Just as humans can develop health problems because of infections of the mouth, our beloved pets can, too.

Middle aged and older cats are more susceptible than young ones, because their teeth have had longer to deteriorate, especially if they have not had proper care or adequate nutrition.

Although many veterinarians and other pet care experts recommend feeding primarily dry kibble style foods, presumably to keep the teeth "brushed," so to speak, it is a complete myth.

One look at a cat's teeth will tell you why.

There are no flat molar teeth, which you will see with omnivores... animals whose diets include the widest variety of food items. No, a cat's teeth all have sharp edges, and some are pointed, like spikes or claws. Those are the "fangs," technically known as incisors. The primary use of cat teeth is shredding and tearing... not grinding. That's because cats are "obligate carnivores," that is, they are "obligated" by Nature to be meat eaters. Not kibble eaters, not grain eaters, not even canned food eaters.

Just watch a cat eating dry food. A lot of it is swallowed whole. Some of it is crunched, maybe once, and they swallow the particles when each kibble bit shatters. It simply does not scrape the teeth.

Soft, or canned food is too soft and is best used as a treat item. For one thing, it's cooked. It does nothing for dental health, and some products may even be deficient in some nutrients found only in a raw diet.

Humans have created pet foods as a convenience to themselves, and not always as the best quality for their pets. It's pretty messy to cut up carcasses for Precious and Fluffy, who are supposed to be domesticated, cultured kitties, lying around the house, cool, calm and collected. It just isn't "civilized" to be tearing into small animals like little barbarians. The whole idea assaults OUR sensibilities, not theirs.

So, if Nature created their digestive systems to require that kind of diet, why have we been trying to tame it out of them? It's because we can't stand it.

But the fact remains that Fluffy still has to eat some real meat to meet feline dietary requirements, which, because of the way he was created, are not even his idea.

If you can't stand to feed your kitties some raw meat now and then, along with raw bones to give them something to really chew on to strengthen their jaw muscles and that really do clean their teeth, then you need to resort to alternatives.

These alternatives involve YOU cleaning their teeth for them. You have to brush their teeth! Ask a vet to show you how. (Don't use a human tooth brush, unless you use a small one with softer bristles, and NEVER use human tooth paste.)

You also can obtain products that help, such as chewy toys for cats, and some chewy treats made specifically for this purpose.

And lastly, it doesn't hurt to provide some kitty vitamins to be sure their nutritional needs are met if you just can't do the raw meat thing.