The anaesthesia with medetomidine and ketamine in the cat

This article describes the anaesthesia of 40 cats with 10 mg/kg ketamine and 50 mu g/kg medetomidine. Following a calm but quick phase of drifting into sleep, a good to excellent anaesthetic effect is achieved which is sufficient for short to medium length operations. Only slight side effects concerning the cardio-vascular system as well as the respiratory system were noted. Follow-up doses of ketamine or Saffan(R) provide an extension or intensification of the anaesthetic effects. Longer or more painful operations are also made possible through the combination with an epidural or inhalant anaesthesia. The anaesthesia can be terminated by the specific antagonist atipamezol, and a few minutes following the injection, the antagonised cats will awake quietly.