What You Need to Know Before Your Cat's Upcoming Surgery

Our surgery suite and procedures are held at the same high standards you find in finer human facilities.  Complete with its own Hepa air filtration system, our surgery suite is state-of -the-art.  All of our surgical systems have been carefully reviewed by a Board Certified Veterinary Anesthesiologist and surgery nurses practicing in the human medical profession.  Your cat will be monitored closely by experienced licensed veterinary professionals.

Many people have questions about various aspects of their cat's surgery, and we hope this information will help.  It also explains the decisions you will need to make before an upcoming surgery.

Is the anesthetic safe?

Today's modern anesthetic monitors have made surgery much safer than in the past.  We perform 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.  The handout on anesthesia explains this in greater detail.

Preanesthetic laboratory testing is important in reducing the risk of anesthesia.  Every pet needs blood testing and a urinalysis 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. 

For geriatric or ill pets, additional blood tests, electrocardiograms, or x-rays may be required before surgery as well.

All patients are placed on intravenous fluids during anesthesia. 

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 out until the morning of surgery.

Will my cat have sutures?

For some surgeries, we use absorbable sutures underneath the skin.  These will dissolve on their own, and do not need to be removed later.  Most surgeries, especially tumor removals, do require skin sutures.  With either type of suture, you will need to monitor 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 also need to watch for.  If there are skin sutures, we will usually remove them 10 to 14 days after surgery.  You will also need to limit your cat's activity level for a time and no baths are allowed for the first 10 days after surgery.

Will my cat be in pain?

Anything that causes pain in people can be expected to cause pain in animals.  Pets may not show the same symptoms of pain as people do; they usually don't whine or cry, but you can be sure they feel it.  Pain medications needed will depend on the surgery performed. 

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 begin pain management prior to surgery.  After surgery, pain medication is given on a case by case basis.  Any animal that appears painful will receive additional pain medication.

Providing whatever pain relief is appropriate is a humane and caring thing to do for your cat.

What other decisions do I need to make?

While your cat is under anesthesia, it is the ideal time to perform procedures such as dentistry, ear cleaning, de-matting, or implanting an identification microchip.  If you would like an estimate for these extra services, please let us know ahead of time.  This is especially important if the person dropping your cat off for surgery is not the primary decision maker for care.

When you bring your cat in for surgery, we will need to 10 to 15 minutes of  your time to fill out paperwork and review the procedure with you.  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.

We will call you the night before your scheduled surgery appointment, to confirm the time you will be dropping your cat off and to answer any questions you might have.  In the meantime, please don't hesitate to call us with any questions about your cat's health or surgery.