When your cat yawns, you might get a brief glimpse at what’s going on in their mouth. After taking a peek, cat owners often ask themselves, “Are my cat’s gums normal?”

Many pet owners underestimate the importance of a pet’s dental health. Since pets can’t speak to us, owners often forget they can fall prey to painful dental diseases, too. It’s easy to overlook your fur baby’s oral hygiene until they develop alarming symptoms you can no longer ignore. But with a little bit of at-home care, pet parents can prevent dental diseases from occurring in the first place.

Most cat ailments tend to fly under the radar. Kitties can’t tell their owners when their teeth hurt, but even if our cats could speak, they’d say nothing anyway! Cats would much rather deal with the pain than reveal their weaknesses to people and other pets. Unfortunately, their deceptiveness means many diseases are often left to fester.

Cats are masters of deception. They hide pain in order to not appear weak, no matter how bad it gets. Unfortunately, the fact that cats hide their pain so well makes it difficult to recognize when they need help. Pet parents can’t just ask their cats what’s wrong! All cats have to do is act natural, and their unsuspecting owners are none the wiser. This is particularly true when it comes to mouth pain in cats.

Every kitten goes through a teething process in their first year of life. Once your cat is fully grown, though, their teeth should stay firmly in their mouths.

At some point, dog owners may notice that their new pups are acting strange. It seems as if, all of a sudden, they’ve decided to chew up everything in the house! Rest assured, your puppy isn’t simply acting out. Puppies need objects to chew on while they teethe.

One untreated health problem often leads into the next, both in humans and in pets. When dogs begin to develop symptoms of a certain disease, their owners might be surprised to learn the real issue isn’t what they expected at all. One common example is the link between periodontal disease and tonsillitis.

Keeping your cat’s teeth and gums healthy is important no matter how old they are. Unfortunately, our feline friends aren’t fond of having a toothbrush and gel used in their mouths. If your kitty refuses to let you brush their teeth, all hope isn’t lost for their oral health! There are a few other methods you can use to protect their teeth.

When is the last time you took a peek under your pup’s lips? You dog’s gums—the tissue that surrounds their teeth—might not be the first place you look if your dog is acting strangely, but they can tell you a surprising amount about your dog’s health!