anesthesia - effects cats

We have a turkish argile with a very full coat of fur. She is miserable when her coat is full. She is slugish and looks depressed. We take her to the vet 1 time a year to have her shaved down-a lion cut. Once she is shaved she gains a new life. She is very active, bright and cheerful.

Unfortunately, the vet has to administer anesthesia so they can cut her fur down. We would like to have her fur cut 2 times a year However, we were told that administering anesthesia hurts the cat and can shorten her lifespan. So we feel reluctant to have her shaved(fur cut) however, she seems to be very happy while her fur is all the way down.

Is it true that administering her anesthesia will shorten her lifespan. Is ther a better way to accomplish this.

I have the same concern. I've been told that it's very hard on their bodies. My cat becomes like a rabid animal when he goes to the vet    His next vet appointment is today and I'm giving him a dose of gabapentin which is supposed to sedate and relax him. I hope it works, but I'm nervous about any side effects.

mswhiskers said:

Is it true that administering her anesthesia will shorten her lifespan. Is ther a better way to accomplish this.

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Hi

The short answer is "no".  The more complicated answer is that there is a very, very  small chance of life threatening complications when giving full anesthesia.  Vets take a blood sample first to rule out obvious risks, once that is done the risks are very low, but not zero.  But assuming the cat does fine, there are no long term effects, nor a reduction in lifespan.  The only risk is right then when the cat is getting the anesthesia. 

Given that you're doing this once a year and want to do it twice a year (and i don't blame you, it sounds like your cat is much happier with a short coat) I would discuss more conservative strategies with your vet.  SOme combo of tranquilizers, Ketamine, a light anesthesia like propofol, etc could all reduce the risk of complications.

The other things that you can do to reduce risk is make sure your cat hasn't eaten in the 12 hours prior, and that your vet has someone actually sit with your cat while she is going under and  while she is waking up.