Gabapentin for cat?

[Draco]

Hi all! Been a while. Hope everyone is doing well!

Monet is terrible at the vets. He turns aggressive and no vet can handle him. Took me a few vets to find one that was willing to prescribe Gabapentin to help his anxiety and sedate him a bit before the visit. No one wants to sedate him without proper tests he’s healthy given his age.

i was reading the informational brochure the vet gave me and it says it’s used for seizures in humans, and help with pain in animals. Online tells me people use it to calm cats down and seems safe.

I want to hear your experiences with this drug? Monet is 15 years old and healthy as far as I can see. It’s been about 4-5 years since he has seen a vet and they couldn’t do much with his aggression. I just want to get bloodwork for peace of mind since he is an older cat. Did this drug help with stress levels? Is it safe as the sites says?

at least Cassie behaved really nicely and I got her checked over with bloodwork.

 

[sivyaleah]

Used to use it to calm our girl to be groomed. Lovely cat except for that one task, she was impossible and being long hair it was a necessity. Also used it a couple of times before she needed to see the vet since she'd get somewhat fractious at times.

Found it to be very effective and safe. There was one time where she managed to push through the effects so it didn't work but every other time she's be pretty much out for the count for a few hours. It also leaves their body pretty fast and I never noticed any side effects from it once the sleepiness wore off.

 

[GranolaLouise]

My cat is fighting infection in ear and gums and I have just started using it when I see she is shaking her head or not wanting to take food.
She is a senior and is ok when she takes a small amount of .5 ml.
I use the liquid and mix it in with Gerber's turkey stage 2 baby food which she likes. Amazingly she eats it all!
This has been going on for about a week.
In another week we have to back for her check-up and full mouth exam before a dental and I was given a syringe with 1 ml of G, but 2 vets say it will be perfectly safe.
It calms down my cat so that she is rather drowsy and the pain is lessened and she can be handled.
There are many who give it to their cats on a regular basis and even some who give it when going on a trip or even just to the salon for grooming!

 

[Draco]

Thank you for the responses! Makes me feel better knowing it’s safe and hopefully effective enough to calm him down

 

[Lari]

We give it to Sparkle before vet visits. She's also a senior (I think she's 14), and if she gets the full dose (we do night before and 3 hours before vet visit per vet's instructions) she's still grumpy and growly, but they can actually work with her because she goes into fight mode at the vet. It's definitely made a difference.

 

[lisahe]

I've never used Gabapentin it for this purpose but just want to say, as a bit of a warning, that our post-op cat had to take it for several days and she reliably spat out as much as she could each and every time. You may have an advantage there since you'll have the element of surprise going for you!

 

[Draco]

I've never used Gabapentin it for this purpose but just want to say, as a bit of a warning, that our post-op cat had to take it for several days and she reliably spat out as much as she could each and every time. You may have an advantage there since you'll have the element of surprise going for you!

he would eat anything I put before him. I have no worries about giving him the full dose. Did it help with your cats pain and stress after surgery?

 

[lisahe]

he would eat anything I put before him. I have no worries about giving him the full dose. Did it help with your cats pain and stress after surgery?

Good, I'm glad he'll eat everything, that should help! If you have a choice of flavors for the gabapentin, see if there's a flavor like chicken or beef. Edwina's smelled like bubblegum or something, which may have been why she hated the stuff so much. She didn't seem to be in any pain at all after her surgery (it was stomach surgery so not exactly minor surgery) and the gaba was the only med she was sent home with. And I'd blame all her stress on the cone she had to wear!

 

[Tobermory]

Iris was on gabapentin for more than a year for advanced arthritis pain. She got 50mg in the morning and 100mg in the evening. I opened the capsules and mixed the powder with her food and she ate with no problem. It made her groggy when she first started it, but she adjusted to it after a while.

I gave it to Mocha before her vet visit, and she turned into a wet noodle. It really made her visit go more smoothly!

 

[neely]

Used to use it to calm our girl to be groomed.

Ditto, same here. Our cat is a love bug at home and he's pretty good at the vet but absolutely hates to be groomed. He's not overly happy when I try to comb him but going to the groomer brings out the worse in him. He's a Persian and can mat easily which is why he goes to the groomer several times a year. The vet prescribed Gabapentin and it did help, not 100% but better than not giving him anything.

 

[Aileen666]

Hi all! Been a while. Hope everyone is doing well!

Monet is terrible at the vets. He turns aggressive and no vet can handle him. Took me a few vets to find one that was willing to prescribe Gabapentin to help his anxiety and sedate him a bit before the visit. No one wants to sedate him without proper tests he’s healthy given his age.

i was reading the informational brochure the vet gave me and it says it’s used for seizures in humans, and help with pain in animals. Online tells me people use it to calm cats down and seems safe.

I want to hear your experiences with this drug? Monet is 15 years old and healthy as far as I can see. It’s been about 4-5 years since he has seen a vet and they couldn’t do much with his aggression. I just want to get bloodwork for peace of mind since he is an older cat. Did this drug help with stress levels? Is it safe as the sites says?

at least Cassie behaved really nicely and I got her checked over with bloodwork.

