Dental disease affects the majority of cats over three years old and causes significant chronic pain that is frequently unrecognized by owners and underaddressed in veterinary practice.
Cat dental disease represents a chronic welfare problem of enormous scale. Because cats mask pain so effectively, owners and even veterinarians frequently underestimate the degree of dental suffering in individual cats. A cat continuing to eat despite significant dental disease is not evidence that the cat is comfortable — it is evidence that cats will endure pain to survive. Regular dental examination, followed by professional cleaning and extraction where needed, can dramatically improve quality of life. Cats after dental treatment often show marked improvements in activity, grooming, and social interaction that reveal the extent of prior suffering.