Is it safe for my cat to fly after mild anesthesia for ear cleaning?

Unfortunately, this type of surgery would not be conducive to a local anesthetic only. The ear is very thin....basically 2 thin layers of skin with a layer of cartilage in between and many small blood vessels. Partial removal of the ear can be painful, bloody and is a delicate procedure. I am sure that your veterinarian will adjust the anesthetic protocol to suit her age and additional risks that come with age.

We sometimes do anesthesia multiple times on animals in just a few days or weeks. That is not abnormal. I can never tell you that she will be fine to have anesthesia again after 5 days. No one can tell you that. As long as they are hydrating her (putting her on IV fluids during the procedure) though, I would not be overly worried. Anesthetics we use are the same as in human medicine (in most cases) and are very safe. If she is eating better and you want to wait a couple weeks that may be an option. You should voice your concerns to your vet and go from there. They may agree with you that since she is eating better maybe she can wait a couple weeks. They may have a reason they want the procedure done so quickly. I don't have enough information to know what they are thinking. Hope this helps. If you have more questions you can always opt for a private consultation where we can chat back and forth. That way you can ask as many questions as you'd like. Best wishes.

It is very common for elderly cats to take longer to recover form the medications used during anaesthesia. Their liver and kidney function is not as good a cat younger then 7. However, if it has been longer then a week and you are still concerned I would advise mentioning this to the veterinarian who had performed the procedure during Kuzia's postoperative recheck.

Hello, sorry to hear about Minou. General anesthesia and it’s associated side effects can last up to 72 hours in pets especially older pets. I am not surprised that he seems still a little more quiet after his procedure and would allow him up to 72 hrs to recover from anesthesia. You can offer probiotics but they may not be necessary at this time. If he continues to be under the weather or if he is becoming more lethargic, does not want to eat or has other clinical signs such as vomiting and diarrhea then have you veterinarian examine him again. Otherwise, Minou may just need a little longer to recover from his procedure. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Poor kitty! It takes a good 24 hours for anesthesia to completely wear off, and if he's on heavy pain meds that can also affect his ability to get around and know when he needs to go potty. I would keep him in a sort of recovery area nearby his litter box that is easy to clean as he is likely not intentionally having the accidents. If after 24 hours he is still seeming to be very disoriented, can't hold his urine properly at all, or new symptoms are appearing, I'd let your vet know ASAP to make sure he isn't having an adverse reaction to the pain meds or anesthesia.

If his bloodwork before the surgery is good, then she should do well. Ask your veterinarian about what kind of monitoring and supportive care they are given before, during, and after surgery. Ask any questions you have concerns about so that you understand, part of your vet's job is to make sure you understand and are aware of what to expect.

I would think it would be safe for Cindy as long as she doesn't have any blood pressure issues. There are sedatives that would be safe. Talk to her veterinarian about Alprazolam which most cats tolerate very well. I recommend a trial run before the plane ride to make sure Cindy does well with it. Best of luck!