Hi,
I don't see my question so I will ask it with apologies if it has been answered... My actual question is whether using ones finger (with feline toothpaste) is at all effective. Also should I let them play with the rubber finger-tip brushes?
Otherwise what can I do?

I have two four-year old cats (females) the loves of my life…
They really enjoy being groomed (by me); and don't mind their nails being cut (usually) but I am having major problems with their dental hygiene. I have followed videos, etc. If I try and "persuade" them with the baby’s tooth brush they will run away under the bed the next time.
Currently I have rubber finger-tip brushes (1 for each) and each has a baby's toothbrush. I tried using gauze (on my finger) which did not work (because they did not let me use it). They will allow me to message their gums with my finger.
They get treats each time.
The slightly older one apparently has some minor gingivitis. The slightly younger one has healthy teeth and gums - I am being told - (I cannot see well enough).
I cannot give the slightly older one hard food b/c she gets constipated. So I soak both their meals in water (kibble).

I do not want them anesthetized - but I need some tips from all of you experts here.
Thank you very much in advance!

A lot of people on here have had good luck with Biotene gel & Petzlife swabs too.

I need to start using something for my cats' teeth too.  I know Biotene and Petzlife have been discussed on other threads, but this might be a great time to review which products everyone has used at what stages, and how often.

I think Biotene has 2 products, one used for initial infection then one for maintenance.  And the Petzlife is similar to one of those.  If I remember right, other dental products have been rejected by many people here because of questionable ingredients for cats.

It depends on how healthy their teeth and gums are. I did it every day so my cat would have a routine. On days when I wasn't applying the Biotene gel, I just gave my cats teeth a few scrubs with a wet Q-tip.

Biotene gel is good for irritated and infected gums. Petzlife is for removing tartar. Once the tartar is gone I would stop using it and switch to something else to keep the tartar away. It has some strong ingredients that some of us don't like to use long term.

You can get Petzlife on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/PETZLIFE-ORAL-CARE-GEL-4-OZ-Dental-Cleaning-Dog-Cat_W0QQitemZ220456614719QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item33543cfb3f&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

Biotene Veterinarian Gel is made in Canada so you should be able to find it easily!

Biotene is made in Canada? That's news to me. It gets shipped in from the US. The manufacturer is Laclede, out of California for Pet King Brands out of Illinois as far as I know.

XtanyaX,

In Canada, Aventix Animal Health imports it (in Ontario) and it can be ordered from there by your vet (aventix.ca). My vet's local supplier actually carried it, but because they did't use it, they didn't even know about it. Just ask you vet to get it in for you. I bought the antiseptic oral gel and the maintenance gel and it set me back about $35 -- about the same if you were to order it online from the US.

Wooh, hadn't seen that. It does make it look like it's a Canadian product. I got mine in Canada, but it still has the American information on it. The way this is presented is very confusing.

I kind of tilt their head to the side, and then pull back gently at the corner of the mouth, to expose the bottom back teeth a bit better.  (It helps to have at least 3 hands). 

I will try again tonight.  Her first two teeth behind the bottom canines are what have the gingivitis.  I'm hoping the Biotene clears it right up.    The top are easy to brush with the toothbrush so no problems there.