How can I tell if my cat has bad teeth?

Cats are determined to hide any sign of pain or discomfort from us. The observant owner may notice one or more of the following if they are really on the ball:

• • • not grooming properly, leaving coat matted, loose or scurfy
    • eating on one side of mouth or tilting the head to one side when chewing
    • resenting stroking around the face/jaw
    • not enjoying handling at all
    • keen hunter not interested in hunting any more
    • keen warrior not interested in fighting any more
    • not wanting to play with tug toys
    • throwing food to back of mouth to chew
    • bringing unchewed, unlubricated food up within 10 minutes of a meal
    • hesitating at food bowl even though clearly hungry
    • not crunching kibble
    • preferring moist to dry food when used to prefer dry to moist and vice versa
    • bad breath
    • eating only a little but going back to the bowl often
    • drooling
    • pawing mouth
    • swollen face
    • bleeding from mouth
    • grinding teeth