Senior Cat Comfort & Care

You may be wondering why it’s necessary to have your cat anesthetized for a dental cleaning. It’s the only way to thoroughly evaluate your cat’s mouth (including X-rays), properly clean their teeth above and below the gumline, and treat painful issues (including pulling fractured teeth or those damaged by tooth resorption). When cats aren’t anesthetized, X-rays can’t be done to assess tooth and bone damage, cleaning below the gums isn’t possible, and painful issues can’t be corrected.

Anesthesia risk goes up ever so slightly as cats age. But dental disease spreads beyond the mouth, and those risks can often be more dangerous to your cat. Veterinarians are skilled at minimizing anesthesia risks. A physical exam, bloodwork, urinalysis, and other tests based on your cat’s existing health issues are done before a dental cleaning. This helps determine if there are any medical conditions that may increase risk. This is why cat death due to anesthesia is low at approximately 0.1 to .2%.

While under anesthesia, your pet’s vitals will be monitored with specialized equipment (like human hospitals use), and they’ll receive IV fluids and medications and be kept warm. This combination allows for the best care and management of your cat while sedated.