Your cat would only need Zantac if they are being overfed, or fed a low grade cat food. Rather than give them a powerful medication like Zantac, it’s easier on everyone if you just give them a better grade of cat food.
Pet owners often wonder if they have the solution in their own medicine cabinet. It’s definitely convenient, but it’s also a lazy and potentially dangerous thing to do to your pet. They deserve their own treatment, and we have it available, you just have to take them to the vet for a proper diagnosis. That’s the other reason you shouldn’t treat your cat with medicine at home, you don’t know for sure if you are reading their symptoms correctly, and you could be treating them for something they don’t even have.
Luckily there are a few steps you can take before going that far to see if you can help your cat without the need of medication. This involves giving them better food that they can digest more easily, and giving them smaller portion sizes so they are able to digest it all and don’t get overloaded, which is the most common cause of things like heartburn and indigestion.
Can I Give My Cat Zantac? Answer: No.
Zantac used to be by prescription only, and is now sold over the counter. It’s not for cats, and if needed your vet can prescribe a medication that will help your cat much better than trying to determine what sort of dose your cat needs. Think about it, drug manufacturers are assuming they’re dealing with a fully grown human, that’s what the drugs are made for. They aren’t thinking that you’ll give it to a member of a different species that is a fraction of the size, and has a totally different body make up. This can’t be compensated for by adjusting the dose. So don’t do it.
Cats and OTC Medication
Cat’s shouldn’t be given any sort of human medication, whether it’s prescription or over the counter, because there is often a fine line between the two, especially when a drug starts off as a prescription-only drug but is then granted OTC status. These drugs are powerful, they have to be or they wouldn’t produce results and people wouldn’t buy them. A lot of research and testing goes into them, and none of this pertains to cats. That’s why you should avoid administering any human mediation to your cat, even if 100 owners say it’s OK.
Quality Cat Food is Key
Instead of paying extra for a med like Zantac, it’s a smarter option to spend a little more on top quality cat food, and then monitor your cat to see how much food is enough. If you cat has a problem with overeating, you’ll have to be more diligent about feeding them the right portion sizes, and possibly feeding them smaller portions a few times throughout the day rather than one big portion once a day.
Leaving Your Cat Alone
Once you’ve adjusted the portion sizes it still might take some time for your cat to adjust to this new way of eating, and they might still show signs of having heartburn or indigestion. It’s sometimes hard to do, but just letting them handle it on their own without any intervention on your part is often the best thing for them. This will allow their body to naturally adjust to the right portion sizes, and they’ll eventually get to the point where they’re fine, and you don’t need to considering any medication or other treatment options.
Taking Your Cat to the Vet
If you adjust your cat’s food to a higher quality and are following proper serving sizes, and they are still having digestive trouble, you should take them into the vet to see what’s wrong, and to discuss ways to help them. They might end up giving them medication, but it will be feline medication and will be created especially for cats, and dosed based on their age and weight. This way you know you are doing right by your cat, treating them as their own entity and not just trying to fix their problems with your own supply of medication.
Actually, Zantac is Ranitidine. This is often prescribed by vets for nausea or reflux in cats. When cats have chronic renal insufficiency (which is very common as they get older), reflux is often a symptom of toxins building up in the system. Of course, a vet’s opinion is crucial, for diagnosis and prescription.
My 15 year old cat was prescribed 1/4 tab of Pepcid. I don’t have any right now, but I have Ranitidine 75mg. I’m a retired pharmacy tech so am not sure. I’d appreciate some help and if you know of any alternative til I can buy Pepcid.
I give my cat human medications for her congestive heart failure but at a lower dose.