Cat Dental Treats & Dental Care

Cat dental treats exist mostly because very few cats will tolerate having their teeth brushed. That makes the format you choose more important than it is for dogs. Crunchy dental treats such as GREENIES Feline and Bell and Bone Dental Bites rely on the cat actually chewing them — a cat that swallows kibble whole gets little cleaning benefit, so watch how yours eats before committing to a large pack. Powders and sprays sidestep the problem entirely: PlaqueOff powder and Bell and Bone's dental toppers go over the food, so the cat does not have to co-operate.

Keep treats to a small share of daily kilojoules. Cats are small enough that a handful of dental treats a day is a real part of the diet, not an extra, and weight gain undoes more than clean teeth gains. If your cat already has tartar you can see, yellow-brown deposits along the gum line, or is drooling, pawing at its mouth or eating on one side, dental treats will not fix it — feline gingivitis and resorptive lesions are painful and need a vet.

Dental-formula dry food is the other route worth knowing about: the kibble is larger and shaped to break against the tooth rather than shatter. Royal Canin Dental Care and Hill's Science Diet Oral Care sit in the dry cat food range rather than here.

• All pet dental care — toothpaste, brushes, powders and water additives
• Dog dental treats and chews
• All cat treats
• Dry cat food, including dental-formula diets
• GREENIES
• Bell and Bone