Cat dental chart, 30 teeth and the one that hides hidden pain

An adult cat has 30 teeth. A kitten has 26. Cats are obligate carnivores, their teeth reflect that, with sharp shearing edges and no flat grinding surfaces. Below: a visual chart of the cat mouth, the kitten teething timeline, and the dental problems cats are most prone to. One of which is hidden, painful, and present in up to 70% of adult cats. Worth knowing.

How many teeth does a cat have?

Adult cats have 30 permanent teeth. Kittens start with 26 deciduous teeth. Cats have fewer teeth than dogs because cats lack the third molars dogs have, and they have fewer premolars on the lower jaw.

• 12 incisors, 6 upper, 6 lower
• 4 canines, the long, sharp fangs
• 10 premolars, 6 upper, 4 lower
• 4 molars, 2 upper, 2 lower

Cat dental anatomy

Incisors

The small front teeth between the canines. Six upper, six lower. Cats use incisors for tiny grooming nibbles, picking up small pieces of food, and pulling meat from bones in the wild. (Or pulling kibble out of the bowl one piece at a time, theatrically.)

Canines

The four long, pointed fangs. Two upper and two lower. The most distinctive cat teeth, used for catching prey, defence, and tearing food. Cat canines are slender and sharp compared to a dog's.

Premolars

Behind the canines. Three upper and two lower on each side. Used for shearing food. The fourth upper premolar is the carnassial, the largest premolar, designed for slicing through meat.

Molars

One on each side, top and bottom, only four total. Cats are obligate carnivores and don't grind plant matter, so they don't need many molars. (Why they still steal vegetables off your plate is a separate mystery.)

Kitten teeth timeline

Kittens are born without teeth. Deciduous teeth come through over the first 6 weeks; adult teeth replace them between months 3 and 6.

You'll often miss baby teeth falling out, kittens swallow most of them. Mild bleeding from the gums during teething is normal. Many kittens are desexed (see desexing costs) at 4 to 6 months, and your vet will check for retained baby teeth at that visit.

Common dental issues in cats

Tooth resorption (FORL)

Feline Odontoclastic Resorptive Lesions (FORL), sometimes called feline tooth resorption, affect about 30 to 70% of adult cats. The body progressively breaks down the tooth structure, often starting at the gum line. Resorption is exquisitely painful but cats are masters at hiding pain, so most owners don't notice until a vet examines the mouth or notices the cat reluctant to eat hard food.

FORL is most often diagnosed during a professional dental cleaning with x-rays. Treatment is extraction of the affected tooth, there's no way to save a resorbing tooth. After extraction, cats typically eat better and become more sociable, even though owners hadn't noticed there was an issue. (You realise, in retrospect, the cat had been quietly furious for years.)

Periodontal disease

Plaque and tartar at the gum line cause gingivitis and progressive bone loss around the tooth roots. Same disease as dogs and humans, slightly different patterns in cats. Daily home care and annual vet checks are the prevention plan.

Gingivostomatitis

A severe inflammation of the gums and oral tissues. Cats with gingivostomatitis have very red, painful, sometimes ulcerated mouths. The cause is likely an immune over-reaction to plaque bacteria. Treatment often involves removing most or all of the back teeth, drastic but life-changing for affected cats.

Fractured canines

Cats break canine teeth from falls, fights and chewing on hard objects. A fractured canine with pulp exposure is painful and requires extraction or root canal treatment.

Signs of dental pain in cats

Cats are extremely good at hiding pain. The signs are subtle, and most are dismissed as "just getting older" until proper dental work transforms the cat. Watch for:

• Reluctance to eat dry food, preference for soft
• Chewing on one side of the mouth
• Dropping food or eating with head tilted
• Drooling, sometimes blood-tinged
• Bad breath (almost always means dental disease)
• Pawing at the face or rubbing one side of the mouth on furniture
• Withdrawing from social interaction or grooming
• Weight loss without obvious cause
• Changes in vocalisation, particularly when eating

If your cat shows any of these, schedule a dental check. Many cat owners have been astonished at the personality change after dental treatment, quieter, calmer cats becoming social and playful again because the chronic pain is finally gone. (If your senior cat suddenly hates the world, it's worth checking their mouth before deciding it's just personality.)

Same principles apply for dogs, see the dog dental chart and cat vomiting guides for related concerns.

30 teeth, half of them invisible to the casual look, all of them capable of hiding pain. Annual vet checks should always include a thorough mouth examination, that's where most cat dental disease is found. Information here is general; your cat's individual mouth may have variations and any dental concern should be assessed by a registered veterinarian.