Hi,
How can hold my cat Dewey still while I brush his teeth?  I can manage
to get my finger brush in for two strokes at the most.  Is there a
more effective way of holding him?  I try not to rush him or be too
rough and I reward him with lots of praise when I'm done.  Any
suggestions?  I'm at least getting some of the paste in his mouth, and
I figure that the enzymes in the paste might break down the tartar
somewhat. Certainly, it's better to brush, but having the paste in his
mouth is certainly better than nothing.

On a side note, this teeth brushing was brought on by a trip to the
vet.  Yesterday, I brought my 15 month old cats to the vet for their
annual shots and exam.  Benny, who's a treat monger and runs from a
hiding place when I rattle a bag of treats, had pretty good-looking
teeth.  (We give our guys the tartar control treats.  They're probably
only minimally effective, but it doesn't hurt.)  Dewey, on the other
hand, will eat a treat if you put it in front of him, but not with
same enthusiasm as Benny.  Benny will even eat Dewey's treats from his
bowl if Dewey doesn't gobble them fast enough.  Benny also eats more
of the dry food, and Dewey eats more of the canned food.  I know that
dry food doesn't keep their teeth clean, but it's less likely to cause
tartar buildup than canned food. Anyway, that's my theory as to why
Dewey's back teeth had tartar and his gums were mildly inflamed.  I've
started to brush both my cats' teeth.  I am not going to be too crazy
about Benny's, but Dewey's need to be done nearly every day.  I am
trying to avoid a very expensive dental cleaning for Dewey if at all
possible.  Of course, if it's necessary, I'll have it done.