Senior cats face increasing dental disease burden that compounds other age-related health challenges. Proactive dental care is essential for maintaining quality of life in aging cats.
Dental welfare in senior cats requires navigating the genuine tension between the welfare benefit of treating painful dental disease and the anesthetic risk associated with concurrent age-related organ decline. This tension is often resolved incorrectly — owners and sometimes veterinarians defer dental treatment indefinitely due to anesthesia concerns, leaving senior cats in chronic dental pain. Modern pre-anesthetic screening including blood work and blood pressure measurement identifies manageable risk factors, and skilled veterinary anesthesia can safely manage senior cats. The welfare calculus usually favors treatment: chronic dental pain is severe and prolonged, while anesthetic risk, though real, can be minimized with appropriate preparation. Dental radiography, essential for detecting tooth resorption and root pathology, should be standard in senior feline dental assessment.