Posted: Feb. 20, 2009, 3 a.m. EST
Q: My 5-month-old kitten has lost two teeth within days of each other. Should I be concerned, or is this to be expected?
A: Kittens are born without teeth. This allows them to nurse on the mother without hurting her. As the kitten grows, their baby teeth erupt. By the time the kitten is 45 days (6 ½ weeks) old, they have a total of 26 baby teeth. These baby teeth will eventually be replaced by permanent “adult” teeth. The permanent incisors erupt between 3 and 5 months of age. The canine teeth erupt at 5 months. The pre-molars erupt at 5 to 6 months of age. The molars erupt at 4 to 5 months of age. As you can see, there’s a lot of dental activity occurring at 5 months of age. Some of your kitten’s permanent teeth have begun to erupt and have pushed out the associated baby teeth. It’s nothing to worry about.