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How safe is anesthesia for an older cat getting dental work done?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Persian | Female | spayed | 10 years and 10 months old | 6 lbs

We have this 10-year-old Persian who's always grinding her teeth, so we brought her to a vet, who then diagnosed her with gingivitis and suggested putting her under general anaesthesia so they could remove the tartar. We are weighing the pros and cons here. Her dental problem is a concern but we are more worried about the risks that involve in anaesthetising a cat her age. Could you let us know how frequently severe (life-threatening) complications occur as a result of this kind of procedure?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Oneal Bogan, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on November 2nd, 2017

Hi there. I agree having her teeth cleaned it’s a good idea especially if she has tartar buildup.I would start by having your veterinarian run some general bloodwork to make sure her organ function is good and if everything looks good and her heart is healthy and anesthesia is very safe. Having bad dental health can be more detrimental in the long run and getting this taken care of would be a great idea. Also make sure that wherever you have her teeth cleaned has full monitoring devices and that they do intravenous fluids during the procedure. This is a standard safety measure and you want to go somewhere that has that available. Hope that is helpful and have a wonderful day.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 18th, 2018

    In general dental work under anesthesia is much safer nowadays than ever. Your vet will give your kitty a pre-anesthetic exam and do some bloodwork to make sure she is able to handle the anesthesia. Of course their is always a risk, however having to live with a tooth ache for the rest of her life would be cruel. She will feel so much better after a dental cleaning and removal of rotten teeth. CLeaning the teeth will also prevent detrimental bacteria from the mouth getting into the blood stream and causing kidney disease and heart disease. Since I do not know the health status of your cat, I suggest you trust your vet and discuss this with your vet.

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    Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM

    Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident

    Published on August 27th, 2018

    Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Absolutely yes. This can be safely done as long as he is doing well. I would recommend blood work before the anesthesia to make sure his kidneys and everything else are healthy. If everything looks good then yes, it should be ok with close monitoring throughout the procedure. Good luck and have a great day!

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