My 6-month indoor cat needs shots & has bad breath. Is it urgent?

Meshmesh should not have bad breath. He may have an infection in his mouth. If you are unsure or worried, you should have him examined by a veterinarian. He also needs his first vaccinations now and needs to be wormed as well.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Noushmc. Bad breath typically means that there is an infection in the mouth as a result of dental disease. If she will allow you to look in the mouth, you may also notice tartar on the teeth as well as gingivitis (red inflamed gums). This will need to be evaluated and treated by her veterinarian. However, if she is eating, drinking and acting normal, then it is not likely an emergency. When restrictions in your country let up, you can seek care for her. I hope this information helps!

You need to take her to the vet ASAP, she is probably suffering from a gum/teeth disease which is very common in cats, treatment varies according to the severity of the condition but this must be dealt with urgently.

Bad breath in cats is usually a sign of either an oral disease or kidney failure, i would strongly recommend taking Tabu to the vet ASAP in order to get it checked and treated, if her oral cavity does not seem to be the problem a blood test will need to be done to confirm or rule out kidney failure.

Halitosis (bad breath) in a kitten can be caused by oral infections such as gingivitis (inflammation of the gums) or feline stomatitis (inflammation of the oral mucous membranes at the back of the mouth). Teething can also cause bad breath. Another cause that is harmless is certain food like canned soft food can sometimes cause the kitten bad breath, for example, smoked oysters or canned tuna. Other causes such as kidney/liver disease and diabetes are less commonly found in kittens. I would suggest to take the kitten to your vet to examine the mouth and identify the cause.

At this age the bad breath might be because of teething, which occurs until the age of around 5 months of age, after that if the bad breath remains it's probably due to gum disease, which is very common in cats, in most cases it doesn't bother the cat and thus does not require treatment.

I would say from your pictures that Jax's gum is quite swollen and I imagine it's very painful to him. It could be that his tooth has broken off and is rotten causing the swelling and bad breath. It could also be he has a tooth root abscess. This is definitely something that needs to be treated sooner rather than later, so please call your vet to get him an appointment asap to have this treated. I would soak his dry food in warm water or gently warmed chicken broth to make his food softer to eat, or you can give him canned food for now. Best of luck, I hope this helps.