A Cat Died After Catheterization Without Anesthesia. Does That Automatically Mean Veterinary Malpractice?
Dr. Geoff Carullo, DVM, FPCCP, DPCVSCA
- Articles
- 3 min read
A grieving pet owner recently accused a veterinary clinic of performing catheterization without anesthesia, allegedly causing additional suffering before the cat eventually died.
The accusation is heartbreaking. But before we condemn the veterinarian, there is an important medical question:
Since when did the absence of general anesthesia automatically constitute veterinary malpractice?
First, we need to establish what kind of catheterization was performed.
An intravenous catheter and a urinary catheter are entirely different procedures, with different requirements for sedation, anesthesia, and pain management.
For cats suffering from urethral obstruction, the 2025 International Cat Care guidelines state that most patients require general anesthesia for catheterization. However, adequately sedated patients may also undergo the procedure, depending on their clinical condition.
And here is something the public needs to understand.
A critically ill cat may already be suffering from severe electrolyte disturbances, hyperkalemia, acute kidney injury, or cardiovascular instability.
These complications can be life-threatening even before catheterization begins.
Sometimes, the patient’s medical condition makes general anesthesia particularly dangerous until stabilization measures have been performed.
But this does not mean pain management should be neglected. Appropriate analgesia remains essential.
Did the cat die because of catheterization? Or was the cat already dying from the underlying disease that required catheterization?
These are two entirely different possibilities.
Without examining the medical records, laboratory findings, medications administered, clinical condition, and circumstances surrounding the patient’s death, nobody can responsibly establish causation.
And yes, the veterinarian also has a responsibility to explain the procedure, discuss significant risks, obtain appropriate consent, and document the treatment provided.
If pain management was inadequate or proper communication was neglected, those concerns deserve investigation.
But an unfavorable outcome alone is not proof of negligence.
We cannot demand evidence-based veterinary medicine while allowing social media accusations to replace evidence-based judgment.
To the grieving family, your loss deserves compassion, and your questions deserve answers.
To the veterinary profession, our clinical decisions must remain scientifically defensible and properly documented.
Because there are two things we must never confuse:
They are not automatically the same.
And determining the difference requires medical evidence, not just a Facebook post.
2025 iCatCare Consensus Guidelines on Lower Urinary Tract Diseases in Cats
AAFP Feline Anesthesia Guidelines
2022 ISFM Consensus Guidelines on Acute Pain Management in Cats
These guidelines support individualized anesthetic decisions and appropriate analgesia. They do not establish what happened in this particular case.
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Dr. Geoff Carullo is a Fellow and the current President of the Philippine College of Canine Practitioners.
