Is it normal for an 11 month old kitten not to have lost its baby teeth yet?

I haven't seen her lose any teeth, but she is constantly chewing(teething?) on toys and cardboard and my hands.

Is it normal for an 11 month old kitten not to have lost its baby teeth yet?
During its lifetime, a cat has two sets of teeth, a deciduous set and a permanent set. Kittens have 26 deciduous teeth (molars are absent); adult cats have a total of 30 teeth.





Deciduous or “milk teeth” begin to appear when the kitten is about four weeks of age. At six weeks of age all 26 deciduous teeth are present. From 11 to 30 weeks of age, kittens lose their deciduous teeth. During this time they may eat less because of sore gums.





When the deciduous teeth fall out, they are replaced by 30 permanent teeth. The permanent teeth should be in place by about six months of age.





A cat's teeth are well-suited to rip and cut. Twelve tiny teeth in the front of the mouth (incisors): six in the upper jaw, six in the lower jaw do some scraping. They are flanked by two upper and two lower canines, sometimes described as “fangs,” designed to hold prey and to tear flesh. Ten sharp premolars and four molars act together to cut food.





A cat occasionally retains a deciduous tooth after the permanent tooth appears. This deciduous tooth should be removed as soon as possible to avoid displacing the permanent tooth.





Extra teeth are occasionally found in cats. They should be removed by a veterinarian if they cause crowding or injury to soft tissue or other teeth.





http://pets.yahoo.com/cats/health-and-nu...





Put tape on electrical wiring so your little ones do not hurt themselves.


Keep household chemicals out of her way.


Give your little ones a few special toys to chew on:


Soak chew toys in broth or rub them all over with your hands (your kitten loves your scent and is more likely to chew something that smells like you).


Another thing is to use a cold towel. This helps relieve the pain of teething. Tie a knot in a small clean towel, wet it, wring it out and put it in the freezer to chill. Your kittens will love this!


Teething is a part of growing up, it is very important.





http://www.kittencare.com/askKC_Dental_C...
Reply:It is not normal. Your cat should have her adult teeth by now. Adult teeth on cats grow out pretty fast, often growing out next to/hidden by the baby teeth and it can be difficult to catch/see the change, so my guess is that your cat has her adult teeth and you simply didn't notice it.





Some cats like to chew. All my Maine Coons have been notorious card board chewers - unrelated to their teething.



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