Teeth cleaning during play (Petstages Cat Toys Dental Health Chews)

Member Name: Tracy_1127

Product:	Petstages Cat Toys Dental Health Chews
Date:	16/10/08 (52 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: clean teeth, interesting due to catnip, for all size cats, cheap

Disadvantages: getting the cat to chew

Following on from my other cat toy review these dental chews are also somethng I bought to keep my boys entertained. The pack cost £2.99 from zooplus.co.uk and contains two toys.

They look exactly as the picture, one in a loop shape and the other a triangle with little tassles on the edges. They are actually very small, something I was aware of as I'd read a review about them before purchasing, each one is about 5cm long and light so small enough for cats of all sizes, including kittens.

The toys are impregnated with catnip and the difference between these and bog standard catnip toys is the mesh covering. Each shape has a coating of mesh that just feels like it's made out of thick cotton. You can see the mesh in the picture, it's the yellow pattern on the toys.

The idea is the cats play with these and when they chew them the mesh helps remove plaque and tartar from their teeth so they are a way to help keep their teeth healthy without having to resort to pastes and brushes.

They come attached to a card and you snip the plastic attachments off to release them.

I offered these to my two and one immediately took one, licked it then chewed it so result! The other wanted to rub his cheek against one while I held it and I noticed as we did this it was rubbing against the sides of his teeth, some evidence of this was the fact a tiny piece of chicken he had stuck in there fell onto the floor so they obviously work. He has since had a few plays with them by himself too.

I think you could safely wipe these if they got any plaque on the mesh and of course you can refresh the catnip by using the spray you can buy or rubbing fresh leaves on the outsides to keep them interested.

The only problem with these is getting the cat to chew them, cats aren't much for chewing toys, unlike dogs, and tend to use more claw action but I've found my two will have a bit of a nibble so hopefully this will help their teeth.

They advise you supervise your cats while they play with these but I tend to supervise mine when they play with anything except their old favourites which I know are prefectly safe. The mesh would be extremely hard to pull off but there's always a chance they could do it given time so if they do the toy needs replacing but I don't think it's likely many cats would achieve this, all layers are tightly attached to each other and the toy.

A great idea to help with dental issues without your cats realising. Recommended.

Summary: Recommended in the fight against dental disease