Companion Animals

Cat Tooth Resorption: A Painful Feline Dental Disease

Feline tooth resorption is a painful progressive destruction of tooth structure affecting a large proportion of domestic cats.

Key Facts

Tooth resorption affects an estimated 30 to 70 percent of domestic cats
The cause is unknown despite decades of research
Affected teeth develop painful lesions at the gum line that can progress to root loss
Most cats show no obvious signs of pain despite having severely affected teeth
The only treatment is extraction of affected teeth

Welfare Considerations

Cats with tooth resorption experience chronic pain that is often hidden due to their instinct to mask vulnerability. Examination under anesthesia with dental X-rays is the only way to accurately assess the extent of disease. Extraction of affected teeth immediately relieves pain and dramatically improves quality of life.

What You Can Do

Schedule annual dental examinations with X-rays for your cat
Do not assume a cat with bad breath is pain-free
Consent to extraction of teeth with resorptive lesions
Monitor for behavioral changes that may indicate oral pain
Seek veterinary dental referral for complex dental disease cases