While doing my weekly shop I picked up a fishing rod toy for Dylan & Russell (see New editions to the family and Kittens at home and spending time with Family and Friends).
However it wasn’t just an ordinary fishing rod toy, it had a sucker on the end of the stick so that it could be attached to units to dangle freely for the kittens to play. I set it up and stepped back as Dylan started to sniff it. He got his claws on to the toy and started to gnaw on the string. In less than a minute he gnawed through the string and the toy was broke.
I watched in amazement. That’s weird they’ve done that to loads of their fishing rod toys recently. Do cats teeth? I thought. A quick Google search revealed the answer.
Kitten’s teeth between 6-12 months (this is when they loose their kitten teeth and get their adult teeth). This varies from kitten to kitten as they are all individuals and develop at different times. So give or take a month either side. Full marks to me for sussing out what was going on! To help any new kitten owners out and make it easier on the babbies…ahem…kittens I’ve given some signs and symtoms of teething along with ideas to help them teeth below:
Signs and Symptoms
- Inflamed gums (if they’ll let you get close enough to check).
- Rubbing gums on hard surfaces (such as kitchen draw handles).
- Gnawing through the string on fishing rod toys.
- Chewing on electrical wires or anything similar (remember to switch off the electricals when you go out and if possible remove them from the environment).
- Finding small, sharp kitten teeth around the house (I found one after the fishing rod incident).
- Reduction in eating hard food (this must be carefully monitored and remember that if in doubt take to the vets).
Helping your Kittens Teeth
- Give them a cardboard box – Something for them to chew on, relieving the pressure off the gums.
- Give them Whiskas Sticks – A meaty treat but also allows them to chew on this rather than furniture, etc. My kittens love them.
- Provide straws for them to play with/bite (my kittens also love these!)
- Provide wet (or soft) food a few times a week to ensure they are eating and keep an eye on how fast the dry food is being eaten or not.
- Provide a kitten-friendly environment. Move all wires out of the way possible. Those wires that you can’t remove remember to switch off at the plug before you go out (to avoid kitten electrocution) and discourage kittens from going near.
- Consider buying special kitten chew toys. Some people swear by baby teething rings (can’t say that I’ve tried these yet).
- Finally have a read on the Internet for further ideas a good site is All About Cute Kittens and I found this Yahoo Answers site useful.
Blog Soon,
Antony
Sign up to my monthly newsletter:
Hey Ant, sounds like you’ve got your hands full!
Temporary solution to any wires you cant’t hide away: Could you bind em in duct tape? Doesn’t really hide them but adds an extra layer.
Stay cool x
S
Good Idea Sye! I hadn’t thought of duck tape, although I’ve managed to remove most of the wires from the environment.
A x