Why do cats have so much bacteria in their mouths?

The question in the title makes a presumption that there is more bacteria in the mouths of cats than in the mouths of people. That might not be true.

90% of domestic cats have the bacterium Pasteurella multocida in their mouths.
Pasteurella multocida. Picture in public domain.
Two useful tags. Click either to see the articles: Toxic to cats | Dangers to cats

Mouths of humans, cats, dogs and any other animal are excellent places for bacteria to live and multiply because they are warm, dark, wet and there’s food in there. Many bacteria eat starches and sugars which is found on nearly all foods in the mouth of animals including the human animal.

The main bacterium in cats’ mouth is Pasteurella multocida (90% of domestic cats). But, I am told that there are over 600 types of bacteria which can live in the mouths of humans, dogs and I presume cats.

The fact of the matter is that domestic cats are not special cases. They don’t suffer from a rampant colony of bacteria far in excess of which is found in dogs or humans except for the obvious fact that people normally brush their teeth and sometimes use anti-bacterial mouth washes. For this reason only there is less bacteria in human mouths than in cats’ and dogs’ mouths unless you brush their teeth too, which is unlikely.

What might make cats stand out from the pack in terms of getting an infection from a cat bite is that they are able to ‘inject’ the bacteria under the skin with their strong bite and relatively sharp canine teeth. Applying common sense it is much harder for a person to break the skin of another person and inject bacteria deep into the skin as we use incisor teeth and they are fairly blunt (our canines are very short). Also several incisor teeth are used when a person bites another person. This spreads the load at the tip of the teeth.

Applying simple physics, the amount of force applied at the tip of human incisor teeth when biting is much less than for a couple of pointed canine teeth. Therefore human incissors are less likely to penetrate.

Also, of course, domestic cats are top predators who instinctively use their teeth all the time. They are great potential biters. This concludes the discussion on why do cats have so much bacteria in their mouths.

I have to make one last point, however. Cat owners know that they can nearly always avoid a cat bite. It’s about how we interact with cats. You have to learn the nuanced body language, emotions and habits of domestic cats to predict when they might be in the mood or frame of mind to bite. You then respect the cat and avoid those moments.

Mike Tyson being interviewed on a podcast

Mike Tyson on insights into living with tigers and mountain lions

In a videoed podcast, Mike Tyson - puffing away on a spliff and clearly high to a certain extent - ...
Stress and irritability can lead to more cat scratches

Why do cats scratch some owners more than others?

I'd like to focus on one aspect of cat caregiving and a vital one. There is no doubt that a ...
The swollen hand of Henrik Kriegbaum Plettner bitten by a rescue cat which eventually killed him

Can a domestic cat kill a person?

A domestic cat cannot kill a person outright. That'll apply to any person from a toddler to an adult. But ...
Claw and teeth of cat

What is worse, a cat bite or a cat scratch?

Starting with the presumption that the scratch and bite are of about equal severity, to answer the question the title ...
Useful tag. Click to see the articles: Cat behavior

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Note: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified.
Useful links
Anxiety - reduce it
FULL Maine Coon guide - lots of pages
Children and cats - important
Scroll to Top