Hello Dr. Looking for some clarity on human gabapentin in cats. My previous veterinarian told me (since I have a prescription myself) to just give my healthy 2 year old cat a 100mg of my gabapentin before future vet visits for her travel anxiety. He moved away and she’s due for an annual visit and needs a teeth cleaning. She’s 8.6lbs. If this is a safe dosage, can the powder within the capsule be mixed with food?

Updated On June 28th, 2023

Pet's info: Cat | Snowshoe | Female | spayed | 2 years and 1 month old | 8.6 lbs

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Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

Veterinarian

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Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. Yes, 100mg is a normal dosage for an average sized adult cat. You can open the capsule and mix the powder with a small amount of canned food. Only use enough canned food to mask the powder. If you mix it with a large amount of canned food and she doesn't eat it all, she won't get the full dose. Be sure to give it at least 2-3 hours prior to the appointment. I often recommend people give a dose at home on a day that you can be with him as a trial run so you can see how the drug affects him. You may find that it seems like it is doing nothing for him or you may see that he is too sedate or maybe it is just right. But you can take note to see how long it takes to affect him after he ingests it - some cats take 2-3 hours to get sedate and others only need 30 minutes to an hour. This way you can get the timing right for dosing him for his appointment. You don't have to do this but it may be a good idea as "test run". Hope this helps. Best wishes.

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