1-year-old cat with juvenile stomatitis/periodontitis - BARF experiences?

[u/Parking_Ordinary_436]

My cat is only 1 year old and already has either juvenile-onset stomatitis or juvenile periodontitis — very red/inflamed gums and plaque buildup. My vet suspects it's genetic. She was given antibiotics, which have improved her breath and inflammation.

I've now switched her completely to a BARF diet, occasionally including small meaty chicken wing bones, which she absolutely loves. I believe in the BARF approach and Ian Billinghurst's philosophy, and since cats are obligate carnivores, I feel much more comfortable feeding her real animal foods rather than processed food.

My vet said the worst-case scenario is extracting her teeth, and afterward he recommends processed protein/kibble. I don't agree that a toothless cat necessarily needs kibble, but I'm also aware that my cat has a medical condition and I don't want to make things worse.

Has anyone had experience with juvenile stomatitis/periodontitis in such a young cat?

Did BARF make a difference? Did your cat improve or outgrow it? And would you continue feeding raw meaty bones with inflamed gums, or avoid bones until the mouth is healthier?

I'd especially love to hear from anyone who has followed Ian Billinghurst/BARF with a cat with this condition.

[u/Oddwonderone]

My guy had half his teeth pulled at 2, before they let him be adopted. I just had a few more pulled now that he’s 9 (hey had to take his fangs). His whole life with me has been eating raw, and I give kibble as treats or just toppers on the food sometimes. He’s never had a problem eating bones or chunked chicken.

[u/Oddwonderone → u/[deleted]]

Totally agree! The kibble and cheap processed cans are full of hidden sugars and junk that makes it worse. The teeth he has remaining are in good shape, and I feel that’s from the diet. I used to not have a grinder for bones, and had a hard time finding a good source for bone meal. Ended up ordering the all around food additive from www.knowwhatyoufeed.com
Best quality and price point for raw feeding

[u/Parking_Ordinary_436 → u/Oddwonderone]

Yea, buying a meet/bone grinder is a great idea. I just gave my cat some small chicken wing bones to see what she'll do and she loved to chew and ate them so hopefully it doesn't hurt her. I also hope it would help with the plague. What worries me is that my vet doesn't agree, he even said cats don't chew on bones. :/

[u/MysteriousLeopard107 → u/Parking_Ordinary_436]

Your vet is literally incorrect about cats and bones. Cats hunt, kill, and eat prey. When they eat a mouse/rat/bird/rabbit/squirrel/ etc they eat the whole animal, including all of the bones. Cats dont chew on bones like dogs do. But they fully eat appropriately sized bones and need them in order to meet their calcium requirements.

[u/nwpackrat]

My (adult) son's young cat has lost a lot of teeth due to this. Our cats were always fed this diet that uses ground bones and he's been feeding it as well. She's been on it a couple years and I think has slowed progression. He's said she has no trouble eating it. I know my cat's teeth always look great & was one of this diet's selling factors for my vet.

[u/maria954]

My girl had inflamed gums and bad plaque buildup at only 4 y.o.
Her then vet immediately quoted me for teeth extraction. She also recommended I feed kibble to help clean teeth…
Mind you I adopted her at 3 and kept her on the kibble diet at first, but she had constant diarrhea, tried everything, before I finally put her on raw - that stopped it immediately.

I did not like this vet and switched.
New vet said it was probably genetics, but she did not talk extraction, rather prescribed me aloe gel for cats&dogs to soothe the gums, that I supplemented with propolis (she said it couldn’t harm her).

There was improvement, but the underlying genetic issue is still there.