My cat turned 14 in June. Is it safe to sedate an elderly cat to have her teeth cleaned?

[raccoon]

(or some other procedure)?

[Daemonaquila]

1. Depends on her health, and the vet.

You are right to ask - as cats get older, they have more problems throwing off some drugs and are more susceptible to side effects like breathing problems. If she's otherwise healthy as can be, and your *trusted* vet thinks she'll be fine, no problem. My own aging kitties have gone through much more than sedation, with flying colors. Just make sure your vet discusses the risks with you so you can make a good choice based on her individual health issues.

[wildeyed]

2. They will probably want to do a kidney and liver screening to be sure she can tolerate the sedation.

Other than that, the vet should have a recommendation.

[Ednahilda]

3. Your vet will know best.

My older, diabetic cat needed his teeth cleaned so the vet did a series of blood tests - which he does for all older cats before surgery - and determined that our cat would be fine. Vet was right; cat made it through with flying colors.

[sinkingfeeling]

4. Pretty much so. Age is taken into consideration in choosing what to use.

[ceile]

5. Had that talk w/ my vet this morning.

Fatty is 14 and diabetic. He has a runny nose and the vet thinks it may be caused by his teeth. We're trying some over the counter stuff first, but he may have to go back in for a cleaning. I told her I was concerned about his age and diabetes, while she agreed, she also stated that we are taking better care of our anilmals these days and they are healthier, and living longer. She age is always a concern, but the overall health of the animal is what's most important.

[ginnyinWI]

6. I had it done for a 17 year old.

She did well. They gave her heart and kidney tests first. That was two years ago; this is the same calico cat who recently died that I posted about.

[Curmudgeoness]

7. I have had cats older than that put under

for surgeries, and they have been fine. I did lose a cat to heart failure in recovery, but he was younger than this and not in great health----but the surgery was required. Your vet will know. My vet has started to use diprivan on my cat, which is fast acting and they come out of it fast (in less than 10 minutes they are alert). And the vet always does a blood test to make sure there are no underlying problems that could cause problems.

I am sure that your kitty will be ok if the vet thinks so. If the teeth really do need cleaned, that is a health concern too.

Best of luck.

[zen_bohemian]

8. Have the vet do pre op blood work before anything else

Not to scare you, but in my experience with my 15-year-old cat, she did not handle the anesthesia well...she was dizzy for 2 days and it took a whole lot longer for it to leave her system than it did our 2 year old.....when she was spade as a kitten she again had a little trouble recovering from the anesthesia, it depends on the cat, best to just ask the vet.