By Eunwol · How we work & disclosure Bad breath sends people toward the vet and toward the pet aisle at once. This page sorts out which comes first, answers the questions owners type (sudden, fishy, puppy, an older or very sick dog), then reads the dental product records line by line.
If you went looking for a cat dental product with the VOHC seal and kept landing on dog pages with a cat paragraph at the end, this page is the cat side on its own. We took every cat row from the VOHC web table as captured on September 20, 2026. There are 18 of them, out of 101 accepted products. Below, all 18 are sorted the ways a cat owner decides: by what the cat will tolerate, whether a vet is needed, the claim, and how recently anything in that format was accepted.
Disclosure. We did not buy, feed or test any of these products. Nothing here comes from using a product on a cat. This page analyses public records: the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) Accepted Products table and its published protocol. This page has no affiliate links, and Tested Paws takes no payment from any company named below. This is not veterinary advice.
The short answer
- 18 cat rows carry the seal: 6 dental diets, 4 treats, and 8 products for the water bowl or for applying by hand. 16 are sold to anyone; 2 prescription diets from 2001 and 2006 are veterinary-only.
- Cats lean toward plaque. 15 of the 18 rows cover plaque and 10 cover tartar, the reverse of the dog side. One company, HealthyMouth, holds 6 of the 18 rows, and 6 of the 8 plaque-only ones.
- The cat list has nearly stopped growing. Of the 33 products accepted from 2021 on, 2 were for cats, both dry foods sealed in 2024. The newest cat treat dates from 2019.
All 18 VOHC-accepted cat products
Columns are the register's own fields as printed, with one addition: "What it really is" corrects the section headings, because VOHC files a gel and a spray under water additives and two powders under toothbrushes and wipes. C = sold to consumers, V = veterinary only. No cat row is sold through both channels.
| # | Product, as the register prints it | Company on the row | Register section | What it really is | Claim | Sold | Seal year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prescription Diet Feline t/d | Hill's Pet Nutrition | Dental diet | Food | Plaque & Tartar | V | 2001 |
| 2 | Science Diet Oral Care for Cats | Hill's Pet Nutrition | Dental diet | Food | Plaque & Tartar | C | 2001 |
| 3 | Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets (PPVD) DH Feline Formula dry cat food | Nestle Purina PetCare Company | Dental diet | Food | Plaque & Tartar | V | 2006 |
| 4 | Royal Canin Feline Dental Diet | Royal Canin | Dental diet | Food | Plaque | C | 2014 |
| 5 | Performatrin Prime Oral Care Chicken & Rice Formula Adult Cat Food | Pet Valu Canada Inc. | Dental diet | Food | Plaque | C | 2024 |
| 6 | Hill's Science Plan Vet Essentials Multi-Benefit + Dental Adult Cat Food with Chicken | Hill's Pet Nutrition | Dental diet | Food | Plaque, Tartar | C | 2024 |
| 7 | Feline Greenies Feline Dental Treats | Nutro/Greenies Company | Edible chew treats | Treat | Tartar | C | 2005 |
| 8 | Purina DentaLife Daily Oral Care Cat Treats (two flavors) | Nestle Purina PetCare Company | Edible chew treats | Treat | Tartar | C | 2016 |
| 9 | Whiskas Dentabites Cat Treats, Chicken and Salmon flavors | Whiskas | Edible chew treats | Treat | Tartar | C | 2017 |
| 10 | Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diet Dental Bites | Nestle Purina PetCare Company | Edible chew treats | Treat | Plaque & Tartar | C | 2019 |
| 11 | Healthymouth Water Additive for Cats | HealthyMouth LLC | Water additive | Poured into water | Plaque | C | 2011 |
| 12 | Healthymouth Nutrineeds for Cats Water Additive | HealthyMouth LLC | Water additive | Poured into water | Plaque | C | 2018 |
| 13 | Healthymouth Topical Gel for Cats | HealthyMouth LLC | Water additive | Gel, applied to the mouth | Plaque | C | 2011 |
| 14 | Heathymouth Topical Spray for Cats | HealthyMouth LLC | Water additive | Spray, applied to the mouth | Plaque | C | 2011 |
| 15 | Healthymouth Toothpaste/Brush Kit Combination for Cats | HealthyMouth LLC | Toothbrushes and wipes | Brush and paste kit | Plaque | C | 2015 |
| 16 | Healthymouth Anti-Plaque Wipes for Cats | HealthyMouth LLC | Toothbrushes and wipes | Wipes | Plaque | C | 2016 |
| 17 | ProDen PlaqueOff Powder | SwedenCare | Toothbrushes and wipes | Powder for food | Plaque, Tartar | C | 2020 |
| 18 | CEVA Clenz-A-Dent ProDen PlaqueOff powder for Cats | CEVA | Toothbrushes and wipes | Powder for food | Plaque, Tartar | C | 2020 |
Source: VOHC Accepted Products web table, captured September 20, 2026. Row 14's spelling "Heathymouth" is the register's. The 18 rows were also re-read on October 8, 2026, and the count had not changed.
