Thank you! That was a very detailed (and helpful!) reply
I already have a pet insurance policy for the resident kitty, which I got pretty much the moment I turned 18 and was able to sign the contract (I got the cat in Feb last year and turned 18 that march). I went for one that covers 90% with a $0 excess that covers dental and has GapOnly, because the idea that he might end up in some emergency I couldn't pay for was pretty painful to me. Fairly affordable since he's still a young buck. They do have an age cutoff (7 or 8 years from memory) for entering into a new policy, but they'll keep covering him as long as I keep paying. I think it's around the young double digits where they start charging exorbitant prices.
teethbrushing
I've been meaning to get onto the teethbrushing. At his last checkup, the vet said there was some minor gingivitis but didn't seem particularly concerned. Do you have any suggestions on toothpastes? I remember when I was researching it coming across an american company that makes pet toothbrushes and was working on developing their own. They had a blog of sorts where they were documenting their findings asking vets and animal dentistry experts. I remember one of their key claims was that when they tested a bunch of different cat toothpastes or generic "pet toothpaste", they found that a lot of them were just rebranded dog toothpaste ingredients which were or could be (under some circumstances) toxic to cats. I didn't look much further into it, so I'm not sure how much was true or if it was just preamble to selling snake oil. But that coupled with the (completely unrelated) studies choice did on (human) sunscreen, I don't have much trust in products that aren't independently audited
but in any case, do you have any specific reccos or other learned wisdom you'd mind sharing?
His staple food is a decent quality dry food, but I try to feed a wet food most days. I've heard anecdotally that while a dry-only diet can lead to kidney and urinary issues, a wet-only diet can lead to dental problems. So I tend to be of the opinion that a hybrid approach is best. The wet food he eats is only a paté, so I've always added some additional warm water to make it more of a soup. He seems to like that
Thank you for reminding me of your wonderful budget pet ownership post! I'm sure I remember it from back when I was a reg here. It was very handy. I should go back and see what your suggestions were for flea and worming stuff, because that shit is bloody expensive! The only thing is, I'll have to get the vet to weigh him so I can work out the right dose. He's too heavy for my food scales, and I don't own a set of human scales
Edit: OMG I found the toothpaste I was talking about. It's Ryer cat, who make toothbrushes specifically designed for cats. The last update they posted about it was in August 2024. And then over a year ago in a FB comment, they said it would be "a few more months" until launch. Kind of sounds like one of those kickstarter things that just never happens, conveniently after they've taken everybodys money. But AFAICT they've never sold or crowdfunded it, it still isn't available for sale, and they are still actively selling the toothbrush. https://ryercat.com/blogs/cat-care-dental-health-tips/cat-toothpaste