If your cat is experiencing any sort of pain you might be tempted to give them a Tylenol. It’s a good idea that you decided to check it out first, because it’s never a good idea to just give your pets human medication willy nilly.
Tylenol has been around since the 50s and is trusted by millions of people each year as a reliable way to bring down a fever or to make a headache go away – for humans. The drug is not manufactured for cats and therefore is not dosed accordingly and is not meant to be given to them. In fact there are special painkillers that your vet can prescribe that are formulated just for cats. That shows you there’s enough of a difference as to make it so you shouldn’t give your cat Tylenol.
Even though cats take on a lot of human characteristics and seem to get along relatively well with their domesticated status, they are still different enough to merit their own variety of drugs and food, so it’s best not to combine the two worlds.
Can I Give My Cat Tylenol? Answer: No.
What you need to remember about cats is that they won’t digest a Tylenol the same way a human will. Therefore it won’t have the same predictable and measurable results that you get in humans. Even we have to take different doses based on age and size. The same Tylenol dosage will not effect a five foot 100 pound woman the same way it will a six foot 300 pound man. And that’s within the same species.
That’s why it’s not smart to try and adjust the dosage, because it’s just not meant to be taken by a cat, and therefore it’s something that you can’t get right just by tinkering with the dosing instructions. There will be owners and even vets out there that say it’s OK, but it’s not something we’d recommend following. There are just too many breeds of cat, and too many pet medical histories to make broad claims about what is right and wrong to give your cat for pain.
Doing Nothing Is Sometimes Best
In this instance you’re basically off the hook. If the pain is so severe that you think they need medication, take them to the vet and get it sorted out. If you don’t feel that they need any treatment, let them be and let it run its course. As an owner this can be the hardest thing to learn because we feel that we have to take total care of our pets and treat them for any abnormality and suffering.
But that’s simply not the case, and if left to their own devices in the wild they would just grin and bear it. Since they aren’t out in the wild and we do have the modern luxury of vets, it’s best to take them to one if the situation warrants.
Other Treatments for Pain and Fever
If you know that your cat is in pain, you can do other things to try to help them through it. Simply stroking them the way they like might soothe them enough to calm them down, helping nature take care of things as they return to a more natural state. If they have a fever you can make sure that they always have a supply of food and fresh water so they can nurse themselves through it.
You can also try just giving your cat attention. It might sound odd but this gives them a reassurance that someone is there and is caring for them. If you typically put your cat on a low maintenance regimen and only stop to feed and water them, just letting them know that you’re there and they don’t have to worry because you’re taking care of them, can work wonders. Cats are very tuned in to their surroundings and they can get the feeling of isolation and abandonment which doesn’t help in the healing process.
Always Check with the Vet
You can always make sure you’re doing the right thing if you’re hesitant by giving the vet’s assistant a ring and asking what you should do in the situation. This works at giving you the peace of mind that you’re doing the right thing for your pet.
What if I hadn’t seen this already and gave my cat a little Tylenol?