Price, calories, kibble size and flavour are missing on purpose. The register has no field for any of them, so we cannot rank on them. Read those off the bag.
One small oddity if you count this yourself: four of the seven both-claim cat rows are printed "Plaque & Tartar" and three "Plaque, Tartar". All 36 both-claim dog rows use the comma. Treat both as the same two claims.
Start with what your cat will put up with
The register sorts by product type. A cat owner sorts by something else: what will happen every day in the house. Every cat row falls into one of four daily actions, and once you know yours, 18 rows shrink to between two and six.
| Your situation | Rows that fit | Claim you get | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| You can change the food | 6 dental diets | 4 both, 2 plaque | 2 of the 6 need a vet |
| You can hand over a treat | 4 treats | 3 tartar, 1 both | Only Dental Bites (2019) covers plaque |
| Something must go in the bowl, no handling | 2 water additives + 2 powders | Additives plaque; powders both | The register's "water additive" heading also holds a gel and a spray |
| Your cat lets you touch its mouth | Brush kit, wipes, gel, spray (4) | Plaque on all four | All four are HealthyMouth |
Vet-only or not: 16 of 18 are on open sale
Two cat rows require a veterinarian, and both are prescription dry foods accepted for plaque and tartar: Hill's Prescription Diet Feline t/d (2001) and Purina PPVD DH Feline Formula (2006). Nothing veterinary-only has joined them since. All 14 cat rows accepted after 2006 are marked Consumer.
That is the reverse of the dog side. Of the 83 dog rows, 8 are veterinary-only and 5 are sold through both vets and shops, so 13 involve a vet in some way, and 9 of those 13 were accepted after 2006. Across the whole register, 9 of the 10 veterinary-only rows are dental diets; the tenth is a dog sealant for professional use. The register prints no reason why the two species diverged.
Fits if your cat is already under a vet's care for its teeth, or your vet has suggested a prescription dental diet. These two rows are where that route leads. Skip or check first if you are not seeing a vet: you lose nothing by setting them aside, because every other cat row is open to you, including four consumer dental diets.
Cat dental diets: 6 rows, the only section still growing
Six foods from four companies, sealed between 2001 and 2024. Hill's holds three of them, Purina one, Royal Canin one and Pet Valu Canada one. Four hold both claims; Royal Canin Feline Dental Diet (2014) and Performatrin Prime (2024) hold plaque alone.
Both of the newest cat seals are here: Hill's Science Plan Vet Essentials Multi-Benefit + Dental (2024, both claims) and Performatrin Prime Oral Care (2024, plaque). Both are consumer products. The Performatrin row is filed by Pet Valu Canada Inc., and the Hill's row prints "Science Plan" rather than the "Science Diet" of the 2001 row, so check that the bag in your shop carries the same name as the row.
