Dental disease affects over 70% of cats by age three, causing chronic pain that owners often do not recognize. Proactive dental care is one of the highest-impact welfare interventions available to cat owners.
Feline dental disease represents one of the most widespread and underdiagnosed sources of chronic suffering in companion animals. Because cats evolved as prey animals that conceal vulnerability, they rarely show overt signs of dental pain until disease is advanced. Owners interacting daily with their cat may notice nothing unusual while their pet experiences persistent oral pain equivalent to a severe toothache. Veterinary dental examinations under anesthesia frequently reveal multiple diseased teeth requiring extraction in cats whose owners believed them to be healthy. The welfare case for routine dental care is compelling: treatment of dental disease reliably improves quality of life, activity levels, and behavioral indicators of positive welfare in affected cats.