brushing a senior cat with arthritis

I am reaching out because I am at my wit's end with Milo's dental care. He is a 12-year-old tuxedo with hip arthritis that has gotten worse over the last six months. I have written up the full history of his vet visits and what we have tried so far in Milo's dental checkup and what the vet said, so I will not repeat it here, but the bottom line is that his teeth need daily attention to prevent further disease.

The problem is that when I try to brush his teeth, his hind legs go numb from the pressure and positioning, and he becomes very stressed. I tried using finger cots, but he just bites down on my finger, which is painful and stops the session immediately. I know he needs this, but I do not want to cause him pain or make him associate me with stress. Has anyone found a way to brush a senior cat's teeth without aggravating their joints or causing them to bite?

Hi Patti. I am sorry you are dealing with this. It sounds like the biting is a reaction to the pain in his hips, not just bad behavior. I had a similar issue with my black cat Shadow when he was 10, and we had to completely change our approach. I would recommend looking at Cat bites my finger when I try to brush his teeth which has some good tips on desensitization, but specifically for the joint pain, you might want to check Dealing with hip pain in my older cats.

One thing that worked for us was using a soft silicone brush rather than a toothbrush or cot. It is less likely to trigger a bite reflex because it does not feel like a foreign object in the mouth. Also, if he is on any pain management, make sure you are brushing right after his medication kicks in. That was a huge difference for us.

@slong Thank you for the reply. I am currently managing his pain with a low-dose NSAID that his vet prescribed, so I am already brushing after the medication. I did try a soft silicone brush, but it still takes too long, and his legs start to cramp up after about two minutes. I am worried that if I stop, his tartar will build up again. Is there a way to make the session shorter or less physically demanding for him?

Patti, I foster a lot of senior cats, and dental care is one of the biggest hurdles. I think you are overthinking the "full brushing" part. For a cat with arthritis, you do not need to scrub every tooth for ten minutes. The goal is just to get the gel on the back of the front teeth, where the tartar builds up the fastest.

I use a specific vet-prescribed gel that tastes like chicken to my cats, and I just use my finger or a very soft brush to smear it on. It takes about 30 seconds. I wrote about this in What actually works for brushing a senior cat's teeth? which comes out later this week, but the short version is: less time, more frequent, and focus on the back teeth. If he is in pain, stop immediately and try again tomorrow. Consistency is more important than duration.

I am an architect, so I think about space and support a lot. When I handle my cats, Whiskey and Cola, I make sure they are on a non-slip surface. A yoga mat on a table or counter can help a lot with stability. If Milo is slipping or shifting to get comfortable, his hips are working harder.

Also, consider a support pillow or a folded towel to prop up his hindquarters. This takes the weight off his joints so he does not have to brace himself. I used this for Dealing with hip pain in my older cats with my brown tabby, and it made a huge difference in how long I could hold him for.

Oh Patti, I am so sorry you are struggling with this. My Mittens has arthritis too, and she hates any kind of handling. I know you are doing the right thing by trying to help him. I think @fourrescues is right that you do not need to spend forever on it. Just a little bit every day is better than nothing. Keep trying, and do not be too hard on yourself. :)

Thank you all for the suggestions. I will try the non-slip surface and the support pillow idea from @greg_walsh, and I will definitely switch to the shorter 30-second smear method from @fourrescues. I feel less stressed thinking about it now. I will let you know if it works better for Milo.