RE: Bad Breath

[2cats2many]

My female cat has really bad breath. It has gotten worse in the last year or so. I have tried checking out her gums and teeth but that is almost as hard as giving her a bath.

[debfife]

Usually bad breath is caused by tartar build up on teeth or a stomach issue.
I would have the vet check her teeth. She might need to have her teeth scaled. If the teeth need to be scaled and you choose not to do it, it can lead to other issues, liver/heart damage.

[vfrohloff]

How old is she and what do you feed her?

[2cats2many]

She is around 9 or 10 years old. I used to feed her purina cat chow but then I heard it was bad. For the past two years I have been feeding them Actrium, hairball formula. Sometimes I switch it to the less active formula.

[vfrohloff]

I would take her to the vet and see if her teeth need cleaning. I would also switch her food. Actrium is no better than Purina cat chow. Try looking into a better food like Felidae. You will have to go to a pet store for this, good pet food is not sold at Wal-Mart. It may seem more expensive at first, but it is cheaper in the long run because she will eat less of it and your vet bills (for such things as teeth cleaning) will be greatly reduced. Check out the dog and cat food forum here, there's lots of great info.