Feline Dental Protocols for Fosters, Interviwers and Intake Evaluators
Why Dental Ratings Matter:
• Key to aging a cat
• Tell us about a cat’s past, present and future health
• Help us set adopters’ expectations regarding their new cat
Key Points:
• Do NOT rely on your vet – take a look yourself
• During intake, check the cat’s mouth if you can do so safely
• Remember, a cat who is overly sensitive about their teeth may have serious dental
health issues
• Dental health is vital to ensuring a cat’s longevity and preventing diseases like
CRF – one of the most common causes of death
• Fosters & Interviewers - we need to educate our adopters about the importance of
dental health including annual cleanings, especially for those adopting a 5+ yr old
Determining a Cat’s Age:
• You can't go by the teeth alone. You have to also look at the body condition, the
eyes, the hydration level, the movement, etc.
• True that rescue cats since they usually have poor nutritional backgrounds may
appear older than they actually are. HOWEVER, an adopter would always rather
have a cat we said was 8 years old and it turned out was really only 4 than the
other way around. Anyone getting a cat we said was 2 years old, for example, and
their vet says this cat is more like 8 years old, is going to be irritated.
• When we age a cat at 10 or higher, we get to do blood panels and urinalysis. This
is a good or bad thing, depending on how you look at it. It gives us great
additional information to provide the adopter with as to the status of their organs,
etc. It costs us quite a bit more money. It does make the cat harder to place since
most adopters feel that 10+ is too old.
• It is INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT that you as a foster really examine the cat's
mouth. While you may not be able to do this initially, after you've had the cat for
awhile, hopefully you can do this. IDEALLY this has been done prior to intake,
but not always. DO NOT go by what the vet tells you, look yourself. AND make
sure the vet actually does look.
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Dental Ratings Jan07
Siamese Rescue Dental Rating Guide
Rating 1 – if
cat is under 1
year old
Rating 2 – if
cat is older
than 1 year
Rating 2 –
Ex. A
Rating 2 –
Ex. B
Rating 2 –
Ex. C
Rating 2+ Ex. D
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• Clean teeth (not yellow)
• No red gum line
• some yellow staining on teeth
• minimal red gum line
• age of cat: about 3-6 years
• some yellow staining on the teeth
• gum line a little less pronounced
• age of cat: about 3-6 years
• some yellow staining on the teeth
• gum line a little less pronounced
• age of cat: about 3-5 years
• not bad enough for extraction
• Inflamed top gum line – looks
puffy and red
• Mouth is mildly sore
• age of cat: about 6-8 years
Dental Ratings Jan07
Rating 3 –
Ex A
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Rating 3 – Ex
B
•
•
•
•
extractions needed
lots of yellow
red bloody gum line on top
brownish gunk between bicuspids
flat tooth near very back
yellow tarter that if flicked with a
sharp fingernail will probably
chunk off
mouth hurts
breath may smell fishy
age of cat: about 8-10 years
extractions needed
lots of yellow
red, inflamed gums
brown “whole” looking place near
gum line
Misshapen canines that point out
instead of down – likely need
extraction
mouth hurts
breath may smell fishy
age of cat: about 8-10 years
Rating 4 – Ex
A
• extractions are obvious
• cat is in discomfort gums may be
bloody
• significant tartar build up
• blackened & diseased teeth can
be seen
Rating 4 – Ex
B
Same as box above
Stomatitis
• turned down at intake
• affects gums, not teeth
• very inflamed gums – swollen,
red, sore looking
• may also affect the fauca – the
muscle joining the upper and
lower jaws in the back of the
mouth
• cat shows great discomfort upon
examination
• no-win situation, no treatment,
nearly impossible to adopt out,
expensive to manage
• can be an issue even for young
adult cats
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