You may be considering giving your cat sedatives for any number of reasons. Perhaps they get a little too nervous when there’s a thunderstorm, or they might be recovering from a recent surgery. But if you are thinking of giving them some of your own supply, you should think twice.
Human medications shouldn’t be given to your cat unless your vet expressly tells you to do so, and instructs you on the correct dosage. There are a lot of wannabe vets online in the form of well-meaning owners that will say that they gave their cat a specific sedative, and will even go into dosage details. While they may be trying to be helpful, they are really perpetuating a problem that should be eradicated: bad advice giving.
If your cat is having a traumatic experience that’s one thing, but often owners will try to self-diagnose, and then self-medicate, neglecting the years of training and experience that a vet has gone through. You may be wanting the best for them but there’s the possibility of doing more harm than good by giving them a toxic dose, and in some cases even a fatal one.
Can I Give My Cat Sedatives? Answer: Not Recommended
Reaching into your own supply is not a good idea when trying to treat your cat, as those prescription or over the counter sedatives are made for the human body, and aside from the dosage there are other things to keep in mind. They weren’t researched or developed for a feline body chemistry, and will not be utilized by their system the same way it is by our system. Also, many sedatives work on the neurological level, and the difference between a human brain and a cat brain is vast.
When Your Cat Really Needs Sedation
If your cat seems to need sedation on a regular basis, you should work out a solution with your vet that will be good for them for the long term, and that works with reliable efficacy each time. If it’s an emergency situation and you feel that your cat needs to calm down or they’re at risk of getting into a worse state, your vet might take drastic measures and let you know what to do. But at no time should you take matters into your own hand and try to fix their problem with medication you have on hand.
Natural Remedies
If you know that you’re going to be putting your cat through a trying experience you can take steps to make it less taxing on them, including giving them a Thundershirt to wear. This is popular with dogs but also comes in a cat version. It puts gentle pressure on their body so that they feel safe and secure and can be effective with thunderstorms as well as car trips that can tend to put cats on edge – especially if they know it’s a vet visit.
You can also try getting them ready for an anxiety-inducing situation so that they don’t panic, and you don’t panic. Many times they are picking up on your vibration, and if you are freaking out about whether or not they’re going to freak out, it can lead to trouble. The more time you have to plan to an event that might disturb your cat’s peace of mind, the better. You can break them in for a long car ride by taking several smaller trips, or you can try putting them in their carrier during thunderstorms so they feel safer. Ask your vet if there’s a specific situation that gives them trouble and they might be able to give you more specific advice.
As the Owner
It can be hard to watch your cat suffer needlessly through things that we know can’t hurt them, but they will be perceiving things much differently than we do, and a storm might seem like World War three out there, and a car trip might seem like a never-ending trip since they don’t know where they’re going. From their vantage point small things might seem big, and for cats anything out of the ordinary can be cause for concern and the jitters.