My cat was given it one time and it put her in a trans like state. I stayed up all night with her thinking I was going to have to take her to the ER ( which is where she came from and that is who gave that to her ). I’m not sure if she was over dosed but I told her regular Dr to never give that to her. I did not like it

 

[Aileen666]

My cat was given it one time and it put her in a trans like state. I stayed up all night with her thinking I was going to have to take her to the ER ( which is where she came from and that is who gave that to her ). I’m not sure if she was over dosed but I told her regular Dr to never give that to her. I did not like it

I would also like to add it stayed in her for hours. Several hours. It was scary. My cat did not respond well with that

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. So the only reason for the vet is routine bloodwork? No problems? I’m not a vet but have worked for many, so it is very unusual for me to say this. Are you sure it is worth all the stress of the visit?

Gabapentin works well in stressed out cats as a preventative. It won’t work once they are stressed. Usually it is given at night and then 2 to 3 hours before the vet visit. Things still have to be done to avoid upsetting the cat. No waiting in the waiting room for an exam room to open up. Wait in your car until the exam room is open and then go right in. Don’t have your cat taken out of the carrier until the vet is ready to exam. Skip the temperature taking and do the weight last. Try to have them do all procedures in the room with you.

Gabapentin is fairly safe but caution should be used in cats with impaired kidney function.

 

[Draco]

My cat was given it one time and it put her in a trans like state. I stayed up all night with her thinking I was going to have to take her to the ER ( which is where she came from and that is who gave that to her ). I’m not sure if she was over dosed but I told her regular Dr to never give that to her. I did not like it

that is scary! The doctor said he would be out of it for a few hours. I’m glad she’s alright after that!

Hi. So the only reason for the vet is routine bloodwork? No problems? I’m not a vet but have worked for many, so it is very unusual for me to say this. Are you sure it is worth all the stress of the visit?

Gabapentin works well in stressed out cats as a preventative. It won’t work once they are stressed. Usually it is given at night and then 2 to 3 hours before the vet visit. Things still have to be done to avoid upsetting the cat. No waiting in the waiting room for an exam room to open up. Wait in your car until the exam room is open and then go right in. Don’t have your cat taken out of the carrier until the vet is ready to exam. Skip the temperature taking and do the weight last. Try to have them do all procedures in the room with you.

Gabapentin is fairly safe but caution should be used in cats with impaired kidney function.

I’m taking him in for a checkup since it’s been about 5 years since his last checkup. I’m worried he might have hyperthyroidism with how recently he’s constantly looking and begging for food and his increased energy. He even started to get nasty with me when I refused to share my dinner with him. He’s 15 and I really need a peace of mind. I haven’t taken him in for years because of the stress he goes through, especially when he appears healthy and happy. If I wasn’t concerned about his appetite change I wouldn’t take him either. I took Cassie because I figured might as well while I’m there. Found she had a broken tooth, good routine checkup anyway.

he hides under the blanket in the crate and goes crazy the moment the vet tries to touch him and take him out of the crate. She told me one capsule 2-3 hours before visit. Should I give one to him night before anyway? His appt is at 2:30pm

 

[rubysmama]

Ruby was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, and the vet had me mix the powder of one 100 mg capsule of Gabapentin in a small bit of Ruby's food one hour before her appointment to get the blood drawn. Ruby's been fussy with food, so not sure if she ate the entire dosage, but I was surprised that though she seemed a bit more docile than normal, she definitely wasn't drowsy. It did seem to take a few hours after we were back home for her to seem totally normal again though. Not totally sure of her age, but around 13, I think.

 

[Lari]

he hides under the blanket in the crate and goes crazy the moment the vet tries to touch him and take him out of the crate. She told me one capsule 2-3 hours before visit. Should I give one to him night before anyway? His appt is at 2:30pm

It might be different with capsules - my vet gives me preloaded syringes with liquid medicine. I'd probably default to what your vet says, but you could ask.

 

[lisahe]

It might be different with capsules - my vet gives me preloaded syringes with liquid medicine. I'd probably default to what your vet says, but you could ask.

Yes, we had liquid medicine for Edwina, too, though I had to fill the syringe from a small bottle. (Which makes sense since she was post-op and wasn't eating!)

 

[neely]

Unfortunately liquid didn't work for us, even though it was flavored. He was able to spit some of it out and started foaming which is why I switched to a pill. This way I know he gets the right dose.

 

[lisahe]

Unfortunately liquid didn't work for us, even though it was flavored. He was able to spit it out and started foaming which is why I switched to a pill. This way I know he gets the right dose.

Yes, this is exactly what Edwina did, too, it was disgusting! (I think part of the problem may have been the bubblegummy flavoring.)

 

[neely]

(I think part of the problem may have been the bubblegummy flavoring.)

I purposely chose chicken flavoring but even that didn't work.