One of my cats’ breath smells. Bad. Really bad. It always stank a little but now it’s just awful. Cat owners: Is there a cheap and effective way to freshen my cat’s breath? She’s on dry food and gets enough water, but I don’t think she would sit still to let me brush her teeth.
Thanks for the advice.
She probably needs a trip to the vet to have her teeth cleaned. Which is a good idea, because cats can develop all kinds of health problems from having bad teeth and gum disease 
I’ve been told that when a cat’s breath is reallly stinky, you need to take them to the vet to get their teeth cleaned; they may have cavities. I have a sticky breathed cat who also fairly old and I’ve hesitated to take him in because I’m worried about the anesthesia.
Is it possible she might be chomping on some rodents you don’t know about?
If she’s on dry food I can’t imagine why she would have awful breath.
Unless of course you have a bionic nose. 
Yep, she’s probably got some rotting teeth and infected gums. That’s pretty much the only reason a cat’s breath will stink.
'Nother person chiming in about taking your cat to the vet. I cry every time I think about Maya, who we had to put to sleep because her gums had abcessed so badly that reconstructive surgery would’ve had a 25% chance of working.*
So please, get it looked at, if for no other reason than to rule it out.
We rescued her from a squalid situation, and this condition was already present.
You should be. My friend’s older cat woke up dead from a tooth cleaning. She was devastated. She found out at work and had to leave.
You should get the cat checked out by your vet, aside from oral problems really bad breath can also be a sign of uremia, kidney disease. Best to get the cat seen. If it’s just bad teeth they can be cleaned. Be sure to have some pre-anesthetic bloodwork done to be sure the cat can tolerate anesthesia.
In the meantime, those crunchy dental treats with the chlorophyl can help somewhat. And my kitties LOVE them.
Yes, I had a cat with terrible breath - turned out to be blackened teeth (he hated me to look in his mouth, so I had never looked :(). He ended up needing all the teeth on one side pulled. After that, he was fine, but I really really felt like a rotten pet owner for letting it get so bad. My new cat is a Siamese and one year old. I only feed solid food and give crunchy treats and give him teeth cleaning toys to play with and my vet says he will need a cleaning at 2, probably.
Hope your kitty is okay and will get his teeth all cleaned and be presentable for up-close kitty kisses soon!
I agree, take the cat to the vet. I worked for a year and a half as a vet tech and we performed a LOT of dental cleanings on some really nasty pet mouths. It’s amazingly satisfying to get that ultra-sonic guy in there and remove the plaque.
The sooner you get her looked at the better. I’ve seen teeth literally rotting out of cats (and dogs) mouths. I can only imagine how painful that must be. The problem with cats is that they tend to be stoic and you would never know until they stop eating how much their mouths are in trouble. Take her in, get her pre-op bloodwork and chat with your vet about your anesthesia concerns.
Hopefully it’s just plaque but it sounds like she may need an extraction or two, if it’s that rank. But after the procedure you can begin more preventative steps like brushing, oral gels, or even a prescription dental diet. All these things will give your cat a longer life, less pain, fresher breath, and cost you less money in the long run than several long dental procedures with multiple extractions. They add up quickly.
Thanks for your responses, all. I’ll get her to the vet ASAP.
Does anyone know how much money we’re talking about here? I’m a poor student and would make sure that my cats get healthcare before I do, but if we’re talking about thousands of dollars in ultrasounds, cleanings, anesthesia, and surgery, I don’t know if I can afford it.
Depends on what’s needed, as well as what veterinary care costs in your neck of the woods. In my area, a dental cleaning with no extras is around $90 for a cat. Preanesthetic serology may be suggested, especially for older cats.
The most common causes for halitosis other than dental calculus, are: uremia (renal dz), viral ulcers (calici virus), immune mediated disease such as plasmacytic lymphocytic gingivitis, oral tumors.
My cat Orson had appalling breath from the kidney disease, so yeah. Get to a vet.
Definitely not going against the advice here to get all the scary stuff ruled out by a vet, but I did just want to add that my cat’s stink-mouth cleared up almost instantly when I put him on specific oral-care food (which was no more expensive than the regular dry stuff I’d already been giving him).
Again, thanks for the responses, all. I’m bringing both of them in tomorrow at 3pm. Wish Nayumi the best.
Your cat has gingivitis. Antibiotics will cure the bad breath. My cat had breath of dead birds for a long time. We took him in for a teeth cleaning ($$$) and the vet said the teeth are fine, the gums needed antibiotics. Now his breath just smell like cat food.
Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m scared of. He seems to be in great health otherwiase so I dont’ want to risk it.
I know this thread kinda died, but I wanted to let everyone know that I took both cats to the vet today and they both received a perfect bill of health, needing only booster shots and a slight change in feeding habits since they’re a little pudgy. Both cats had “some of the most perfect teeth and gums” the vet had ever seen.
The cause of the bad breath? Probably an allergic reaction to her food. Thanks for the help and support, everyone. 