What questions should I ask my veterinarian before my cat has surgery?

Depending on the type of surgery, some of the fundamental questions would be about recovery time, what to expect when you take your pet home, and how to best care for your cat. And you may also want to ask how to get your cat ready for the surgery that's coming up.

It depends on what the procedure is, as to other questions you may want to ask. The most obvious things would be, "What do I have to do to prepare my cat before, i.e. fasting, water intake, all that kind of stuff?"

I think what’s as or maybe even more important is asking, "What do I need to prepare for afterward?" Again, that depends on what the surgery is. Some surgeries are very mild and quick, and have very quick recovery times where others might be a lot more involved, so, you just need to ask questions such as, "How should I prepare for when I take my cat home? Do I need a special kennel? Do I need a special diet, pain control?" Anything like that, which we'll cover in a second.

So any questions related to any previous experiences that you've had with any cat surgeries are important to address upfront with your veterinarian so that you know what to anticipate going into the surgery. Understanding recovery time and any medications that your cat might be going home with are some other things to ask beforehand so that you know what to expect.

Your questions about cat surgery really involve what type of surgery your pet's going to have. If your cat is going to have a neuter or maybe a spay, you're going to want to ask what are the aftercare instructions, do I have any wound care that I need to do, what do I need to watch for regarding that surgical site? If your cat is having anesthesia and surgery for dental health issues, then you want to know what kinds of foods they can eat and how to take care of their teeth afterwards. The kind of questions you ask will depend on what type of surgery your cat is going to have. Your veterinarian will give you specific aftercare instructions on how to take care of them at home.