If you're cat is showing unusual out of character behaviour and has a strange smell like rancid fish she or he may be suffering cat tooth decay.
Mitsy, a 14 year old black and white female cat belonged to a relative. Mitsy started displaying behavioural problems, she wanted to sleep outside more often and was toileting indoors. Her coat was also in poor condition and we wondered if her flea allergy had returned yet, on inspection, found no fleas on the little cat. My relative also noticed Mitsy had a strange smell like rancid fish adding to our confusion as to how to help Mitsy. We feared she was getting old and reluctantly, fearing the worst, took her to the vet.
The vet looked over Mitsy and concluded her heart was strong and he could see no obvious serious health problems. However when I mentioned the other symptom of a strange smell the vet appeared to have a light bulb moment. He inspected Mitsy's mouth and found the problem - cat tooth decay.
Mitsy stayed at the vets overnight and I collected her the next day with the slightly shocking news that all of her teeth had been removed. Mitsy didn't seem too concerned though the vet gave her a shot of strong pain killers and she seemed very happy to be back home. Her diet for a few days was wet mushy cat food as per vets orders.
The difference in Mitsy from what must have been a very painful period was remarkable all the strange behavioural issues stopped, she uses her litter tray, mooches around my relatives home quite happily and her coat is shiny again. Mitsy doesn't seem bothered over her lack of teeth at all in fact her calls for food even seem a little louder and bolder than they once were.
Cat tooth decay is very distressing and the signs aren't always easy to spot but in this case the rancid smell was a clear indicator of a treatable problem. If you have any tips for detecting cat tooth decay in cats please do comment below.
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