Feline caries in two cats from a 13th century archeological excavation.

Mandibles of two cats containing carious lesions were discovered among the previously published findings of feline dental resorptive lesions from materials examined at an archaeological museum. These lesions were too small to be noted on radiographs, and consisted of two inconspicuous enamel lesions in a mandibular left first molar tooth (309), a clinically visible white spot area containing an enamel lesion in a mandibular left fourth premolar tooth (308), and a root surface caries in the 308 of a different specimen. Histologic examination using special stains and polarized light revealed both initial and early initial stage enamel caries, as well as root surface caries. Knoop hardness measurements confirmed these findings, considered the first documented cases of feline caries.

Feline dental resorptive lesions in the 13th to 14th centuries.

The Schild excavation (1971-1975) unearthed 1871 feline bones from at least 181 cats from the town market in medieval Schleswig-Gottorf. Seven of the 189 mandibles and one of the 126 skulls were investigated using a combination of macroscopic, radiographic, and histologic examinations as well as Knoop hardness measurements. The preliminary results of examinations of three mandibles and one skull are presented and reveal that feline dental resorptive lesions were present in cats that lived in a settlement period dating from the 13th and 14th centuries in former Schleswig, Germany.