Love Your Pet. Take Them to The Vet.

Kittens, like humans, grow in multiple sets of teeth over the course of their lives. First come the kitten teeth, or milk teeth, which get a kitten through the early days of its life. Then come the adult teeth. If your kitten is starting to gain its adult teeth, here's what you need to know in order to get them through their teething.

Don't Be Alarmed

Many pet owners don't know this, but when kittens' adult teeth start to come in, they lose their baby teeth the same way that humans do. In other words, they fall out! While most kitten teeth get lost in food and sometimes even eaten (don't worry - it won't harm your kitten), other times, pet owners can find them lying around. Don't be alarmed by this. It's a perfectly natural process and all you need to do is to dispose of the tooth.

Soft and Hard Foods

If you've ever gotten a child through teething, you already know that it can be an uncomfortable process. When your kitten is going through it, it's best to offer them both hard food (kibble) and wet food.

The reason for this is two-fold. Kibble will help their teeth to come in more quickly, as the hard, chewy quality of kibble encourages the teeth to break through the gums as your kitten is chewing it. But on the other hand, this can be somewhat painful for a kitten, and they may not want to eat their hard food as a result. This is why it's best to offer them both wet and dry food so that they can choose which is more enjoyable to them.

When to Consult With Vet

Most kittens will grow in their adult teeth without any intervention needed from their owners, but sometimes, things can go wrong. If your kitten seems to be in pain or is experiencing noticeable bleeding from the mouth, you need to seek medical attention right away. This could indicate that a tooth is coming in the wrong way or that it's impacted. If this happens, a vet will need to help by extracting the tooth or opening up the gums so that it can move in as it's supposed to.

Going through the phase where a kitten becomes a cat can bring a lot of questions with it. It's a good idea to see your vet for regular check-ups during this time, so feel free to bring any extra questions to them.

To learn more, contact a veterinarian.