cats under general anastetic

First, not only is using general anastetic for the cat's safety but also the vets. Doing all the cleaning and dental work would tramautize the cat. When a cat gets upset, they claw and bite, so the person doing the work would be the one that ends up looking like hambruger. So, when you stop and think about it, your cat would be more apt to have a serious reaction to the dental work if it wasn't under general anestesia. Also, a local and a sedative won't work on a cat if the cat is frantic or upset to start with. I have attempted to tranqulize my cats for travel and they don't go to sleep until the trip is over. I have had much older cats go under general anastesia and they have come out of the experience fine. You have to look at it in the respect of you are a human and must have a allergy to the anastesia. The vets use a different anastesia on cats than what is used on humans. Much of the human medication would kill a cat, so they have to formulate a different kind of anastesia. The kind they use will be much safer for the cat than the local and a sedative. I hope this helps some with your fears. You also need to realize that the vet is fully equiped to handle the kind of emergency that you described for yourself. The Vets are just as well trained as a human doctor and are prepared for every emergency. Besides the point that he will take very good care of your cat, as 99% of the vets are animal lovers themselves and will do everything possible the make sure that your cat is comfortable and well cared for.