bad teeth on a 6 mons old cat

Question
I noticed that my cat of 5-6 months has brown stained teeth and one of them has a bad crack that I can actually put my finger nail in. I do know that these teeth are not his permanent & will be falling out but is there any concern for any other diseases or medical problems?  I also checked his gum lines & they are a little red & seem irritated. I would like to get some more info on this before I bring him in to the vet & spend money that I really don't have.  Thank you for any advice.  Debby G

Answer
Brown stained teeth on a 6 month old cat usually means that the mother cat had taken some kind of antibiotic while she was pregnant. Kittens should never have teeth that look like what you are describing.

Their baby teeth are pure white, pointed and very slender. Cracked and broken teeth at this age is a sign of something not being right.

This type of gingivitis at this age is also not common unless the cat is teething. Cats lose their back molars at 4 months and their canines at 6 months- so the only teeth this cat should be losing are his canines.

This cat needs to be seen by a vet and tested for leukemia and have these teeth looked at soon. He should have already been vaccinated and hopefully tested at this age so all he needs is his teeth looked at.

Bad teeth like this need to be taken care of before worse things happen to his mouth. Bad teeth at any age bring in a host of organ diseases, such as kidney, heart and liver failure.

Call your vet and make an appointment soon.