Do you brush his teeth?  The "toothpaste" you get as PetsMart is not exactly
minty fresh smelling, but it should help with the gingivitis.  You can use
the toothbrush made for cats, but I've found a piece of gauze wrapped around
my finger works better (you can control the pressure better so as to not
irritate the cat's gums).

But speaking of cat's bad breath...

I've never really noticed my cats' breath before now (but then again, none
of them have ever had dental problems).  However, Sammy, my 1-year-old,
likes to lick my nose and mouth (and, oddly, shove her little nose as far up
my nostril as she can get!!???) - and I've noticed that she has really bad
breath (like a human's "morning breath").  Maybe I'm only noticing it
because she's always licking me and the others don't.

Does anyone else's cat have bad breath too - without associated dental
problems?  Is it normal and I just haven't noticed it because my other cats
don't get that close (Sammy's the only one who likes to French kiss me!!
;>).

Hugs,

CatNipped

Very bad breath is often a sign of internal problems. I don't think that is
this cat's problem...yet.

If antibiotics helped and this cat has gingivitis, the solution is fixing the
gingivitis. Sometimes a simple 2 week course isn't enough to kill off a bad
bacterial infection. And bacteria from the gums CAN spread to other parts of
the body and systemically infect the cat.

I'd get a second opinion, personally. This cat may need stronger meds for a
full 21 day course and a dental (under anesthesia).
I'd also get some of this:

========================
CHX Guard LA
This is a bactericidal adhesive gel containing ZincChlorhexidine. Formulated
for aggressive plaque control and for active oral infections, this adhesive
gel increases the contact time between the active ingredient chlorhexidine,
and the oral tissues. This increased contact time is important when treating
moderate to severe conditions. CHX Guard LA is recommended for initial
treatment of moderate to severe gingivitis, active periodontitis, acute oral
infections or active inflammatory conditions. The product is packaged in an
easy to use "dial-a dose" syringe. The syringe is designed to be held below
the pet=3Fs field of vision. The syringe contains 32 numbered units. The dosage
for cats is one unit for each side of the mouth. Initially, it should be
applied once every 24 hours.
========================

HTH

I have never had a cat develop bad breath.  That is usually a sign of tooth
and/or stomach problems (and, of course, your vet has already identified
gingivitis).  In my opinion, your cat needs to have his teeth professionally
cleaned.  I am concerned that your vet is only looking at antibiotics.  If
it were me, I would seek a second opinion at this time.

MaryL

Bad breath can also be a sign of internal problems. You don't say how
old your cat is, but if this were my cat I'd have a full blood workup
done just to be on the safe side. Since your cat seems to have chronic
gingivitis, it would also be wise to test him for Bartonella, which can
be transmitted by a flea bite. Gingivitis and several other inflammatory
conditions can be caused by Bartonella. If the cat tests positive it is
easy to clear up with a 3 week course of azithromycin. I have a houseful
of rescued cats, many of which came from unknown origins and so far I
have had 6 tested. 4 have tested positive, and had teeth/gum issues
which is why the vet suggested testing. Apparently Bartonella is
becoming more and more common and it is certainly worthwhile to have the
cats tested and rule this in or out as a cause of his gum issues. You
can read a good article about it here:
http://www.knowlesanimalclinics.com/miami/bartonella_and_cats.html

Megan

                                   

(...)

Hills t/d?

Gas mask?

Acquired anosmia?

Steve.

My cats love these treats:

http://www.petco.com/product_info.asp?sku=1148000300&dept_id=%2D2#