Anesthesia for Cats: What Is It, and Why Is It Used?

What Is Cat Anesthesia?

Anesthesia is given to cats every day in veterinary hospitals with low complication rates.

However, since it causes an altered state of unconsciousness, immobilization (lack of movement), muscle relaxation, and freedom from pain, the procedure is not without risks.

Nerve signals are interrupted or blocked during anesthesia so that your cat won’t be aware of her surroundings, won’t be in pain, and won’t remember what happened.

This causes changes to normal body functions, such as slower breathing, heart rate, and metabolism, and possibly the loss of reflexes.

Cats are intubated, a procedure where an endotracheal tube is placed in the windpipe that allows the pet to breathe.

Anesthesia is individualized based on your cat’s unique needs and health status. The veterinarian will select the right drug and dosages, which require constant monitoring and support by your veterinary staff.

Types of Cat Anesthesia

There are several types of anesthesia for cats:

1. Sedation—A drug such as acepromazine, midazolam, or dexmedetomidine is administered in the muscle (IM), subcutaneous area (SC), or in a vein (IV). This helps lower anxiety and is helpful in non-painful procedures. The cat is usually able to walk around and cannot be intubated.

2. Immobilization—Giving drugs such as ketamine or telazol through the IM, SC, or IV routes prevents the cat from walking, provides some pain relief, and prevents the cat from remembering. It's used for short procedures, during which the cat is not intubated.

3. Local anesthetics—Essentially, drugs like lidocaine and bupivacaine are given in the skin around the area(s) of interest, in the mouth, or in the epidural space to block only local nerves, thereby blocking pain. Local anesthetics are handy for the removal of small tumors, wound treatment, tooth removals, and giving birth. Local anesthetics can also be used with general anesthesia to give more pain relief and help prevent swelling.

4. General anesthesia—This is often preceded by one of the anesthetics listed above to cause pain relief, paralysis, and unconsciousness. General anesthesia is then started, using drugs like alfaxalone or propofol given intravenously (IV), and then continued with an inhaled gas such as sevoflurane or isoflurane.

Multiple factors affect the decision of whether sedation, immobilization, local, or general anesthesia is best, such as age, breed, underlying health issues, type of procedure or testing needed, and the cat’s likely reaction.

Why Would a Cat Need Anesthesia?

Most likely, at one point in your cat’s life, he’ll require anesthesia.

Some reasons include:

• For the safe handling of the cat or to prevent trauma to the veterinary team

• For diagnostic purposes, like getting a biopsy

• As part of therapy, such as deep ear cleaning or placement of a urinary catheter

• For the surgical removal of a tumor

• For repair of a broken bone

• For dental prophylaxis/treatment

• For a routine spay or neuter

In all these scenarios, anesthesia provides a pain-free experience.

Benefits of Cat Anesthesia

Current anesthetics work well and let your veterinarian do procedures, tests, and surgery when no other options exist.

Anesthesia is used to help in treatment to improve the cat’s quality of life and prevent or end suffering.

While there will never be zero risks with anesthesia, the risks are low and shouldn’t prevent a cat from getting the care needed to keep them healthy.

Effectiveness of Cat Anesthesia

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), anesthesia is controlled unconsciousness, with the goal of preventing pain and movement for the duration of the procedure necessitating anesthesia in the first place. 

Your veterinarian doesn’t want the cat to move on the operating table nor react to painful stimulus like surgery, and anesthesia is an effective method for avoiding both of those events.

Yet, despite the effectiveness of anesthesia, some studies report that approximately 0.11% of healthy cats die of an anesthetic-related death, and other studies cite results of 0.24% and higher.

Risk factors include increased age and non-elective procedures, when anesthesia is needed for the well-being of the cat.

Cost of Cat Anesthesia

The cost of anesthesia in cats varies, and it’s usually dependent upon the type of anesthesia they need (sedation, immobilization, or general); the type of procedure the anesthesia will be used for, the length of time spent under anesthesia; and the type of facility (specialty or private practice).

In general, you can expect to pay anywhere from a few hundred dollars to $1,000 or more for a procedure involving anesthesia.

Pet insurance companies can cover some or all the costs associated with anesthesia; however, if not covered, alternative payment options like CareCredit of a hospital payment plan, if available, could be explored.  

Preparation for Cat Anesthesia

The day before the procedure, you should receive a call from the veterinary team asking you to not feed your cat the night before and letting you know if any medications, such as pre-visit sedation drugs, should be given and when.

Anything that decreases fear, anxiety, or stress before arrival at the hospital has been shown to improve anesthetic outcomes.

