Cat after general anaesthesia

[Moonstone20]

My cat had a tooth out today under general anaesthesia. She was in for a couple of hours, she’s been back at home now for 3 hours. She is 8 years old.

How were your cats after a general? She got out of her carrier and wandered in circles, banging into things, then lay down. Then went upstairs and lay on the floor of the bedroom. She is just staring though, unblinking and doesn’t look at me at all. I stroked her and spoke to her gently and her eyes narrowed a bit so she seemed marginally more relaxed. I put her igloo next to her and she has been in there for the last 30 minutes. I’ve left her alone now, but have a camera set up so I can see when she gets up. I’ve left low lights on, a bowl of water and a litter tray outside the door. The vet said to feed her this evening so I will try her with some food around 7pm.

I’m a bit worried, the vet said she would be drowsy but this is more than drowsy. She did also have a long lasting painkiller.

It's not unusual for them to be wobbly and spaced out especially if you have her home after just a few hours. Sojnds like you are doing everything right, keep her warm and quiet and let her sleep it off.

She will probably be wide awake at 3am 😉

Poor little love ❤️ I hope she’ll be alright, I’m sure she will be. Our rescue had to have a lot of teeth out and he was quiet and snoozy for the rest of the day. You’re doing everything you can.

Thanks both. Checked on her about 20 minutes ago and she staggered out of her igloo for a stroke, then jumped on the bed to lie down there. She seemed a bit more with it, though has been staring with fascination at a blank wall for the last 15 minutes.

She can have food now, she'll be starving.
My cat was out of it for a good 12 hours after dental extractions, crawling close to the ground and hiding, not herself at all, it's the drugs. She was a bit better the next day but lost her miaow and when it came back it was really deep for a couple of days! I'd say it was a good week before she was herself again, she did have 3 teeth out though.

My kitten got sprayed during COVID and they couldn't use normal anaesthetic so had to us a different one they were not very familiar with. My poor little kitten was knocked out for almost 3 days. I thought they had killed her. Eventually it wore off. I had to syringe milk into her to keep her alive.

How awful @caringcarerI’m glad she was ok in the end. I’ll go up and try her with a bit of food now.

Mine had all her teeth out two weeks ago. She was a bit stoned afterwards but was bright and awake. I had to go to work that night but kept a camera on her and she was up and about. She had a rocky ride after that but is so much happier without her teeth!

My boy had a few teeth out over the summer, he was out of it for about 2 days! The first night, he just stared at the wall for about 6 hours and wouldn’t eat anything. He was desperate for a wee but as he’s normally an outdoor cat, didn't want to use the litter tray so he kept me up all night crying and trying to get his catflap unlocked.

It felt like I had a newborn child! But after 24 hours he was much calmer, and it’s been absolutely worth it. He eats so much better now he’s free from pain. I hope your girl feels better soon!

I know exactly how she feels - I've had a few general anaesthetics over the years & it can take me quite a few hours to get back to normal(ish), or as close to normal as I ever get. Even just Twilight (Valium sedation) can have me woozy for 3-4 hours, and I tend to have a fast recovery from sedatives & GAs.

Make sure she's comfortable & warm, with food, water & litter tray close by. By morning she should be fine.

She’s eaten a little bit, had a kiss and a cuddle, asked for more kisses, went for a wee and has gone back to the igloo. Still looks a bit odd but no so much like a vacant alien.

Hopefully will not attempt to go down the stairs but I’ve left a few lights on in case she does. I can’t really stop her, she would keep me up all night if I tried to close her in a room. She has food, water and litter all close by upstairs.

I read about Penelope’s rocky ride! I’m glad she’s feeling better.

Thanks, yes I think she’s probably been in pain for a while, so hopefully this will help.

My 7 year old Burmese cat had 7 teeth out this week. I was totally unprepared for how he reacted to the anaesthetic. Initially, he was wondering around the house like he was drunk, then he settled on DD’s bed with his eyes wide open and pupils fully dilated. He refused to eat or drink that night and did not sleep for 36 hours straight (just sat there with a vacant stare). I was very worried and called the vet who said he may have had an adverse reaction to the pain relief gel and to discontinue this.

He eventually went to sleep last night with me lying next to him stroking his head. His pupils returned to normal this morning and he is finally getting his personality back. He still hasn’t pooped but apparently this is normal after an anaesthetic. I think he will be much happier now that his teeth are out but I really hope he never has to have another anaesthetic.

@whiteblossomshow worrying, you must have been beside yourself. The comment by vet that my cat would be ‘a bit drowsy’ really didn’t cover she reacted. I guess 7 teeth was a lot as well for your cat. My cat is about 90% normal now, though was hiding under the bed for a while this morning. She really wanted a cuddle just now, amazing how she has forgiven me for the undignified plonking into the carrier and taking her to the whole ordeal.

Aww, they are funny when under the effects of the anaesthetic.
Our cat had to have a few teeth removed as she had a reabsorbtion condition and her body was taking the calcium from her teeth. It's apparently quite common, though we have never heard of it before with the four cats we have had. She healed quite quickly, despite her age which I think was around 12, and she now eats much better than before.
Hope your cat starts to feel more themselves very soon

I honestly thought my cat had brain damage once after an op. She was fine eventually.