Dental disease affects the majority of cats over three years old and causes chronic oral pain that significantly reduces quality of life, yet it is dramatically undertreated in the companion cat population.
Chronic dental pain is among the most prevalent and undertreated welfare problems in companion cats. Cats evolved to hide pain as a predator survival strategy, so cats with severe dental disease continue eating, playing, and interacting normally while experiencing constant oral discomfort. The only reliable indication of dental pain is often a change in food preferences, reduced grooming of the face, or subtle behaviour changes that owners attribute to normal personality variation. Veterinary dental assessment under anaesthesia, while requiring anaesthetic risk, routinely reveals disease far more extensive than can be seen in a conscious examination. Dental treatment consistently produces visible improvements in cat activity, grooming, and engagement that confirm the relief of previously unrecognised pain.