Try the following:

• Several days before the appointment, leave your cat’s carrier out; provide food and water and treats in the carrier, allowing him to get used to being housed inside.

  • Carriers that have a top or are easy to disassemble such as this front and top access option, create less stress when getting the cat out.

• Play calming music in the car, use calming pheromones like Feliway® or scents of lavender, and make sure the temperature of the car is right for the cat. Be sure the carrier is properly secured in the car.

• Upon arrival at the veterinary hospital, call ahead to see if they’re ready for you, so your cat can be placed directly into an exam room instead of staying in a stressful and noisy waiting area.

At the hospital, your cat will be prepared for anesthesia only after he’s been examined by the doctor and had his blood work reviewed and IV catheter placed.

Placement of an IV catheter enables the administration of other anesthetic drugs, and it is also used for IV fluid therapy and for emergency drugs, if needed.

A combination of a sedative and analgesic (pain) medication will be given, which helps calm him down and leads to anesthesia.

If undergoing general anesthesia, after some time has passed, your cat will receive more medication. He will then be intubated and hooked up to the anesthesia machine and monitoring equipment.

Complications of Cat Anesthesia

Unfortunately, there will never be risk-free anesthesia, but thankfully, anesthetic-related complications, including death, are quite rare.

Complications can range from minor changes in blood pressure and heart rate to life-threatening aspiration pneumonia and organ failure.

Other complications include:

• Hypotension (low blood pressure)—most common, with about 8.5% of cats undergoing anesthesia developing this condition

• Hypothermia (low body temperature)

• Hypoventilation (shallow breathing)

• Hypoxemia (low oxygen levels)

• Heart arrhythmias including heart block, low/fast heart rate, and ventricular arrhythmias like VPCs (ventricular premature complexes), about 1.8% of occurrences

• Cardiac arrest

• Infection

• Irritation and inflammation (swelling) of the trachea, including tracheal tears and subcutaneous emphysema

• Coughing

• Anaphylaxis (shock) from drug reactions

• Malignant hyperthermia with temperatures of 106–108 F or more (as high as 113 F), often thought to be from a drug reaction

• Seizures

• Trouble seeing

Your veterinarian will take precautions to minimize or prevent these complications from happening, but no matter the diligence, unfortunately, problems can occur.

If your cat has had anesthesia in the past, be sure to review these records and the post-op care and recovery so that the medical team is as well-informed as possible and can make changes to the anesthetic plan if needed.

Post-Op Care and Recovery for Cat Anesthesia

Because 47 to 60% of complications happen within three hours of anesthesia, your cat will continue to be watched after a procedure. Expect your cat to be hospitalized all day.

Your cat won’t be discharged until he is alert with a normal temperature. Some anesthetics can be reversed so your cat may have a shorter recovery time.

You will be given some discharge paperwork that will most likely address what to expect and when to call the doctor.

Be sure to follow your veterinarian’s recommendations on post-operative care such as cage rest and feeding suggestions.

Often, it’s recommended to feed only 1/4 to 1/2 of a typical meal in the evening when you return home, as well as small amounts of water.

Give any medications prescribed as directed. If a bandage has been placed, be sure to follow instructions about that as well; usually that means keeping it clean and dry, and watching for signs of it being too tight (swollen toes or excessive irritation) and signs of slippage and seepage.

Your cat may have a slight cough for one or two days from the irritation of the endotracheal tube, and he may have a decreased appetite for 12 to 24 hours.

Soft stool can be seen at first, but improvement should be noted day by day.

Do not hesitate to call your veterinarian if you are concerned.

Managing a happy return home can be challenging, but try the following to help set your cat up for success:

1. If other pets are in the home, slowly reintroduce your cat back to them. First, keep them isolated, preventing him from being rushed and startled. Your cat may have unfamiliar scents on him.

   • Allow the other pets to interact with him through a slightly open room door. Rub a towel on all pets to mix their scents and let them become refamiliarized with the cat.

2. Remember, he may be groggy and in pain from the procedure and may need to rest comfortably by himself in a closed room. Block access to pools and stairs until he has returned to normal.

3. Use calming pheromones.

Alternatives to Cat Anesthesia

Chances are if your veterinarian is recommending anesthesia, he or she has already ruled out other options and decided the benefits outweigh the risks.

There may be an alternative to general anesthesia, such as sedation, immobilization, or even local anesthesia, depending on the underlying cause. Be sure to discuss your concerns with the veterinary team.

They can share details on their specific plans and training to lower risks.