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Is anesthesia safe for a cat with polycystic kidney disease?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Burmese | Female | unspayed | 3 lbs

My female cat is an exotic breed ( Burmese ) and I have been told by the vet that she has polycystic kidney decease and, therefore, cannot be sterilised because the kindneys will not be able to get rid of the necessary anesthesia. Instead, the anesthesia will go to her brain making her aggressive and crazy. Is this true ?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Jessica Keay, DVM

Answered By Jessica Keay, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on August 17th, 2017

I am sorry to hear about Grizelda. I wouldn't expect the anesthesia to make her aggressive and crazy, however, anesthesia in a cat with kidney disease is most definitely a risky endeavor. There is the chance that the kidneys could become further damaged, they can develop threatening heart arrhythmias under anesthesia, or acid-base abnormalities in the blood, and they can develop low blood pressure which can further damage the kidneys. Because of this, anesthesia is a definite risk and I would recommend any surgery be done by a specialist/internist at a referral hospital or teaching hospital which has a wider choice of drugs to use for anesthesia and also more extensive monitoring equipment.
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