Expert: Walter Hintz - 3/18/2010

Question
My 5th grade daughter is doing a science fair project on which mouth is cleaner human, dog or cats. We've been able to find more information on human vs. canine but we are having trouble finding information on cats saliva and bacteria. We would appreciate any information you could provide for us. Thank you so much.

Answer
  Hi Pamela;
Just about everybody who tries this experiment uses dog and human saliva and not a cats. I do not believe a dog and cat's mouth would be different.
Is you daughter trying to grow bacteria? If so she can test saliva from a cat. She should be careful. I have qualms about children growing bacteria.
Also if the scientific method is being used here (and it should for a science fair) change the problem form which mouth is cleaned to which mouth has more bacteria.  That can be tested . "cleaner" cannot