My cats teeth.

I took my cat to get his nails clipped and whilst there she done a full examination on him. She said that all his teeth next extracting.

I'm absolutely gutted. I adore my baby boy more than anything in the whole world and for him to go under anastethic and to have his teeth removed has left me petrified that he might not wake up :-( I can't lose him. I'm so upset :-(

I know his teeth need removing because his breath stinks aswell but I'm so hesitant because he will go asleep for a while

I am sorry to hear about your cat needing his teeth extracted. How old is he?  Is there a particular reason you are worried about the anesthesia? I know anesthesia in a pet can be really scary.

 Have you had the regular pre-anesthesia checks done. Usually before anesthesia our vets run a blood panel to check for liver and kidney function and presence of diabetes or infection, they also do a chest x ray and an EKG/ECG to check for heart function. They decide on anesthesia suitability based on the results of these tests. I have heard that cats can lead a fairly normal life without any teeth at all and they even eat normally (as long is it is not dry food), I am not sure if this is true in every case though. 

He is 8 years old but we have had him for five years. He lived with another family for three years and all they seemed to have done when we got him was feed him and nothing else but by my own admission his teeth went unnoticed.

We've not had the pre-checks done because the vet didn't want to do something and cost me any unnecessary expense yesterday basically.

We have always fed him wet food but the vet said dry food is better but obviously he struggled to do so when we gave him those dreamies. I don't know if you are aware of them.

I suppose I am scared because of how much I adore him. The bond that me and Diego share is special. There is a unique closeness and understanding. He can look at me without miaowing and I will know what he wants or he will stand in a certain way so he tells you through body language. I'm just scared of losing him whilst he is under really.

If at all possible, at least get the blood work done prior to the dental procedure, just to help insure he's healthy enough for the anesthesia. It is all terribly expensive, but what else can you do? My boy Simon had all but 8 of his teeth extracted in June 2013. Though I have extreme confidence in my regular vet, I do wish, on hindsight, that I had taken him to a dental specialist, even though the closest is more than 50 miles away.

Simon eats fine without his teeth, both wet and dry food, as long as the underlying condition (what caused the extractions to become necessary) is in remission.

My cat just had a dental Thursday.  He only had two teeth removed but he probably has some liver damage due to having had fatty liver disease.  He came through just fine.  I know anesthesia is scary because there is that small chance something could happen.  The pre-checks would have found any issues that would make the anesthesia riskier.  My cat is 10 years old.