# Both cats have red gum line? :(



## Kelly-Duke (Nov 14, 2011)

Hi,

A bit worried... both of my ten month old cats seem to have developed red, inflamed gums. I remember back when they were 4-5 months old the vet said it could just be because they were growing in their adult teeth. Well now, it seems to have gotten worse. I try to brush their teeth as much as they let me, but I only feed them wet food. I'm hoping this isn't causing that!

Tonight when I was rubbing my little girl's gums they started to bleed a bit , their teeth themselves seem fine and rather white, just wondering what this might be? They are from the same litter, are siamese, and both seem to have the same problem, so I am hoping it's not genetic.

They have an appointment next month for their 1 year needles, so I will definitely bring it up then. Just wondering if anyone has experiences with this or ideas of how I can help them?!

Thanks so much!


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## LakotaWolf (Aug 10, 2012)

Dental disease/gingivitis/tartar are SUPER common problems in cats. However, your kitties seem a bit young to have developed severe dental issues!

They may have mild gingivitis, though. It's pretty much the same exact disease that humans get. How do their teeth look? Do you see any visible plaque/discoloration on the back teeth? What kind of food are they fed?

Red/bleeding gums can also be signs of a viral infection, such as calicivirus or FIV. But if your little ones had their kitten vacs, they probably don't have anything too serious.

http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pe...imal-health/feline-calicivirus-infection/4132 Here's some info on calicivirus, one of the most common viruses that cause mouth issues/upper respiratory infections.

Dental problems can lead to very severe diseases later in life, such as kidney and heart disease. I would actually advise taking your kitties to see the vet sooner, rather than wait a month.


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## Kelly-Duke (Nov 14, 2011)

Oh dear, I hope they don't have that!... They do have all of their vaccines. I definitely think I am going to take them to the vet sooner now. God, I hate when they worry me like this!!... I just looked at them again, and the boy's gums arent swollen at all - still a small red line, but I find my girl's are much more swollen! So strange!

Their teeth look great, pretty much white and smooth!... I feed them Wellness Grain Free wet, that or EVO.

Also I just noticed that the girl is missing one of her front fangs... maybe they're still teething!? It seems like a new one is growing in.


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## Kobster (Feb 1, 2007)

Could be a couple of things, at 10 month, it could just be the adult teeth are "setting" in the mouth which can cause some soreness and swelling along the gum line.
However, being that they are siamese (pure bred, I assume?) it could also be stomatitis which is a common problem in the oriental breeds like siamese and oriental shorthairs. If it IS stomatitis, you want to have them seen by a veterinary dentist (board certified or someone with extra credentials in dentistry) ASAP. Stomatitis is painful and can become very difficult to treat if it is severe. 

What most pet owners don't know is that your corner vet has had less training in dentistry than they have had in nutrition. In fact, the technician is probably the one performing the entire "dental cleaning" procedure. They may or may not have advanced training. 

A sign of a good dental vet is that they use and advocate full mouth dental xrays on every pet. What you can see in the cats mouth is literally just the tip of the iceburg. Most disease is hidden beneath the gumline and can only be diagnosed with xrays


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## cinderflower (Apr 22, 2012)

i hate to be the bearer of bad news but this is what i was told:

i adopted a siamese cat when he was about two (they weren't sure) and maybe six months later i noticed he would just stand in the hall and howl, so i took him to the vet. he was oohing and aahing about how pretty he was until he looked in his mouth and said, "OH MY GOD!"

i had never thought to look in his mouth, but it was hideous. he had abscesses, severe periodontal disease, it was a train wreck. so i had his teeth cleaned and took him in every six months for them to do it, until my vet said, "i don't think this is really helping much, it would be a lot less hard on him if we pulled all his teeth because the constant anaesthetic plus an ongoing infection like this affects his other organs."

so i did it, but i asked him how that could happened to such a young cat, and he said that some siamese are predisposed to terrible gum disease. it's just one of those genetic weaknesse, so. . . i hope you caught it early because not having teeth isn't all that much fun. he lived to 17 but i'm sure he would rather have kept his teeth.


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## minikin44 (Aug 25, 2012)

Bartonella (causes cat scratch disease in humans) gave my cat Tugs gingivitis... the test for it is supposedly expensive, though, and I'm not sure what the likelihood of your babies having it, so I'd ask your vet if he/she thinks it's a possibility. It's transmitted by fleas that have bitten infected cats.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Just a wild thought, but could you possibly be brushing their little gums a little too rough on accident?


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