Testing an Anesthetic Technique to Control Pain

Administering local anesthetics into the abdomen is known to alleviate pain in dogs and people following abdominal surgery. There are no studies, however, on the use of this technique in cats. Researchers will investigate whether administering the anesthetic bupivacaine into the abdomen will provide pain relief in cats undergoing spay surgery. If proven effective, this simple, safe and cost-effective pain-relief method would benefit millions of cats that are spayed each year.