Dental disease is the most common health problem in cats, affecting an estimated 70-80% of cats over age three. Chronic oral pain from periodontal disease, tooth resorption, and gingivitis is widespread yet largely invisible to owners.
Feline dental disease represents perhaps the largest single source of unrecognized chronic pain in companion animals. The scale - affecting the majority of cats over age three - means billions of cats worldwide are experiencing daily oral pain that their owners cannot detect and the cats cannot communicate. The survival imperative to eat regardless of pain means even severe dental disease does not cause cats to stop eating, hiding the suffering entirely from owners. Dental extractions - often the only effective treatment for advanced disease - require general anesthesia, which many owners fear or cannot afford. The result is a massive welfare burden that is normalized as 'just getting older' rather than recognized as treatable suffering.