Cats teeth and gums

Question
We have a 4 month old male kitten who has been neutered and has all his shots. We took him in from the alley. His gums are very red and his breath is really bad. We tried to clean his teeth with a q-tip and saline and saw some bleeding. Someone said that this is normal for kittens that are teething. So....is this normal?

Answer
I am guessing that you took him into the vets and had him neutered etc? We do see some kittens that get gingivitis from teething but the gums should not be so red that they bleed.

That worries me that he might have some underlying condition. Have you had him tested for leukemia?  Unfortunately that is one of the symptoms of leukemia or another virus.

However, before you get upset or worried about that, I would just give it a few weeks. He is breaking his 4 month molars right now and will then get his canines in the front around 5-6 months.

Since his gums are bleeding, I would definitely get him tested for the common feline viruses and get some gum wash from the vets that is safe for cats.

The bad breath is from the bacteria that is making the gums red and bleed. That is why it smells.

So you can wait a while and see if they clear up or get him tested now and then you would know.

Any time you find a cat in the "wild" so to speak, they should be tested before anything else is done.