Anaesthetic safety in cats has improved dramatically but remains a welfare challenge requiring careful patient assessment and monitoring.
Anaesthetic complications cause pain, distress, and death that careful practice can prevent. Thorough pre-anaesthetic assessment, appropriate drug selection, vigilant monitoring, and proactive management of common complications including hypothermia, hypotension, and airway obstruction are the foundations of welfare-conscious anaesthetic practice. Proper analgesia prevents the awakening from anaesthesia into pain.