When should I worry about my cat's bad breath and see a vet?

Halitosis (bad breath) in a kitten can be caused by oral infections such as gingivitis (inflammation of the gums) or feline stomatitis (inflammation of the oral mucous membranes at the back of the mouth). Teething can also cause bad breath. Another cause that is harmless is certain food like canned soft food can sometimes cause the kitten bad breath, for example, smoked oysters or canned tuna. Other causes such as kidney/liver disease and diabetes are less commonly found in kittens. I would suggest to take the kitten to your vet to examine the mouth and identify the cause.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. It is possible that dental disease is the cause of the odor you are smelling. I have also seen pieces of food become lodged in between teeth and as bacteria cling to the piece of food that is stuck in the mouth, it can cause quite the odor. I would recommend having a veterinarian assess Athena's mouth so that the most appropriate treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Missy. I recommend that you seek emergency veterinary care this evening. Open mouth breathing is a sign of respiratory distress in a cat. The respiratory infection could have spread to her lungs resulting in pneumonia or she could have another problem. Heart disease and fluid in the chest can also cause this breathing pattern. I hope this information helps. Good luck.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Snowy. If she has smelly breath, then she likely has an infection in her mouth causing dental disease. If so, she will need to go under anesthesia to have her teeth cleaned by her veterinarian. Afterwards brushing will be less painful to her. Start slowly and use a toothpaste formulated for animals. Start by offering the paste on your finger as a treat. Once she likes it, then slowly start brushing. You can use a small toothbrush or a finger brush. I hope this information helps!

You need to take her to the vet ASAP, she is probably suffering from a gum/teeth disease which is very common in cats, treatment varies according to the severity of the condition but this must be dealt with urgently.

Bad breath in cats is usually a sign of either an oral disease or kidney failure, i would strongly recommend taking Tabu to the vet ASAP in order to get it checked and treated, if her oral cavity does not seem to be the problem a blood test will need to be done to confirm or rule out kidney failure.

He may have an ulcer or sore in his mouth or on his tongue that is painful and burning. They often do not want their mouth opened or touched when that occurs. It creates an infection and the odor occurs and gets worse. I would schedule an appointment with your vet to have his mouth and teeth examined to see if there are any wounds or damaged teeth causing this in order to get proper medication