Your kitten is in the throes of teething right now. Maybe you’ve noticed them biting your hands more, or perhaps their toys are looking a little worse for wear.
By 5 months of age, most kittens have some of their adult teeth. This usually starts with the incisors (the teeth at the front of the mouth) as early as 3 months, the canines (fangs) at around 5 months and the premolars and molars (teeth at the back of the mouth) between 4 and 7 months. That means you have 2 to 3 months of teething joy as your kitten goes from 26 baby teeth to 30 permanent teeth! For some kittens, chewing behaviors may persist for several months after their adult teeth have grown in.
A couple of important notes for you:
- You may find baby teeth on the floor. You also might not. Kittens swallowing their own teeth is very common and harmless.
- A small amount of bleeding is okay. You may not notice it at all, but if you see a little red staining on a chew toy, know that this is usually fine. If you’re concerned by what you’re seeing, make sure to reach out to your VCA care team or download the myVCA™ app and Live Chat* with a licensed veterinary professional 24/7.
Chewing at this age is natural. You don’t want to discourage all chewing, but it’s important to direct your kitten toward acceptable items.
What’s not acceptable? Obviously, electric cords that carry the risk of electric shock. But perhaps less obviously, your hands and feet. It may be cute to let your kitten get mouthy with your hands, but you shouldn’t let them. We don’t want your kitten learning that putting people’s hands in their mouth is a good thing to do. It won’t be as fun when they have a full set of sharp pearly whites!
When it comes to safe chew toys, you generally want to avoid anything extremely hard, such as nylon. You run the risk of fracturing your kitten’s nice new teeth! Instead, choose chew toys that have a little bend or that you can indent with a fingernail. Soft, mouse-like toys are acceptable for cat teething. You can also freeze toys and treats to help alleviate inflammation and discomfort, similar to how people freeze teething toys for babies.
If you find your kitten chewing something they shouldn’t, we recommend redirecting them to an appropriate object and then rewarding them with praise and/or treats when they begin to chew on it. Giving your kitten plenty of appropriate items to chew on may reduce how much they chew on other items (or people) in your home.
Any item your kitten chews could become dangerous if they bite off parts and swallow them. These items could block their intestines or get caught in their throat. Make sure your kitten is supervised while chewing on toys. If you notice a toy is breaking apart or pieces are missing, it’s time to trash it.
Keep your kitten’s new adult teeth healthy and clean with a oral health routine.
*Live Chat with a licensed veterinary professional is free for VCA clients through the myVCA™ mobile app, available at Apple’s App Store and Google Play.
