Many people have questions about various aspects of their cat’s surgery,
and we hope this information will help.
Today’s modern anesthetic monitors have made surgery much safer than in the past. Here at Affectionately Cats, we do a thorough physical exam on your cat before administering anesthetics, to ensure that a fever or other illness won’t be a problem. We also adjust the amount and type of anesthetic used depending on the health of your cat.
Pre-anesthetic blood testing is important in reducing the risk of anesthesia. Every cat should have blood testing before surgery to ensure that the liver and kidneys can handle the anesthetic. Even apparently healthy animals can have serious organ system problems that cannot be detected without blood testing. If there is a problem, it is much better to find it before it causes anesthetic or surgical complications. Animals that have minor dysfunction will handle the anesthetic better if they receive IV fluids during surgery. If serious problems are detected, surgery can be postponed until the problem is corrected.
We offer different levels of in-house blood testing before surgery, which we will go over with you when you bring your cat in. Our doctors prefer the more comprehensive screen, because it gives them the most information to ensure the safety of your pet. For geriatric or ill cats, additional blood tests, electrocardiograms, or x-rays may be required before surgery as well.
It is important that surgery be done on an empty stomach to reduce the risk of vomiting during and after anesthesia. You will need to withhold food for at least 8 to 10 hours before surgery. Water can be left down until the morning of surgery.
For many surgeries, we use absorbable sutures underneath the skin. These will dissolve on their own, and do not need to be removed later. Some surgeries, especially tumor removals, do require skin stitches. With either type of suture, you will need to keep an eye on the incision for swelling or discharge. Most cats do not lick excessively or chew at the incision, but this is an occasional problem you will need to watch for. If there are skin sutures, these will usually be removed 10 to 14 days after surgery. You will also need to limit your cat’s activity for a time and no baths are allowed for the first 10 days after surgery.
Anything that causes pain in people can be expected to cause pain in animals. Cats may not show the same symptoms of pain as people do; they usually don’t cry, but you can be sure they feel it. Pain medications needed will depend on the surgery performed. Major procedures require more pain relief than things like minor lacerations.
Because cats do not tolerate standard pain medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or Tylenol, we are limited in what we can give them. Recent advances in pain medications have allowed for better pain control in cats than ever before. We administer a pain injection 10 minutes prior to surgery. After surgery, pain medication is given on a case by case basis. Any patient that appears painful will receive additional pain medication.
While your cat is under anesthesia, it can be the ideal time to perform other minor procedures, such as dentistry, grooming, ear cleaning, or implanting an identification microchip. If you would like an estimate for these extra services, please ask when admitting your cat.
When you bring your cat in for surgery plan on spending 10-15 minutes to fill out paperwork and make decisions on the blood testing and other available options. When you pick up your cat after surgery you can also plan to spend about 10 minutes to go over your cat’s home care needs.
Get to know our doctors, and learn about the experience they bring to Affectionately Cats.
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