Dental disease causes chronic hidden pain in cats. Understanding the scale of the problem and the welfare impact of appropriate treatment helps owners prioritise oral health.
The welfare gap between dental disease prevalence and treatment rates in cats is striking. Most cats have significant dental disease; a minority receive regular professional dental treatment. The gap is explained by owner perception that cats without obvious signs are not suffering, when the evidence strongly suggests they are. Post-treatment owner reports of behavioural transformation — increased playfulness, improved appetite, more affectionate behaviour — indicate that pre-treatment cats were experiencing chronic pain that significantly reduced their quality of life and was invisible to their owners. Each year of untreated dental disease is a year of welfare compromise. Proactive dental examination and treatment as part of routine preventive care is the welfare-positive approach.