To sleep, perchance to dream . . . of better anesthesia for our feline patients

The American Association of Feline Practitioners is honored to publish the first feline-specific anesthesia guidelines in this issue of JFMS. ¹ it is recommended that these Guidelines be utilized in conjunction with other previously published guidelines (freely accessible at guidelines.jfms.com), such as those on feline friendly handling, feline friendly nursing care, feline life stages, senior care, and pain management, as they each contain specific information that should be considered when sedating and/or anesthetizing cats. Empirical evidence shows that cats undergoing anesthesia have a higher mortality rate compared with dogs.^2–4 Therefore, the intent of these Guidelines is to make sedation and anesthesia safer for feline patients by addressing ways to avoid common perioperative complications.

The Guidelines present invaluable tips and techniques for the practice team, starting even before the patient leaves home, through to the critical recovery period. Courtesy of Sheilah Robertson

Throughout the writing process, the Panel painstakingly worked to incorporate the most current evidence-based information available regarding feline anesthesia. However, scientific evidence in veterinary medicine is often lacking so the Guidelines also rely on the collective years of clinical experience represented by the Panel members.

These Guidelines present invaluable tips and techniques for practice teams, starting even before the patient leaves home, through to the critical recovery period. Proper selection combined with the correct use and care of equipment was recognized as being an essential component of an anesthetic procedure, so the initial section is dedicated to discussion of anesthesia equipment, safety considerations and anesthesia ciruits. Thereafter, topics have been organized into the following main areas: preanesthetic assessment; comorbidities; critical patient emergencies; anesthesia and sedation; airway management; perioperative management; monitoring during anesthesia; perioperative complications; and anesthesia recovery. Pertinent and practical information associated with each stage of the process is emphasized throughout.

To encourage frequent use of these Guidelines, multiple algorithms, checklists, tables, high quality graphics, images and call-out boxes have been included. A number of these resources are available for download on the JFMS (jfms.com) and AAFP websites (www.catvets.com/anesthesia) so that practice teams can easily retrieve, print and laminate them for quick reference. They can also be attached to anesthesia machines and displayed on walls in the preparation, surgery and recovery areas.

We thank Ed Kanara, whose job could be likened to ‘herding cats’, for his endless patience and guidance from beginning to end and to Chrisoula Toupadakis Skouritakis for her skillful artwork. Countless hours were devoted to this endeavor by all our Panel members, and we are grateful to those who tirelessly provided feedback when asked along the way.

By proactively developing an individualized anesthetic plan that considers the uniqueness of each feline patient and recognizing that ‘one size does not fit all’, the experience for the cat can be improved and the outcome successful. it is our hope that these Guidelines will become the practice’s go-to resource and each team member will have a new awareness of all the tools and techniques available to them.

Susan Gogolski and Sheilah Robertson
Co-Chairs