Cat dental cleaning - do I stop giving him water?

November 16, 2010 8:27 PM

Do I give my cat water the night before a dental cleaning?

I've done some googling, and I can't find a conclusive answer. My vet's office is now closed, and he is supposed to go in tomorrow morning at 8 am. I have cut off his food supply for the night. Do I also cut off his water supply? Some pages say yes; some say no. Anyone have any experience with this? Thanks for any help you can provide.

posted by studioaudience to pets & animals (7 answers total)

Anecdotal only! I am not a vet!

My cat just got her teeth cleaned last week (and ended up having one pulled) and we didn't cut off her water. She came home high on pain meds but otherwise fine.
posted by dogmom at 8:35 PM on November 16, 2010

My fiancee is a vet tech, they generally ask for the animal not to have water as well as food the night before going under anesthetic. It isn't a huge deal, but it's one of those "better safe than sorry" situations as I understand it.
posted by InsanePenguin at 8:38 PM on November 16, 2010

Our vet always tells us to cut off food the night before, but that water is OK. One or another of my three cats has a dental cleaning every year or so, and they've always been perfectly fine afterwards.
posted by tully_monster at 8:45 PM on November 16, 2010

Our vet's instructions have been "no food or water after midnight" for EVERYTHING involving anesthesia, including teeth cleaning. Once the cat is back home, they'll be on very reduced food and water for the rest of the day, as well. The cat may be kind of insistent but they'll be alright.
posted by curious nu at 9:09 PM on November 16, 2010

I just had my Maine Coon's teeth cleaned a couple weeks ago and was told no food after midnight, but water was okay.
posted by misha at 9:16 PM on November 16, 2010

Too late now, but we never have people withhold water before anesthesia, especially not from cats. No food after 8PM, but water is a-ok.
posted by biscotti at 5:04 AM on November 17, 2010

Thank you for all of the anecdotes & information. It seems like people here, like the websites I checked, have had conflicting experiences. In case anyone is wondering, my partner had the great idea of calling an emergency vet and talking to someone there. I ended up cutting off food after 8 (as the vet recommended), and letting him have water throughout the night. I removed his water about an hour before he went into the vet's office. He's now home again & groggily resting on the bed. Thanks again for your help!
posted by studioaudience at 9:30 PM on November 17, 2010