A question for any veterinarians (Dr Slabsides?) on the forum..

July 01, 2020, 04:17 PM

We will be moving house in a month or two and our two cats do not (to put it mildly) travel well. The distance is about 5 hours by road (including pee stops for the driver), what are our options concerning some form of sedation - for the cats, not us?

July 01, 2020, 04:20 PM

sns3guppy

Not a vet, but my brother is. Not a big fan of sedation. Especially for a move. Make them comfortable, put them in a carrier, and keep it shaded. Make sure they've got ventilation and the temperature is comfortable.

July 01, 2020, 04:21 PM

az4783054

I'm not a vet but had plenty of experience with one of our Rotties that didn't travel well (anxious and vomiting). Our vet suggested over the counter Dramamine which worked well and he out grew it.

Granted a 100# Rottie's dosage isn't for a cat so a vet should be consulted.

July 01, 2020, 04:29 PM

Pyker

quote:
Originally posted by sns3guppy:
Not a vet, but my brother is. Not a big fan of sedation. Especially for a move. Make them comfortable, put them in a carrier, and keep it shaded. Make sure they've got ventilation and the temperature is comfortable.

I wish it were that easy. It isn't.

July 01, 2020, 05:13 PM

slabsides45

For crabby kitty travelers, I try to avoid harder hitting meds like acepromazine. I do like things like gabapentin, and find they take the edge off without making the cat a zombie for a week after the trip. One capsule about an hour before travel will do the trick usually. Might be worth talking to your vet about.

July 01, 2020, 05:23 PM

Pyker

quote:
Originally posted by slabsides45:
For crabby kitty travelers, I try to avoid harder hitting meds like acepromazine. I do like things like gabapentin, and find they take the edge off without making the cat a zombie for a week after the trip. One capsule about an hour before travel will do the trick usually. Might be worth talking to your vet about.

Thanks, I was planning on doing that nearer the time, but it's good to have some idea of what they're talking about and what to ask. I am much obliged.

July 01, 2020, 05:27 PM

MikeinNC

We dosed our 75# GSD with two or three Benadryl during our travel from NC to TX...the vet gave us the dose...didn’t matter he was a wreck the whole time...panting, lost fur by the bucket, couldn’t sit still. If we have to do that again I’m going to have him sedated with something stronger...

July 01, 2020, 07:59 PM

architect

Over 40 years ago, one of my old girlfriends would sedate her cat with marijuana smoke breathed up his nose. Worked very well for displacement anxiety and seemed to result in no undesired consequences (although it did make the girlfriend kind of horny). Just a suggestion.

July 01, 2020, 08:08 PM

Haveme1or2

I mediated mine and they slept 11 hrs. Worked out perfectly.
A cat vet prescribed it.

July 01, 2020, 08:19 PM

Pyker

quote:
Originally posted by architect:
Over 40 years ago, one of my old girlfriends would sedate her cat with marijuana smoke breathed up his nose. Worked very well for displacement anxiety and seemed to result in no undesired consequences (although it did make the girlfriend kind of horny). Just a suggestion.

That might work. Is she still around and willing to travel?

July 01, 2020, 08:21 PM

PowerSurge

^^ I’m guessing the cat is dead.

July 01, 2020, 08:34 PM

Pyker

quote:
Originally posted by PowerSurge:
^^ I’m guessing the cat is dead.

Yeah, but what about the girlfriend?

July 01, 2020, 08:39 PM

jimmy123x

quote:
Originally posted by Pyker:
quote:
Originally posted by PowerSurge:
^^ I’m guessing the cat is dead.

Yeah, but what about the girlfriend?

Do you really want her at that age? LOLOLOLOL

July 01, 2020, 08:55 PM

irreverent

quote:
Originally posted by jimmy123x:
quote:
Originally posted by Pyker:
quote:
Originally posted by PowerSurge:
^^ I’m guessing the cat is dead.

Yeah, but what about the girlfriend?

Do you really want her at that age? LOLOLOLOL

It’s for the cat, man!

July 02, 2020, 08:54 AM

RichardC

quote:
Originally posted by Haveme1or2:
I mediated mine and they slept 11 hrs. Worked out perfectly.
A cat vet prescribed it.

Mediation is always preferable to conflict.

July 02, 2020, 09:08 AM

TomV

Our Vet got us a prescription for what was essentially Benadryl for cats. We read that regular Benadryl would work, but didn't want to take any chances.

Both cats did well with a hour flight, wait for a rental car and then a 2 hour drive. Planned it for nighttime (Dark & Cooler).

July 02, 2020, 09:25 AM

slabsides45

Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) works pretty well for generally happy campers, and I dose it around 1mg/lb of body weight. Since it comes in either 25 or 50mg tablets, that makes it convenient for dogs.

For gatos, the OTC gets iffy, because they don't usually weigh 25lbs. If you get the tablet version of the 25mg, you can cheat and split it in two for larger framed cats (12 lbs or so) and it works fine. That leaves the rest of the kitty legion, who are smaller sized. So for them, we often look to the children's elixers, which have 12.5mg per tsp, or about 2.5mg/ml. So that doses out at one ml per 2.5lb, or about 4 ml for the average 10lb cat. Sounds easy, but cats generally find any liquid that you force upon them to be noxious (even water at times!), so they drool like fiends. Also, and this is a big one, always double check the ingredient list to be sure there is no artificial sweetener called xylitol in the product. Xylitol in minute amounts is deadly to animals, and it's in many gums, elixers, etc.

July 02, 2020, 09:52 AM

Pyker

quote:
Originally posted by slabsides45:
Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) works pretty well for generally happy campers, and I dose it around 1mg/lb of body weight. Since it comes in either 25 or 50mg tablets, that makes it convenient for dogs.

For gatos, the OTC gets iffy, because they don't usually weigh 25lbs. If you get the tablet version of the 25mg, you can cheat and split it in two for larger framed cats (12 lbs or so) and it works fine. That leaves the rest of the kitty legion, who are smaller sized. So for them, we often look to the children's elixers, which have 12.5mg per tsp, or about 2.5mg/ml. So that doses out at one ml per 2.5lb, or about 4 ml for the average 10lb cat. Sounds easy, but cats generally find any liquid that you force upon them to be noxious (even water at times!), so they drool like fiends. Also, and this is a big one, always double check the ingredient list to be sure there is no artificial sweetener called xylitol in the product. Xylitol in minute amounts is deadly to animals, and it's in many gums, elixers, etc.

Thanks Doc. Neither of my gatos comes close to 25lbs, one is 7.4 and the other is 13.5. I'll be getting my stuff from the Vet's office. I think I'll see about the Gabapentin since even a quick 10 minute car ride sounds like someone playing the bagpipes in an oil drum!

July 02, 2020, 10:50 AM

slabsides45

You're welcome, and I hope things go well for you. Remember, the goal is to mitigate the stress level, not to make the cat comatose, so no matter the medication, try to set your expectations accordingly. You want the cat to be able to process enough information to learn from the experience, so that future rides hopefully won't be met with the same level of consternation.