# Orange cats prone to tooth problems



## bluemilk (Oct 3, 2005)

Once upon a time,I came home to find that Percy had a Sgt. Snorkel tooth. It was so swollen,it had begun to bite into his upper lip! I decided to seek help online...

Anyway,a friend told me that the Orange-striper is more prone to oral abcesses than any other breed of cat. I've taken a close look. Everything seems fine-EXCEPT HIS BREATH! Also, I thought I saw tiny black spots on his gums.


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

First, orange tabby is not a breed; it's a color. Second, I've never heard or read anything about orange cats being more prone to any sort of dental problems. Third, bad mouth odor probably indicates some sort of infection in the mouth and should be checked by your vet ASAP. Cats in end stage renal failure can also have extremely bad breath as toxins build up in their systems, but you would have seen a lot of very serious symptoms with that disease.

Laurie


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

I have never seen anything to indicate that orange tabbies are prone to dental issues. Bad breath could very well accompany dental issues. In addition to kidney disease another under lying cause of bad breath is diabetes.

The black spots on the mouth and nose areas are something that orange cats are prone to. They often develop as they age.


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

I have an orange cat whose teeth are just fine. However, what started out as two small black dots on his lips have indeed grown as he's aged, and now a good majority of his lower lip is black pigmented where it used to be pink. He also gained black freckles on his little pink nosey.


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## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

I'm glad to hear orange cats don't have dental problems! I must say, at the ripe old age of 2 Murphy has several black spots on his lower gums. We sometimes call him "Freckle Gums."


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

Here is a picture of Rusty's gum spots. They started out as small black spots located where the point of the upper and lower canines would touch the gums. They have since then expanded a lot.


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## katlover13 (Apr 15, 2008)

RachandNito said:


> Here is a picture of Rusty's gum spots. They started out as small black spots located where the point of the upper and lower canines would touch the gums. They have since then expanded a lot.


WOW!!! How did you ever get him to let you take that picture?!? 8O


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

> WOW!!! How did you ever get him to let you take that picture?!?


It was a fluke! He woke up and yawned as my little sister was snapping a few pictures :lol:


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## melysion (Mar 12, 2007)

Toby has little freckles on his mouth .. and also around his eyes. Perfectly normal for a ginger cat. He also has dental issues, but I'd imagine it has nowt to do with his colouring whatsoever.


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

Muffin has two little mouth freckles right now...i think they're cute.

He's only 5 months, but his teeth are fine.


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## ls84 (Jul 2, 2008)

I've never heard that about orange cats before...but the same genetics that make cats certain colors could also cause dental problems...doesnt seem too far fetched. I mean, usually orange cats are male, and calico/tortoiseshell are females...obviously not all the time but most of the time. So maybe there is some truth to it..


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