Since cats can not tell us what is painful, and we can’t ask them to hold still, dentistry is a little more involved for our feline companions than for us. General anesthesia is necessary to fully evaluate your cat’s mouth and teeth, and to take x-rays very similar to the ones your dentist performs. Before anesthesia, the veterinarian performs a complete physical exam and pre-anesthetic labwork is run. This allows us to create an individualized anesthetic plan for your cat.

After an examination and labwork, an IV catheter is placed for fluid administration under anesthesia. While under anesthesia, your cat is monitored by a dedicated veterinary technician who records their blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, oxygenation, temperature, and exhaled carbon dioxide throughout the procedure. This careful monitoring allows us to adjust the anesthetic as needed to keep your pet safe and able to wake up quickly after anesthesia is finished.

The dental procedure itself has multiple parts. First we take full mouth x-rays to look for disease under the gum line. A technician cleans the teeth above and below the gum line, and the Dr. checks all surfaces of the tooth for signs of disease.

If any teeth are extracted, a local anesthetic is used to numb the area undergoing surgery. This pain control allows us to use less anesthesia and also will continue to keep your cat comfortable for several hours after they wake up from the anesthetic. After extractions, we administer a long acting pain medication and antibiotics if needed. Your pet is monitored after surgery for a few hours to be sure they are recovering well.

Feline patients do very well with carefully monitored anesthesia and excellent pain control. Our goal is for patients to resume normal behavior and appetite almost as soon as they get home. If there were extractions, your pet will need a moist food or softened dry food diet for 10-14 days, and the Dr. will want to recheck any extraction sites 10-14 days after surgery to be sure everything has healed well.

A sleeping respiratory rate (SRR) is an important tool for owners’ of cats with heart or respiratory disease. Checking a SRR allows owners to catch changes in decreased lung function early, allowing a trip to their vet before there is a life-threatening crisis. It also lets us monitor how effective our treatments are from your home.

To check a SRR, you cat must be asleep and breathing regularly. We can check respiratory rates in awake cats, but they are generally much faster and less consistent.

Start by watching your cats’ sides or abdomen move up and down. Each up and down movement counts as 1 breath. Once you are comfortable with watching their breathing, count how many breaths they take in 30 seconds. Multiply that number by 2, and that is the SRR.

A normal SRR is in the low 20’s. An increase to 30 or above means that your cat is not getting enough oxygen, and your regular veterinarian or emergency clinic should be contacted ASAP.

A SRR is useful in any cat with heart disease or an undiagnosed heart murmur, as an increase in SRR is often the first sign of congestive heart failure. Any cat on heart medications should have their SRR counted regularly, as an increase means we need to re-evaluate medications and can be a sign of worsening disease. We also will recommend a SRR in any cat with lung disease, especially if they are hard to evaluate or are breathing quickly in the clinic.

Please contact us with any additional questions. Learn more about sleeping respiratory rates in dogs and cats from Veterinary Partner.

Cats are experts in hiding signs of disease from the people and other animals around them. We think of cats as predators, but they are also prey animals, and do not want to be vulnerable by showing signs of illness. The consequence of this is that we are only able to notice the signs that our companions are sick until late in the course of disease. In some situations, a problem that would be treatable may now be much more serious or even life -threatening. The following signs are common indicators that some form of illness is happening.

Changes in appetite

An increase or decrease in appetite, especially when not accompanied by changes in food or routine, is often a sign of a medical problem. If you notice that your cat is consistently eating a more or less of their normal amount, a trip to the vet is in order. Even if dry food is left out all the time, it is important to have an idea of how fast your cat goes through food so a change can be noticed sooner than later.

Also, stopping eating altogether can be a sign of an emergency situation. If your cat refuses most or all food for a day or more, an exam with a vet is needed. Your pet may just need treatment for their symptoms, but this can be a sign of a serious problem that will be best managed with early intervention.

Increased thirst and urination

Increases in thirst or urination is often an early sign of underlying disease, and recognizing these changes can let us run tests to make a diagnosis before a cat is critically ill. Kidney disease and diabetes are the 2 most common reasons for this change, but many other issues are possible.

Below is a list of changes you may notice:

• Going to the water bowl more frequently
• Having to scoop the litterbox more often
• Increased size of clumps of urine in the litterbox
• Litter that is more wet than usual
• Having to completely empty the litterbox more frequently

Weight loss

Weight loss is often noticed before we realize a cat’s food intake has changed. If you notice you cat is losing weight over time and you have not changed your feeding habits or diet, a trip to the vet is needed. We often think of weight loss as a normal sign of aging, but that is because as cats age they develop medical problems that make them lose weight. Examining your pet when your pet’s weight has changed can often let us diagnose an issue early and avoid a crisis.

Changes in urination habits

As we discussed earlier, an increase in the volume of urine can be a sign of many issues. However, there are other symptoms that are common signs of a urinary tract problem, including

• Going to the box more frequently
• Producing small amounts of urine
• Straining in the box
• Blood in the urine
• Vocalizing while urinating
• Unusual licking of the rear end

Male cats in particular are at risk for life-threatening urinary obstruction, and we commonly see these signs before a full obstruction has occurred. Once your cat is obstructed, they need emergency medical care, usually with hospitalization and placement of a urinary catheter.

Urinary tract infections, bladder stones, and other issues can also cause this behavior. Urinating outside of the litterbox can indicate any one of these problems, and even if we think it may be behavioral, a medical workup is needed.

Urinating outside the littlerbox is a common behavioral problem, but it also can be a sign of urinary tract disease. Any cat who starts to urinate inappropriately should still have a medical workup to rule out non-behavioral causes.

Changes in or difficulty breathing

Any changes to your cat’s normal breathing pattern should trigger an immediate veterinary visit. It can be difficult to tell if your cat has congestion or a cold, or if the issue is the heart and lungs. Any increase in how fast your cat breathes, or if it looks like you cat is working hard to breathe (you will often see their abdomen moving more than normal when they take a breath), is indication for an emergency veterinary visit, whether to your veterinarian or the emergency room.

From getting them in the carrier through the car ride home, a visit to the veterinarian is stressful for cats and their owners. We do our best to minimize stress and fear in the clinic, and there are steps that can be taken at home to further improve your cats visit.

For best practice, we recommend a firm sided carrier that can have the top removed. Removing the top allows us to examine your cat in the carrier bottom if they are reluctant to walk out into the exam room on their own.

• Leaving the carrier out in a room where your cat spends time will allow them to become desensitized to the carrier’s presence. It is recommended to keep soft bedding in the carrier, and place toys and treats inside so your cat becomes familiar with going in and out.
• Pheromone sprays and wipes can be used inside the carrier. They should be applied at least an hour before the trip.
• If your cat is stressed during the car ride, try both covering and leaving the carrier uncovered to see which they prefer.
• If your pet is severely stressed either getting in the carrier or during the trip, you can discuss if there is medication that can help. Keeping the trip as low stress as possible is important to help avoid increasing your cats fear.

If you are looking for additional information, please click here or visit the Cat Friendly Homes website run by the Feline Veterinary Medicine Association.