My vet said 1 mg per pound. So I’m planning on giving him 4-5mg of liquid children’s benadryl. But my question is how long before the car ride should i give him the medication? And should i give it to him every 6, 7, 8, or more hours?
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My vet said 1 mg per pound. So I’m planning on giving him 4-5mg of liquid children’s benadryl. But my question is how long before the car ride should i give him the medication? And should i give it to him every 6, 7, 8, or more hours?
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When we moved across country, the vet gave me some little pills to keep our cat calm, but I don’t remember what they were. Whatever you do, DO NOT dose her up with benadryl, it might kill her. If the vet you are using wont give you a prescription for her, take her to another vet.
Also, something to consider if you may be crossing state lines, like from Texas to Louisiana you need to get a health certificate from your vet, reason being is if you get pulled over for speeding, they can confiscate your cat if you don’t have the permit.
Good luck!
Quit worrying about your stupid kitten. If he can’t take a 9 hour drive he does not deserve to be your pet. If he complains just open the car door and let him jump out. you will be better off. I can think of a million things I could buy with the $3 you will pay for the children’s benadryl better then wasting it on some cat.
I never heard of that.
Ask another vet or call this vet back and go over the dosage again. You don’t want to accidentally over dose your cat.
You really need to ask this of your vet. They know the condition of your cat. Are you SURE it’s Benedryl? That’s an antihistamine, not a sedative.
You’re getting some really silly answers here!
Yes, Benadryl is an antihistamine, but as you probably know it also serves to make the recipient dopey or drowsy, and can be an effective tranquilizer or sleep aid for an animal (or a person).
You need to give the dosage about an hour before you leave, to give it time to work. As to the amount and frequency, check with your vet to make sure — you don’t want to over-medicate.
You also need to be prepared in the event that it doesn’t work. I’ve known a number of situations where a cat that was given a tranquilizer or sedative simply fought the effects of the drug and yowled like a drunken cat for nine hours!
Cats are notoriously unhappy when their surroundings move (like in a car). If possible, try to accustom your cat to riding in a car ahead of time. Since this is a kitten, rather than an adult cat, chances are you will have good results with this.
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Benadryl will cause the kitten to get an extremely dry mouth and only 1 time did I ever use Benedryl for an allergy problem in 1 of my male adult cats. It was 1/4 of a pill which was his dose for his size and ONLY 12 hrs apart. I moved from Ky to Ohio with my cat…I had a litter box for her and held her most of the trip. Get a carrier with enough room for your kitten to lay in, plus have room for a litter box and water. Have a scooper, baby wipes, bags to scoop the potty bm in, towel, paper towels wouldn’t hurt either, and a jug of water. There is NO need to drug your cat and make it even sicker!!!!!!!!!! I also came from my step-dad’s funeral 13 yrs ago bringing home 2 puppies that my brother and I ended up getting. Yes I held them in a box and we made stops to let them out to potty..but, we did not drug them and both situations they all were fine!!!!!!!!!! The trip was a 9 hr drive-longer when you make stops. There is NO reason to drug your kitten..that is too much of a dose and NO cat under 2 yrs old should be sedated unless undergoing surgery. Please rethink this!!!!!!! Yes, he may be scared for a little bit, but, he will calm down and go to sleep as long as you check on him during stops and make sure he has water..food could make him sick. Also, TRY to seatbelt the cage just in case an accident happens..If you have to, use the seatbelt and a clothes line rope to make sure his cage isn’t going anywhere!!!!!!!! Make sure the water is positioned to not spill-maybe in a corner of the litter box, in a small crock..You can refill it on your stops. Keeping the air in the car comfortable, not over hot!!!!!!
If you feel that your Doctors recommendation is correct, the suggested dosages are as follows:
It is available in 12.5 mg, 25 mg and 50 mg tablets. It is also available as a 12.5 mg/ml suspension. In cats, benadryl is dosed at 0.25 to 0.5 mg per pound every 12 hours. It has a bitter taste and can cause profuse, yet temporary, drooling.
Traveling can be very stressful for some cats. When medicating, you should always weigh the risk to the benefits. If a cat is extremely traumatized by car rides, it is probably wise to sedate it, as high stress levels can be very dangerous to cats. On the other hand, if you think your cat will tolerate the ride without too much stress, it is better to avoid using medications or drugs as a preventive.
I just did two 9 hour trips with my 1 yr old kitty. She escaped her carrier about 5 minutes into the first trip by pushing open the zipper. She was very wide eyed and clearly a bit nervous the first hour or so, but by mid way she was sitting on the floor of the passenger seat where she could keep watch on us. Quite a bit of meowing around her usual dinner time, but that was all. The trip home she was completely calm, once out of her carrier, and sat on my lap nearly the whole drive. No drugs!!!
I would wait and see how your kitty does keeping some of the recommended pills on hand. Wait until you’ve driven a few hours before you dose him. A few treats are a heck of a lot safer!
Get your dosing information, including the amount of the doses and the frequency, from the veterinarian who suggested it. That is the only way you are going to get reliable and accurate instructions. Please do not take the word of strangers over the internet for something like this.
Personally I would NEVER sedate cats/kittens when travelling – you have too many bad reactions. I would just cover the carrier and play soft music.