Fits if your cat already eats dry food and accepts a switch, and you want tartar as well as plaque on the row (four of the six). Skip or check first if your cat refuses new food, since that rules out the whole section, or if your cat has kidney or urinary history. A diet is a full meal, not an add-on, so a change is worth a word with your vet first.
Cat dental treats: the only 4 with the seal
Four cat treats have ever been accepted, from three companies, and none since 2019. Purina holds two of the four.
| Seal year | Treat | Company | Claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Feline Greenies Feline Dental Treats | Nutro/Greenies Company | Tartar |
| 2016 | Purina DentaLife Daily Oral Care Cat Treats (two flavors) | Nestle Purina PetCare Company | Tartar |
| 2017 | Whiskas Dentabites Cat Treats, Chicken and Salmon flavors | Whiskas | Tartar |
| 2019 | Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diet Dental Bites | Nestle Purina PetCare Company | Plaque & Tartar |
Feline Greenies came first and stood alone for eleven years. Then three arrived inside four years, and the section stopped. All four are sold to consumers, despite "Veterinary Diet" in the Dental Bites name.
Two practical points. Feline Greenies is filed under Nutro/Greenies Company, not under the Greenies-Mars PetCare name on the six dog Greenies rows, so a company filter misses it. And a "best cat dental treats" list with six or eight entries is, by arithmetic, listing products that hold no accepted row.
For scale: the dog side holds 37 edible chew rows plus one rawhide, and 18 of those 38 were sealed in 2020 or later. Same council, same protocol, and the cat treat section added nothing in that time.
Fits if your cat eats treats readily and tartar is your main concern; all four rows hold tartar. If plaque matters, Dental Bites is the only treat row with it. Skip or check first if your cat ignores treats, since one refusal removes a quarter of the section, or if calories are being watched; treats add to the day's food and the register records no calorie data.
The dog chew hub covers the dog Greenies, DentaLife and other chew rows the same way.
Water bowl and powders: no handling at all
Only two cat products are actually poured into water: Healthymouth Water Additive for Cats (2011) and Healthymouth Nutrineeds for Cats (2018). Both hold plaque alone. The register's water-additive heading shows four rows, but the other two are a topical gel and a topical spray.
The two powders, filed under toothbrushes and wipes, are the same ingredient from two filers: ProDen PlaqueOff Powder (SwedenCare) and CEVA Clenz-A-Dent ProDen PlaqueOff powder for Cats, both 2020, both plaque and tartar. Across the full register, 8 rows carry "PlaqueOff" in the name: four chews for dogs and four powders, two for dogs and two for cats.
Fits if your cat drinks reliably from one bowl (the two additives), or eats a food you can dust (the powders, which also bring a tartar claim). Skip or check first if your cat drinks from several sources such as taps or fountains, or walks away from a bowl that smells different. If the HealthyMouth formulation does not suit your cat, the register has no second pour-in to offer. Dog water additives are a separate list; the no-chew guide for dogs covers those rows.
Brush kit, wipes, gel, spray: hands on the mouth
Four rows ask you to apply something by hand, and all four belong to HealthyMouth: the Toothpaste/Brush Kit Combination (2015), Anti-Plaque Wipes (2016), the Topical Gel (2011) and the Topical Spray (2011). All four hold plaque alone.
There is no stand-alone accepted cat toothpaste. The nearest row is the kit, which sells paste and brush as one unit. The AVMA's pet dental care page puts it plainly: "Regularly brushing your pet's teeth is the single most effective thing you can do to keep their teeth healthy." A brush kit or a wipe only helps if the cat allows it.
Fits if your cat already tolerates fingers near its mouth and plaque prevention is the aim. Skip or check first if handling is a fight, because nothing here gets used then, or if you want a tartar claim, which none of these four holds. For tartar without handling, look at the powders or a dental diet.
