Urinary Obstruction & Prazosin for Cats. Urinary obstruction in the cat is a very common presentation for male cats with urinary signs (straining, vomiting, licking, vocalizing). Listed is a general protocol for managing these cases. On intake, place IV catheter and collect full blood work. Administer pain medication immediately. Cats with a blocked urethra will need ‘unblocking’ urgently- by passing a urinary catheter under general anaesthetic. And cats with bladder tumours may have chemotherapy or surgery as an option- although whether this is appropriate for your cat is a decision for you and the veterinary surgeon to make together. In cats, gabapentin is most often used as a pain medication for chronic pain, such as from arthritis. Gabapentin is also recognized as beneficial in reducing the fear responses that a kitty may have to the stress of handling and being examined at the vet. Gabapentin is used in cats to treat chronic pain, especially of neuropathic origin and anxiety. For pain, this drug seems to be most effective when combined with other types of analgesics Background. Urinary obstructions, also known as a “blocked cat”, are quite common in male cats, although they can occur in females as well. These obstructions can be caused by crystals, urinary stones, a mass, inflammation or mucus plugs that clog the urethra and prevent the cat from urinating. Gabapentin for cats works in the same way that GABA does, which is as an inhibitory neurotransmitter. This means that neuropathic pain originating in the nervous system is blocked by Gabapentin. It also works well to suppress excessive electrical activity in the brain that normally produces seizures. Gabapentin is a go-to medication for several conditions in cats due to its effectiveness and relative safety when used appropriately. Primary Uses: Chronic Pain Relief: Often prescribed for arthritis, cancer-related pain, or post-surgical discomfort. Is gabapentin used for blocked cats? Gabapentin isn’t typically used to directly treat a blockage. It’s primarily used for long-term pain relief, fear and anxiety management , and can sometimes be used to help keep a cat calmer in the vet clinic. BREED: Higher in non-pedigree cats; no breed predisposition LIFESTYLE: Indoor, multicat household OTHER: Inter-cat issues; decreased water intake MASTERS OF DISGUISE Diagnosis of feline urethral obstruction is straightforward, but the difficulty lies in recognition of the problem at home, as cats are masters of hiding illness. 3. Hall J, Hall K, Powell L, et al. Outcome of male cats managed for urethral obstruction with decompressive cystocentesis and urinary catheterization: 47 cats. J Vet Emerg Crit Care 2015;25(2):256-262. 4. Cooper ES, Owens TJ, Chew DJ, et al. A protocol for managing urethral obstruction in male cats without urethral catheterization. Anxiety treatment: Gabapentin is used for stressful events. For example, if given 2–3 hours before a vet visit, gabapentin can help keep a cat calm during the visit, and its effects quickly fall off after 8-12 hours, so they are quickly back to normal. Seizure control: Gabapentin is used long-term to manage recurring seizures. Other Gabapentin, while very few studies have been performed on its long-term use in cats, has thus far seemed safe and effective. In humans, Gabapentin is within the class of medications used to help prevent seizures (anticonvulsants) and is commonly prescribed for neuropathic pain. According to pet experts and veterinarians, the safe dose of gabapentin for treating seizures in cats is 2-5mg/lb or 5-10mg/kg every 8 to 12 hours. For feline pain, the ideal amount of the medicine is 1.25 to 2 mg/kg every 12 hours. Gabapentin is a medication used to treat pain in cats. It is also used as a sedative to help reduce anxiety during stressful situations, like car travel and vet visits. Here’s what you need to know about this common feline medication. In a second study, published in a 2018 issue of Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, investigators in North Carolina concluded 50 mg or 100 mg gabapentin (9.2–47.6 mg/ kg per cat) reduces fear responses in confined community cats without measurable sedation over 3 hours post administration vs placebo. 3 Gabapentin is often administered as a pre-anesthetic medication to help relax the cat and reduce any discomfort they may experience during the process. After surgery, it can also be used as a pain reliever to help manage post-operative pain, ensuring a more comfortable recovery for the feline patient. Side effects of prazosin appear to be uncommon in cats at commonly prescribed dosages, and mostly seem to appear in the cases of overdoses. While there are no available studies specifically looking at side effects in cats, overdose exposures reported to the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center between 2009 and 2013 showed low blood pressure as the most common finding, affecting less than half of Gabapentin has many useful properties for treating cats beyond use as an anticonvulsant. It is used off-label in cats to reduce situational anxiety, provide pain relief, and is the preferred treatment for a condition called feline hyperesthesia syndrome. Additionally male cats may develop stranguria with urethral blockage which, if left untreated, will result in acute renal failure within 1-3 days. Despite the common array of clinical signs exhibited, there are a number of potential underlying aetiologies for FLUTD which have to be considered and achieving a definitive diagnosis requires a climbing frames and games that stimulate natural cat behaviour (paper bags and boxes to play in, fishing rod toys [hunting games, such as hiding toys filled with cat nip or bits of food] Gunn-Moore and Caney, 2009). Provision of synthetic feline pheromone may help reduce anxiety in cats with FIC in multicat households (Gunn-Moore and Cameron
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
![]() | |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() |