Dental disease is the most common health problem in cats. Professional dental cleaning under anesthesia is essential for welfare despite concerns some owners have about anesthesia.
Dental disease causes significant chronic pain that profoundly affects quality of life, yet cats often mask this pain effectively. Studies have shown cats increase food intake and playfulness after dental treatment, suggesting they were in more pain than owners recognized. The welfare cost of untreated dental disease - ongoing infection, pain with every meal, and systemic health effects - vastly outweighs the small anesthetic risk of professional cleaning. Delaying dental care due to anesthesia concerns may cause more suffering than it prevents.