Cat with white fur and blue eyes lying down.
Cat. Photo: Viktor Wrange

Surgery for cats

Page reviewed:  26/09/2025

When your cat is undergoing surgery

  • Your cat should fast for 6 hours before the visit, that is, not eat food. The cat is allowed to drink water during this time. If your cat is younger than 4 months, the cat should not fast for longer than 2 hours before the visit.
  • Bathe your dog before the visit to reduce the risk of infections after the surgery, preferably the day before the visit. Use an antibacterial shampoo for cats. If your cat is going to have dental surgery or an examination of the stomach and intestines with a camera, you do not need to shampoo your cat before the visit.
  • Inform us if the cat is taking medication as this may require specific instructions before anaesthesia and surgery.
  • Inform us if your cat is on a special diet. Please bring a small portion of the food that we can give to your cat after waking up from the surgery, if the cat is going to stay with us until the evening.
  • Certain medical conditions and procedures may require specific preparations. If this is the case, you will receive separate information from our staff.

Register your arrival

Before having the surgery at our Surgery Department, you need to register your arrival at the animal hospital. Please go to the Small Animal Clinic's reception to register your arrival.

After you have registered your arrival at our reception, please wait in our waiting room. You will then be called by a veterinary nurse who will help you with the paperwork that needs to be filled out. After registration, the veterinary nurse will take your animal to the operating room. For hygiene reasons and to ensure that all our patients have a calm experience, visitors are not allowed in the operating room. Before surgery, our visiting animals are usually given sedatives and pain-relieving medications.

After the surgery

After the surgery, all patients wake up in a heated cage and receive pain-relieving medications as needed. Of course, we have separate rooms for dogs and cats. As the pet owner, the veterinarian will call you to inform you about the operation, unless otherwise agreed. Therefore, it is important that you leave us a phone number where we can reach you during the day to provide updates about your pet.

  • The Small Animal Clinic