The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) today released the first feline-specific anesthesia guidelines to the veterinary community, which are published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. General anesthesia is an essential component of felinepractice, without which surgery and certain other treatment modalities and diagnostic procedures would be impossible. These feline-focused Guidelines are vital to cat health. Due to their unique physiology and small size, cats undergoing anesthesia are at a relatively greater risk of complications and mortality than many other species. Empirical evidence shows that cats undergoing anesthesia have a higher mortality rate compared with dogs.1,2