Dental disease affects the majority of cats over three years old, causing chronic oral pain that owners rarely detect. Preventive care and early treatment are essential for feline welfare.
Feline dental pain is one of the most widespread and underdiagnosed welfare problems in companion animal medicine. A cat that continues eating despite significant dental disease is not demonstrating absence of pain but rather the remarkable stoicism of a prey species that cannot afford to show weakness. Owners who discover at a dental procedure that their cat has multiple tooth resorptions or severe periodontal disease often describe dramatic improvements in behavior and vitality afterward — evidence that the animal had been living with chronic pain that was invisible to everyone. Regular dental examination is not a luxury but a welfare necessity for cats.