Today, I’m letting the staff take over the blog because she has an important message for y’all. The only reason I’m letting her do this is a) it involves tuna juice and b) you guys get a chance to win a prize from Q-tips® at the end of the post.
Thanks, Romeo. Caroline here. One of the most important things you can do for your cat’s health is to take care of his teeth.
Regular visits to the vet for a cleaning is imperative. Most vets say once a year and some even recommend twice a year.
Periodontal disease, caused by a build up of plaque, can first lead to gingivitis (painful inflammation of gums) and over time, bacteria and infection can lead to more major health issues.
In between cleanings by the vet, brushing your cat’s teeth can go a long way in helping keep plaque build up to a minimum.
You might laugh at the idea of your cat letting you brush his teeth but if you can do it, you should try. Brushing every day is ideal but anything is good.
You can use a cat toothbrush, dental wipes, your finger or…. even a Q-tip!
Below is a video that demonstrates how to do this but it’s pretty easy if your cat is willing.
If your cat is willing.
One way to make your cat more willing is to dip your Q-tip in tuna juice. The key here is to scrape off the plaque from your cat’s teeth so anything that makes it easier to get in there to provide that extra friction is good!
Remember, take your cat to the vet for regular dental care and do your best in between visits to do as much brushing as you can.
And, guess what? We’re giving away a $50 Petco gift card, courtesy of our friends at Q-tips® ! All you have to do is visit the Q-tips® Facebook page and tell me in the comments below what new tip for using Q-tips® that you learned there.
Leave a comment by Thursday, August 16 at Noon, EST to enter.
Good luck and thanks for participating!
As you probably guessed, this is a sponsored post. We received Q-tips® product from Unilever, the makers of Q-tips® and compensation for sharing this info with you….but our tips are our own and we LOVE Q-tips in our household so are happy to promote them here!
{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh, and I was wondering whether anybody else uses Plaque Off? I’ve read mixed reviews and I’m not sure that Clarence would eat his food with that sprinkled on top, but I guess I could give it a try. Thanks
Thanks for the video. I’ve struggled with a cat toothbrush thing on the end of my finger, but Clarence would never let me get near his teeth. I know that I have to try again, because dental health is so important. I’ll give Q-Tips a try!
Q-tips in a styrofoam ball to make a creature made me laugh. I haven’t tried them as a toy for my 18-year old cat, but I will tonight!
I learned some adorable craft ideas and tips. The Q-tip sheep was soooo cute!!
Thank you so much! I did not think about using Q-tips for my teeth. I also learned and what a great idea for cleaning my keyboard.
make hair plugs, sheep fur, a porcupine…pair them up with popsicle sticks for unlimited crafting
oliviatheservicedog at hotmail dot com
The craft making the sheep out of q tips is a cute idea
I learned to use a little tuna juice on your q-tip. Terrific tip, I’ve never been able to brush my cat’s teeth so easily before, wished I’d thought of that sooner.
You know, I went over there and I looked and looked…even went on to go to the Q-tip tip jar…and could not find any uses that are new to me. For years I have been using Q-tips for cleaning purposes whenever there is a spot that is small and hard to reach. As well as for purposes when a delicate touch is needed,…whether it be adding a small dab of glue somewhere or fixing nail polish or treating my pet’s wound.
But I did learn something from this page as far as cleaning my cat’s teeth that I am going to give a try…and I bet using the tuna juice will definitely (and finally) do the trick. Thanks, I appreciate it!
Loved the craft ideas, I’ve used q-tips to clean my key board, Prudie’s ears and to clean a mascara smear!
I learned you could use q-tips to clean in between the keys on a computer keyboard. I am going to try this-thanks!
I visited the Q-Tips page, and here’s a tip that I hadn’t thought of:
Keep a Better Cordless Phone Charge
Help your cordless phone keep its charge. Clean the battery contacts of your cordless phone with a Q-tips® cotton swab or Q-tips® Precision Tip™ dipped in alcohol. This helps maintain a good connection between the battery and the cordless device.
Wow! I did not realize Qtips had a FB page! Some of the craft ideas looked super fun & easy for kids!
I learned that they are great for touching up nails when putting on polish.
Thanks for the chance to win!
gina.m.maddox (at) gmail (dot) com
This is a great tip! Thanks!
I like the idea of using qtips to clean between the keys on my keyboard.
You can use Q-Tips to gently remove that icky unidentifiable stuff that sometimes appears to be stuck between your dog’s toes.
Dusting the air conditioner vents — great idea!
Clean the keyboard
I thought the craft ideas are great. These could be used at Vacation Bible School, rainy days at school, fun time with grand-kids, and many other similar opportunities.
To clean a computer keyboard.
Our mom never thought about using the Q-Tips for brushing our teeth. We went to the facebook page and discovered Q-Tips can be used as mini dusters on the computer keyboard.
Our mom said she never thought of using Q-tip to try and brush our teefs. She’s gonna try that…but we’re not sure we’re gonna let her!!
I learned you can use them to apply eyeshadow.
Thanks for the Awesome giveaway,Romeo!
2dogs5catscrew@att.net
We’re kind of floored at the crafts idea. Jan is not craftsy so it never occurred to us we could have used Q-tips to make a picture of Jan for the draw a picture of your human pet Olympics.
I learned to use them to clean the computer keyboard but I use them a lot on the car dash/ cupboard cleaning.
The video is great. I seriously doubt whether these kitties would let me do that. I can barely pick them up. But it is a great idea.
Cleaning the vents in the car. What a great idea!
To clean air conditioning vents!
Does it count if I learned to let my kitties play with Q-tips? I never thought of that and I don’t recall them playing with them before…maybe if I do that, they’ll let me “play” with them while I clean their teeth?
I never thought about using Q-Tips to clean my keyboard! It’s seems so obvious… guess I just needed it spelled out! My two kitties, Mia and Emma, always steal my Q-Tips. They go completely crazy playing with them!
how about a new use for q-tips that I’m sure is not mentioned ANYWHERE else??
http://www.kittyblog.net/2012/08/ok-then.html