowww’s banana teeth toy. Its banana shape is very convenient in holding, and it lures your kitten plus has catnip inside it. Made of long-lasting cotton material and good for moderate chewer.
FAQs
Do kittens’ teeth fall out?
Yes, kittens do lose their teeth when they grow old. They have the same teething process like we humans have. When they are three months old, their deciduous teeth fall out and are replaced by baby teeth.
When do cats lose baby teeth?
Generally, kittens lose baby teeth when she is 3 months old that 11 weeks. During this time her gum line starts displacing milk teeth and adult teeth develop. You may find a tooth near her bed or food bowl. Sometimes kittens may even gulp down their teeth too.
What are kitten teething symptoms?
There are various kitten teething symptoms like
– She will tend to meow more loudly due to the pain.
– She will chew a lot of things during this time.
– You will notice her drooling excessively.
– Her gum line will have blood.
– The pace of chewing the food will be decreased.
– Loss of appetite and can also lead to remarkable weight loss.
– Missing teeth
– More pawing at her mouth
– Badmouth smell
– Gingivitis
Do cats eat their baby teeth?
Yes!
When cats lose baby teeth you will notice tiny teeth anywhere in the corner of your home. Most of the time you see teeth near their food bowl. Sometimes while eating their food it is normal for them to swallow their own teeth. They will swallow their teeth normally like they swallow their food.
Summing It All Up!
Kitten teething is a part of a cat growing life. And, as a reliable pet owner, you must be aware of how and when do cats lose baby teeth. They lose their teeth by 11 weeks and get their whole set of permanent teeth by 6 to 7 months.
To know more in this article, we have covered the entire process of how and when do cats lose baby teeth, how to deal with teething pain when to visit a vet, its symptoms, and a lot more.
We have also recommended the best cat teething toys too! You will learn new things related to felines. So, do give it a read and get yourself acknowledged.
References
- What to Know About Feeding Your Cat – Pet WebMD
- Tips to Survive Kitten Teething – Blue Buffalo
- Understanding Teething in Kittens – Vet Street