Remove the tooth. Old cats can get infections that really take a toll on their old bodies. Limit those possibilities.

My sister’s cat had all her teeth removed, and thrived. Bad teeth can cause a lot of problems, but the cat can get adequate nutrition without teeth.

I've had cats that had teeth removed as part of cleaning. If the tooth is that loose, it's probably rotting and may be more painful than the cat lets on. Plus, gum disease and all that. Mine did better with the problem teeth removed.

A wiggly tooth is probably uncomfortable at best and painful at worst. It's probably more likely to get infected. Would you live with a wiggly tooth? It's probably better to have it removed now than in the future. People have teeth removed all the time.

I have a male cat who started having bad tooth problems when he was around 8 years old. An old school vet recommended total tooth extraction because this kind of decay was indicative of bad genetics. We had that done (which was expensive) and he left the clinic with all back teeth removed and just his front canines remaining. They said he had a number of extra (wolf) teeth in his mouth which is something common in cats and dogs but not something I had ever heard of.

That cat is still going strong. You would never know he did not have his back teeth. It does not slow him down - heck, he even once swallowed a small (caught and killed) mouse right in front of me. Apparently that digested because he is a happy chunky boy at 16+ years old.

So - I am in the remove the teeth camp if that is suggested. They do not miss them. They thrive without them. Bad teeth can really bring them down.

Remove the tooth. The damn thing will hurt. I have had an old lady without hardly any teeth when I got her, and when the final began to hurt her, it had to go. She lived on as a grand 18 year old dame until cancer got her.

It's great when you can brush your cat's teeth but sometimes that is near impossible and any infections are more painful and a health risk.

I have multiple cats and whenever they start going downhill it’s often because they need a tooth pulled. Please take her back to get it removed. It has a big impact on their quality of life because if it hurts to eat, they won’t.

My cat had quite a few teeth removed when he was 12. It didn't impact his ability to eat at all, dry chow and otherwise. He lived until 20.

My older cat had to have a bunch of extractions done. She’s fine. She actually hasn’t had to have her teeth cleaned since, and she used to have it have done either every year or every other year. Teeth problems are just reality for some cats and having infected teeth is as bad for cats health as it is for humans.

I was shocked first too but my old family cat also had quite a few teeth removed by now and he's living his best life. I imagine a wiggly tooth would be so uncomfortable.

You really care for your kitty and it shows; I think that's wonderful and heartwarming. I'll chime in and say that it's probably best to go with removing the tooth for her comfort. One of my childhood cats only had three teeth and she still thrived.

One of our cats that we picked up had a similar tooth problems across many teeth. The vet recommended removing them, and I agree with the other posters here that it's ultimately better for the cat. If not removed, it's painful for the cat, and we noticed that he sometimes seemed to have a hard time eating (eating slowly, occasionally dropping food from his mouth). Cats don't really need their teeth to chew the normal cat food that we use (their teeth are evolved for tearing and shredding meat), so even though I was worried about how he would manage without some teeth, he's actually better at eating now.

I guess the only other option might be some kind of "cat tooth fillings", but cat teeth are tiny. I don't think vets could reliably do that without damaging the tooth more (which would lead to more pain). And by the time that we humans can notice that something's wrong, I think the decay is usually so advanced that there isn't enough viable tooth to hang onto. If the vet recommends it, I'd recommend trusting that it's probably overall better for the cat.

(edit for wild typo errors. silly mobile keyboard...)

I have a girl that just cannot keep her teeth.

She has no bad breath, no dental problems, she just starts fights and gets banged up.

The first one I didn't notice it (it was one of the tiny ones in front) was loose. It got infected and caused her issue. Once it was removed and antibiotics, it was fine and she was happy again.

Second one was one of her canines (is it called that). A few days after a big fight, we just... Found it. She had no blood, she had never acted weird, and we didn't even notice it was gone until we took the tooth around all the cats like Cinderella's prince. Vet didn't even think she needed to be seen.

It can be heartbreaking to know that the standard of care for a cat is not the same as a human, but it... Just isn't. Cats are different. One of mine has a torn ACL and they can't repair that simply because things are different with cats. Some of the standard of care difference may be due to less importance placed on cats, but a large reason is simply that they're different.

Knowing what I know about that tiny loose tooth my bully cat had, I would personally choose to remove any loose teeth. Hell, when I needed a root canal myself I was begging the dentist to just remove it.

As they're older, chewing hard food becomes and issue and so does hydration. If you can't switch from dry (canned food messes up my baby boys tummy), try mixing the dry food with wet. It'll sneak in water and help with chewing.

The hardest thing about having a pet is that they can’t talk to us. But it sounds like you’re doing things right; you got an informed medical opinion and based on that you’ve made a decision with her comfort in mind. If you do decide to take it out, my friend had a cat that quite young developed some kind of allergy to her own plaque. She had to have all her teeth extracted, but immediately seemed more lively and lived to a good old age just eating with her gums. This disease is apparently fairly common.

My cat's long tooth fell out somewhere around age 15. She lived a year longer or so and then died of old age.

Also, good to remember: cats often refuse to show pain unless it is getting really, really bad.

Sometimes it's also just bad genetics, or old age, or both. Like people. However, it is not possible to give a cat some dentures.