Who holds the cat list: one company has 6 of 18
Nine company names sit behind the 18 rows. HealthyMouth LLC holds 6, Hill's 3 and Purina 3; Royal Canin, Pet Valu Canada, SwedenCare, CEVA, Nutro/Greenies and Whiskas hold one each. We count companies as printed, without merging brands into parents, so Nutro/Greenies and Whiskas stay separate.
| Company | Cat rows | Formats | Claims on its rows | Seal years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HealthyMouth LLC | 6 | Additive ×2, gel, spray, kit, wipes | Plaque on all 6 | 2011–2018 |
| Hill's Pet Nutrition | 3 | Diet ×3 | Both on all 3 | 2001, 2001, 2024 |
| Nestle Purina PetCare Company | 3 | Diet, treat ×2 | Both ×2, tartar ×1 | 2006–2019 |
| Six others, one row each | 6 | Diet ×2, treat ×2, powder ×2 | Plaque 2, tartar 2, both 2 | 2005–2024 |
The concentration sits in the no-chewing formats. Pick a water additive, gel, spray, wipe or brush kit with the seal, and you are buying HealthyMouth whether you noticed or not. That reflects who paid for cat trials, not a verdict on anyone's product.
How the cat list changed: recent acceptances by period
Group all 101 rows by seal year and the two species come apart.
| Seal granted | Dog rows | Cat rows | Cat share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 2010 | 12 | 4 | 4 of 16 = 25% |
| 2011–2015 | 10 | 5 | 5 of 15 = 33% |
| 2016–2020 | 29 | 7 | 7 of 36 = 19% |
| 2021–2026 | 31 | 2 | 2 of 33 = 6% |
| All rows | 83 | 18 | 18 of 101 = 18% |
One dog row prints no seal year, so the periods count 82 dog rows, not 83.
The 33 acceptances from 2021 on were filed like this: dog edible chews 15, dog water additives 10, dog dental diets 5, dog toothbrushes and wipes 1, cat dental diets 2. Five of the last six calendar years, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025 and 2026 to date, produced no cat product at all. Dogs took seven new rows in 2026 alone.
Quiet stretches are not new on this register. Across 1998 to 2026, eight years produced no acceptance for either species. Within the cat side, 12 of the 24 calendar years from 2001 to 2024 added nothing, and additions arrive in bursts: three HealthyMouth rows in 2011, then the pair of foods in 2024.
None of this means cat products stopped working. VOHC publishes acceptances only. A product appears because a company ran trials to the published protocol, paid for them and submitted the result; the register has no field where a failure could be recorded. Two cat acceptances since 2021 is a fact about who funded feline trials.
Two counts you will not find elsewhere
1. Years since the last seal, format by format
The register is filed by section, not by year. Sorting the 18 rows by real format and taking 2026 minus the newest seal year shows how dated each choice is.
| Real format | Rows | Companies | Newest seal | Years since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dental diet | 6 | 4 | 2024 | 2 |
| Powder for food | 2 | 2 | 2020 | 6 |
| Treat | 4 | 3 | 2019 | 7 |
| Pour-in water additive | 2 | 1 | 2018 | 8 |
| Wipes | 1 | 1 | 2016 | 10 |
| Brush and paste kit | 1 | 1 | 2015 | 11 |
| Topical gel or spray | 2 | 1 | 2011 | 15 |
Outside the diets, 12 of the 18 rows sit in formats whose newest seal is six or more years old. The median cat row was sealed in 2015.5, halfway between 2015 and 2016; the median dated dog row was sealed in 2020. An old seal year is not a warning, since an accepted row stays accepted. It is a reason to match the name on the bag exactly, because a formula sold today under a similar name may not be the one that was reviewed.
2. Take out one company and the plaque lean disappears
Counted across all 18 rows, cats lean to plaque: 8 plaque alone, 7 both, 3 tartar alone. So 15 of 18 rows (83%) cover plaque and 10 of 18 (56%) cover tartar. On the dog side, 55 of 83 rows (66%) cover plaque and 64 of 83 (77%) cover tartar.
