Answer: Although not undertaken lightly, general anaesthesia may be applied in other situations:
1 Where the cat’s temperament makes it extremely difficult to handle for example, with some animals it may be necessary in order to be able to clip matted hair from the coat, or to both the cat.
2 Where a long painful procedure has to be performed which unduly distress the cat, such as passing a catheter into the bladder of a male cat with a urinary blockage.
3 Where it is necessary for the cat to remain absolutely still-for example for radiographs to be taken. This is particularly necessary if such radiographs involve complex techniques e.g. the injection of contrast media to show up certain structures more clearly.
As with any type of ‘photograph’, movement produces blurring of the image so that it can be difficult to distinguish important details. For certain radiographic procedures it may be sufficient to keep the animal still by holding it, but this is usually unsatisfactory for complex procedures, as well as exposing the handlers to noon-essential radiation.
