Our Surgical Monitoring Standards

The Scottsdale Cat Clinic understands that dropping your fur baby off for Surgery can be very traumatic. You often have many questions concerning the anesthesia of your cat during a surgical procedure. We would like to put some of your concerns at ease by going over our strict monitoring procedures with you.

During a surgical procedure, one technician is dedicated to monitoring the anesthesia of the patient. We use a Cardell Monitor which measures blood pressure, EKG and respirations. It also measures the amount of oxygen in your cat's blood with a pulse oximeter. We also use a device called a Doppler that is placed over a vein and allows us to hear the heart beat.

One of the reasons we monitor the blood pressure is to make sure the cat is not in any distress. If the cat's blood pressure remains too low, the kidneys could be harmed. A normal blood pressure for a feline should be between 110/160 for systolic (pumping in) and between 55/100 for diastolic (pumping out). The EKG monitors the beats of your cat's heart while under anesthesia. A normal heart rate should range between 120 and 200 beats per minute depending upon their stage of anesthesia. The respiratory portion monitors the amount of breaths your cat is taking. The normal respiration range for cats is between 10-40 breaths per minute. Lastly, the pulse oximeter measures the amount of oxygen that is circulating through the cat's blood. The normal oxygen saturation range should be between 90 and 100%. We will also use a device called an esophageal stethoscope, which is a tube that is placed into the cat's throat. It is attached to a cardiac stethoscope enabling the technicians to monitor the heartbeats and breaths your cat takes.

At the Scottsdale Cat Clinic, we want each and every client to feel comfortable that their cat is receiving the best in medical care. We go the extra mile to ensure the safety and happiness of your feline family.

If you have any questions or comments please don't hesitate to call, we're more than happy to speak with you, Scottsdale Cat Clinic.