[projektfu]

I'm a veterinarian. Some cats get lucky but the majority of them deal with tooth resorption which is caused by gingivitis. This disease is found on tigers, jaguars, fossilized saber tooth tiger teeth, etc. It's painful and leads to loss of teeth. Often also leads to loss of function, i.e., reduced chewing. It's probably a leading cause of old wild cats throwing in the towel and becoming carrion.

[massysett]

Yep. My cat had a mouth full of rotten teeth. After removing nearly all his teeth his entire disposition changed—went from just sitting around all day to a ball of energy. It also changed his digestion: went from runny poop everywhere to Tootsie rolls.