Dental extractions are the most common surgical procedure in cats, treating advanced periodontal disease, tooth resorption, and stomatitis. Proper technique and pain management are essential welfare considerations.
Dental extractions performed without adequate anaesthesia monitoring or appropriate pain control cause unnecessary suffering during and after the procedure. Conversely, well-performed dental extractions with multimodal analgesia produce rapid improvement in welfare by eliminating chronic dental pain. The welfare of cats undergoing dental extractions depends critically on anaesthetic quality, surgical technique, and perioperative pain management.