chances of cat dying while under anesthesia?

hi everyone. i noticed my kitty scratching on his back for a while and licking it and i figured he was just being a weird cat, but then a couple days ago i was petting him there and he has sores all over his skin

well, i took him to the vet the next day, and he took a look and at first he thought it was just some skin fungus. but after feeling around a bit more, he got surprised and it turns out my poor kitten has a tumor on his back. the vet said he has to have immediate surgery. the tumor itself is small right now, but he says it could grow and become malignant and could kill my cat in the future, but if he has surgery, the vet said there is a chance he could die after being put under anesthesia...

he is only 1 year old and doesn't deserve this, i feel terrible.

i just want to know if anyone knows what the chances are of my kitty surviving this. my fiancee is taking him to the vet right now while i'm at work. i can't stop thinking about it. please tell me he'll be okay.

It is always nerve wracking when out fur babies need to be anesthetized. And I can tell how concerned you are.

All I can offer is this - my 16 year old, diabetic (controlled with diet), arthritic old lady cat quite recently had a dental.

She came out of the anesthesia just fine but did lose her appetite and had an upset tummy a day later. By now, a week later, she's just fine.

Your kitty is not Michael Jackson, abusing anesthesia. Sounds like he needs the operation.

I won't say "don't worry" - you will no matter what I say. But your boy was put under for his neuter and was fine. Odds are very much in favor of things going fine this time too.

Be sure to come back and let us all know how things went.

thank you catapult, that makes me feel a bit better. he was put under before for his neutering, and he had the same results your cat had (loss of appetite, dizziness) for a day or two but was back on his feet in no time.

he is young and strong and healthy, and he was playing and acting normal when i left this morning for work.

i'm worried because this surgery isn't like a routine neuter, and could end up taking longer than usual. i'm telling myself it shouldn't be too hard because the tumor is very close to his skin and not near any vital organs.

waiting is just the absolute hardest part. i will definitely post again and let you know when my cat is safe and sound and recovering back home!

There is always a risk with anesthesia. But I think the risk of the tumor is greater. I've had two cats that had tumors removed and a third one with a cyst removed. Each one came through the operation ok. One had developed a respiratory problem from her spay operation, but even she came through the tumor operation ok though she was slow to recover from the anesthesia.

Is your doctor taking blood work to see if there is any issues that might affect the outcome?

I hope everything is ok. It helps me to know how much I trust my vet to use every precaution to safely anesthesize my pets.

hi. yeah, the blood work was done and apparently he was a-ok to go. he's in surgery right now and i'm so worried. when my fiancee got to the vet he examined kitty again and now he says the surgery is actually quite dangerous because the tumor is near veins that connect to the brain...

i'm so scared. she said the vet seemed very confident that everything will be fine, but that doesn't change my feelings.

According to this study, the overall risk of death caused by anesthesia is about 0.24%. Which is. . .about 1 in 400? But that counts unhealthy cats, elderly cats, overweight cats, emergencies, etc. The chance of a young healthy cat dying from anesthetic is extremely low.

Here's the study: http://m.bja.oxfordjournals.org/content/99/5/617.full

Of course that doesn't stop us from worrying! Best wishes for your kitty!

Sending vibes your way for you and your precious kitty

I hope everything turns out okay and your baby boy has a speedy recovery

hi everyone. my fiancee just got off the phone with the doctor and the surgery was a success! he was able to remove the tumor and chalky woke up and he's moving his around and blinking!

the vet said he couldn't see any signs of growth around the tumorous area and the tumor came out clean, so we're hoping this was just a freak accident one-time thing. they're going to keep him in the vet overnight for observation.

i'm pretty relieved. i hope this is the end of his problems for a long while. the poor guy is only a little over a year old and didn't deserve to have this

so, we're not quite out of the woods yet, but it's looking promising!

thank you for your support everyone. i've bookmarked thecatsite and i plan to come back often. thanks again.

I'm so glad him came through without a hitch. Given that he is such a young cat, I would suggest talking to your vet about future vaccinations. There is a problem with cats developing aggressive sarcomas at the injection site.

Very glad that he came through OK and that the vet thinks he is clear. Good luck for a normal life from now on.

just a shout for a final update - chalky was brought home yesterday and he never missed a beat. after running around and sniffing his favourite resting spots, he immediately begged for treats and in short, acted like he typically would every night.

i am afraid about the stitches on his back though. he's been scratching at them. they look pretty tight and i don't think he'll be able to scratch them off, but it's still worrisome when i have to go to work and can't watch him.

he has to go back to the vet for the next 3 days for antibiotic injections but aside from that, he's doing fine! thanks again everyone.