Ziggy has been teething for the past week and a little off his usual food. He has also been sucking on the fringes of my beloved Himalaya blanket. Strangely, Fluffy also liked to suck on that blanket’s fringe when he was teething. It must be soothing.
Today his one baby canine fell out into my hand.
When I shared the news (yes I am a weirdo), many people said they did not realise that cats teethed or lost baby/milk teeth.
They do teethe but are never without canines – a survival thing I guess, as is the fact that they do not outwardly show any pain or discomfort while teething, meaning that most people don’t ever notice.
The two sets of teeth are side by side for a short time, like this.
Sometimes the baby teeth are retained – so-called ‘retained deciduous teeth’ and have to be removed by a vet.
Usually cats swallow their baby teeth, but I have found a couple in my bed over the years. This is the first time a cat has ever brought me one!
Incidentally as you can see
- tooth is a singular noun
- teeth is a plural noun
- teething can be a noun or an adjective (teething problems)
- teethe is the verb (to teethe)
I knew about puppies and teething and I discovered (painfully) that my kitten, Furryosa, also teethed… I discovered it one day when she was chewing my arm and I found the tooth ON MY ARM… My daughter asked me if the tooth fairy was going to come for the kitten too… I had to draw what she looked like and FIY, she has the most beautiful golden fur there is!… 😉
What a lovely name for a kitten.
Thank you! The most incredible thing was that my husband actually agreed!… And the name suits her like a glove. She’s a true fighter and a formidable huntress.
Wow l have cats for many years and l usually get them when they are about six weeks old and l never noticed they teethed!
Thank you for the information, Janet! I’ll pay more attention next time l have a kitten 😊