Do Kittens Lose Their Teeth
Not all cats teeth grow at the same rate.
Do kittens lose their teeth. Teeth can start coming in within a few weeks of birth. This is when the majority of cat teething issues begin. Just like puppies kittens lose their baby teeth. At around six months of age most cats should have lost their baby teeth to make way for their adult teeth.
Although the timing varies between animals as much as it does among humans the average kitten will have lost all her baby teeth by between 6 and 9 months old. The new teeth that are beginning to poke through will replace the baby teeth and will be the final set of teeth your cat will have so. Kittens do indeed lose all of their 26 baby teeth just like human children lose their baby teeth the aspca indicates. The kitten s baby teeth are the cat s first set of teeth which erupt around the third week.
While this process usually poses little to no difficulty for a kitten it s good to be aware that the transition is taking place. Sometimes the kitten teeth fail to fall out and it continues to occupy space where only the adult teeth should be. By this time the majority of the permanent teeth should have erupted provided there are no complications. A kitten generally starts losing teeth at 3 months around the time her adult incisors begin to slowly grow in.
Kittens begin to lose their baby teeth around 3 4 months of age to make room for the larger adult or permanent teeth. You may never even see the teeth as your kitten loses them as they are often lost during mealtime or through play. As these teeth grow the mother may experience discomfort when nursing and start weaning the kittens. Long before their first birthday your growing kitten should have 30 permanent teeth.
By the time a kitten is about six to seven months old the adult teeth should be in. The incisors are followed by adult molar premolar and canine teeth. When deciduous kitten teeth don t fall out to make way for the permanent teeth they are called retained deciduous teeth. Retained deciduous teeth should be surgically extracted once they are discovered to avoid dental problems.
Around 4 7 months of age permanent adult teeth will start replacing the baby teeth. Retained deciduous teeth. Most cat owners won t even notice a kitten has lost his tooth it is often lost in the home or swallowed. That way you can watch for any problems such as sore gums or retained baby teeth and address them as needed.
Kittens start losing their baby teeth around 9 weeks of age and from that time until their adult teeth are fully grown in at 5 to 6 months you can count on lots of chewing action. Kittens lose their teeth as a normal part of their development. This is the time when the second phase of teething begins.