Gabapentin For Vet Visit - How Effective Is It?

We have a socialized feral who is completely loving & trusting in our home. She had her shots 3 years ago when we trapped her to bring her inside. I tried to take her to the vet last week for a wellness check but she freaked in the exam room. She bounced off the walls before we finally got her back into the carrier. They told us to give her 100mg of Gabapentin before her next appointment. She's on the small side, probably 7lbs. I've never used Gabapentin before. Will it make her groggy enough that she won't be desperate to hide in the exam room? I'm also going to use a carrier where the lid comes off so they don't have to dump her out onto the exam table. She goes into the carrier fine, even after the drama at the vet. Any other advice is appreciated

So glad you're back on TCS ---it's definitely a great place to find someone who has had experience with on something you're looking for suggestions/etc. on!

shadowsrescue has experience with Gabapentin - - -@shadowsrescue ----anything you could pass along to her regarding your experience with it?

And hit "post" before I said just a bit more - darnit - hate when I do that!

Anyway - the big thing I wanted to say was that what a wonderful thing you did in taking in a socialized (or maybe you socialized her yourself - if so - extra thanks!) feral kitty, providing a wonderful home for her. It sounds as though she's very happy thanks to you!

Hope you keep us posted!

It is amazing how much better vet visits are with Gabapentin.
My vet was finally able to give my terrified cat an actual exam once we started using it.
Before that it was wrap him up in towels, hold him down to give him his shots and that was it.
Don't be afraid to try it.

I have used it for a feral I now have living inside the house. It does really work. Yet I have found that my boy needs 2 doses. I give him one, 100 mg pill before bed the night of the appointment. It makes him really groggy and almost drunk like. I do confine him to a room as I don't want him falling down stairs. The next morning, I give another 100 mg. This does the trick as long as the appointment is within 4-5 hours of the pill.

It's really hard to judge how a cat will react on gabapentin. Some do really well and only need one pill. With my cat, I gave the pill and 90 minutes later he was relaxing. Yet at that point he still would not have been able to be handled. After 2.5 hours, he was loopy. I was able to easily handle him.

I have used this to take him to the vet twice. Both times, he was able to be handled by the vet without sedation. I would never ever try a vet visit on this kitty without it!

Thanks everyone for your input. I feel much better about doing this. Will let you know how it goes.

You may have already had the appointment, but just in case you haven't I wanted to add my two cents!

I have used Gabapentin for two different cats. I have a small but feisty older cat who is easy to get to the vets, but then won't let anyone touch her. Written on the top of her chart: Watch out! She had to be declawed on all four feet for complicated medical reasons (very long story), a procedure I normally would NEVER agree to, but even without claws, she is a terror at the vets. Gapapentin allows them to give her a decent exam and even take blood.

I have also used Gabapentin twice with a semi-feral cat that I brought inside. One of the times, after I gave her the medicine I waited a little while and then lured her into a carrier and closed the door so I was sure she wouldn't hurt herself and I would have her ready to go! She was pretty drowsy when she arrived at the vets and they just needed to give her a booster shot. The other time, I did not give the Gabapentin enough time to work and I ended up chasing her around the room to get her into the carrier. That was pretty awful.

Bottom line: it works and I recommend it. It can be tricky to time it just right, and each cat will be different. My vet assured me that even if the Gabapentin is not quite calming enough (for the semi-feral cat), she can add a little sedation if necessary to be able to give her an exam.

Good luck and I hope it works out well for you!

Thanks everyone for the advice. I gave her 100mg 2.5 hours before our vet appointment. It had no affect on her at all. She was bouncing all over the room where I contained her. She didn't even yawn, just wanted attention & to be let out of the room. I cancelled that appointment. I'm taking our other cat to the vet tomorrow so will get her advice on other options.

I think I mentioned in my post above that my cat needed 2 doses. One the night before and one the morning of. 2.5 hours is often not enough time for full effect. I would try again and dose her the night before and then again in the morning.

I would ask your vet if you can try again and this time give the 100 mg two times in a row.