What Age Do Kittens Lose Teeth
Around 4 7 months of age permanent adult teeth will start replacing the baby teeth.
What age do kittens lose teeth. By the time a kitten is about six to seven months old the adult teeth should be in. However this is not a hard and fast rule. At around six months of age most cats should have lost their baby teeth to make way for their adult teeth. Some kittens may lose their baby teeth earlier and some may lag behind a bit.
Kittens start losing their baby teeth around 9 weeks of age and from that time until their adult teeth are fully grown in at 5 to 6 months you can count on lots of chewing action. Teething durations can vary but typically kittens lose teeth between 3 and 9 months old. This is when the majority of cat teething issues begin. Three upper and three lower incisors on each side one upper and one lower canine on each side and three upper and two lower premolars on each side.
By this time the majority of the permanent teeth should have erupted provided there are no complications. At about two months of age the entire first set of teeth 26 baby teeth will have erupted. Retained deciduous teeth should be surgically extracted once they are discovered to avoid dental problems. A few weeks later or as early as 3 months old these baby or milk teeth may start coming out as adult teeth start growing in.
However the kitten teething process does not end here. Just like with human children the timeline for losing kitten teeth is pretty flexible. If your kitten has all 26 of her baby teeth in place she is likely between the ages of 6 weeks and 3 months. Most kittens lose their baby teeth between the ages of 6 and 9 months.
Kittens lose these baby teeth shortly after their eruption as they are only the temporary deciduous teeth that are meant to be replaced with permanent adult set of teeth. They may chew on items more frequently to counter the discomfort they feel of emerging or loosening teeth. You may never even see the teeth as your kitten loses them as they are often lost during mealtime or through play. As cats go through teething the number of their teeth changes.
Kittens should have all their 26 baby teeth erupted by the age of 6 to 8 weeks while adult cats have 30 permanent teeth approximately at the age of 6 to 7 months. Long before their first birthday your growing kitten should have 30 permanent teeth. Although the timing varies between animals as much as it does among humans the average kitten will have lost all her baby teeth by between 6 and 9 months old. However if there are a number of teeth missing once your kitten reaches nine or ten weeks you may want to contact your vet to check everything is okay.
Sometimes the kitten teeth fail to fall out and it continues to occupy space where only the adult teeth should be. Retained deciduous teeth. Barring injury or oral disease these should keep your kitty chewing into old age. The deciduous teeth begin to fall out and be replaced by permanent teeth starting at around 11 weeks of age.