Dental disease affects the majority of adult cats and causes chronic pain that owners often fail to recognise, making prevention and early treatment critical welfare priorities.
Feline dental disease represents a vast reservoir of unrecognised chronic suffering in the companion cat population. The stoic nature of cats, who evolved to conceal pain as a survival strategy, means that dental pain commonly goes unnoticed until disease is advanced. By the time a cat shows obvious signs of oral pain such as dropping food or pawing at the mouth, significant damage has typically already occurred. The welfare implications of chronic oral pain over months or years of a cat life are severe but invisible in everyday interaction. Prevention through dental hygiene is straightforward in principle but requires owner commitment and early habituation training. Regular professional dental assessment allows early intervention that prevents much of the suffering that develops in untreated populations.