FORL is a very common and painful dental disease of the cat. The name FORL is an abbreviation for Feline Odontoclastic Resorptive Lesion. The following behavioral changes in feed intake are absolute FORL alarm signals of a cat:

· Puckering of the bowl followed by hasty feeding and ejection of food
· Headstrike while chewing
· Saliva, teeth grinding and unusual bad breath
· Constant Schubbern on the side head

Many owners think that a cat that has a toothache is eating worse. However, this is usually not the case as the cat does not fare better by refusing the meal. Pain manifestations in feed intake are rarely observed and only in advanced FORL stages. Then it is already the highest railway to consult the veterinarian to take immediate action. Since these symptoms only occur in case of severe toothache, it is strongly advised to introduce each cat to the veterinarian once a year for the early detection of dental problems, because FORL meets cats of all ages. 30% of cats under the age of 5 years have FORL, and from the age of 5 approximately 50-70% of all cats get sick. In 90% of the cats, no symptoms are visible to humans, so a dental radiograph is so valuable. Cats are masters at hiding pain, and since FORL has been outwardly unrecognizable for a long time, your velvet paw is doing something good and giving her a thorough check-up at the vet once a year to see what your pet's dental health is about.

The causes of FORL disease are still unknown. However, we know what happens in the mouth of the cat during this disease: it activates the body's own cells, the so-called odontoclasts. These are there to break down the deciduous roots in young animals. In adult animals, these should no longer be active, but in cats suffering from FORL, the permanent teeth are eaten by these cells and are punctured. The decomposition process of the FORL tooth, according to experience, begins in the root area and is therefore NOT SEEN FOR EXTENT LONGER TIME FROM OUTSIDE. Only when the process expands, it comes to externally recognizable changes to the tooth. Thus, FORL is often detected only in the extremely jocular end stage of the disease for the cat, as tartar usually covers smaller holes in the tooth. Please take good care of your whiskers, so that it may live with you painlessly.

‍