Now set aside the six HealthyMouth rows. The remaining 12 rows split 2 plaque alone, 7 both and 3 tartar alone, so 9 of 12 (75%) cover plaque and 10 of 12 (83%) cover tartar. That is close to the dog pattern. Six of the eight plaque-only cat rows are HealthyMouth's; the other two are the Royal Canin and Performatrin diets. And all three tartar-only rows are treats.
So the "cats lean to plaque" pattern is mostly one company's product family. For a shopper, the practical reading is simpler: if you want tartar on the row, look at diets, treats and the two powders. If you want plaque, every format has it, but outside food and treats it comes from one company.
What the seal covers, and what it leaves open
VOHC's protocol page says the seal is awarded "in two claim categories: Helps Control Plaque, and Helps Control Tartar", and "Two trials are required, to ensure repeatability of results." A plaque-only row means plaque trials passed; it does not mean a tartar trial was run and failed. Trials start from cleaned teeth, so a sealed product slows new build-up. It was not tested on tartar already there. The full walk-through of the protocol is on the VOHC list and meaning guide.
The register has no breath claim, no gum claim, no palatability field and no ranking. Two sealed cat products cannot be compared with each other from public data.
Cats hide mouth pain well. Drooling, dropped food, pawing at the mouth, red gums or a sudden preference for soft food are reasons to see a veterinarian before changing products. If tartar is already visible, see our page on what home products can and cannot remove.
Frequently asked questions
How many VOHC-accepted products are there for cats?
Eighteen of 101, as captured September 20, 2026: six dental diets, four treats, four rows under water additives and four under toothbrushes and wipes.
Which VOHC cat products are vet only?
Two dry diets: Hill's Prescription Diet Feline t/d (2001) and Purina PPVD DH Feline Formula (2006). The other 16 are sold to consumers.
Are Feline Greenies VOHC approved?
The council's word is "accepted". Feline Greenies Feline Dental Treats were accepted in 2005 for tartar only.
Is there a VOHC cat treat for plaque?
One: Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diet Dental Bites (2019), for plaque and tartar.
Is there a VOHC-accepted cat toothpaste?
Not on its own. The only brushing row is the Healthymouth Toothpaste/Brush Kit Combination for Cats (2015, plaque).
What is the newest cat product on the list?
Two dental diets from 2024: Hill's Science Plan Vet Essentials Multi-Benefit + Dental and Performatrin Prime Oral Care from Pet Valu Canada.
Does a missing product mean it failed?
No. Submission is voluntary and paid for by the company, and VOHC publishes acceptances only. A missing product has no accepted study on file, and that is all the record says.
Our method
- Source. The VOHC Accepted Products web table for dogs and cats, captured September 20, 2026: 101 rows, six fields each (section, product name, claim, company, sales channel, seal year). A row counts as a cat row because VOHC filed it in a cat section. The cat rows were re-read on October 8, 2026, still 18.
- Counting. Every count on this page was recomputed from that capture with a short script, then checked against the earlier Tested Paws cat articles this page replaces. Where they disagreed, the capture wins.
- Format column. "What it really is" is our reading of the product name, used only to correct the gel, spray and powders that sit under other headings. All other fields are copied as printed.
- Quotes. The two-claim and two-trial wording comes from VOHC's Protocols and Submissions page; the brushing quote from the AVMA's pet dental care page, both as read October 8, 2026.
- No score of our own. VOHC publishes no effect sizes, so nothing here ranks one sealed product above another.
- Update rule. When VOHC posts a new edition, we recount and change the counts and the date at the top. If nothing changed, the date stays.
About this page. Written by Eunwol, who compiles and checks public pet-product records for Tested Paws. Not a veterinarian, and no veterinarian reviewed this page. "VOHC Accepted" is a registered certification mark of the Veterinary Oral Health Council; this page is not affiliated with or reviewed by VOHC. Brand names belong to their owners.
Related: VOHC-approved dog chews: all 38 compared · VOHC accepted products: the full list and what the seal means · Dog dental products that need no chewing · Tartar and plaque: what home products can and cannot do
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