Curiouse about Benadryl???

I was reading Denice's reply to "Simbas being sick" and got thinking... Her vet gave her cat a shot of Benadryl for an allergic reaction. My vet told me it's okay to give my dog a dose of Benadryl for itching caused by allergies... does anyone know if it's okay to do the same for a cat? I've never come across a situation with my cats regarding allergies... but it would be good to know if I did. It's something that I always have on hand. Of course you still wouldn't want to do it unless you were positive the symptoms were being caused by allergies... I don't know.. Just thought it might be a tid bit of info worth tucking away in the back of my brain in case I need it some day...LOL Such a packrat I am

I recall reading that Chlor-Trimetron is preferable to Benedryl for cats. Here's some information about the drug in Chlor-Trimetron (Chlorpheniramine maleate) http://www.medi-vet.com/detail.aspx~ID~2598

Disclaimer: always consult your Veterinarian before giving your cat any medications.

Yes you can give Benadryl. I would not do it without talking to the vet. The max dose is 1mg/1lb of body weight and i'm sure you would not want to just give that much.

I know this because when my cats go the new Calici vaccine my Maggie had an allergic reaction. I called the vet & he gave me the instructions on how to give it to her & it worked like a charm. He said when she went in for her booster to give it to her before hand in the hope that it would stop the reaction all together and it worked. I just want to restate that I would not have given this to her if I hadn't had direction from a vet. It was 9:30 on a Saturday night & it saved us a trip to the e-vet.

I THINK -- just guessing -- Benadryl is "iffy," so they save it for emergencies, perhaps.

According to the Merck Veterniary Manual, benadryl is not recommended for use in cats.

Originally Posted by 4meezers3kids

I THINK -- just guessing -- Benadryl is "iffy," so they save it for emergencies, perhaps.

According to the Merck Veterniary Manual, benadryl is not recommended for use in cats.

Click to expand...

I guess your right about the emergency only thing. In Maggie's case it was an emergancy, and I would never give it to her without the vet telling me to do so. There are other meds and foods for the more common food allergies in cats.

PLEASE always consult your vet PRIOR to using ANY OTC items ... be it for humans or animals...

I picked up some OTC anti diareal and found out that one of the ingrediants COULD ACTUALLY cause LOOSE stools

Thanks guys... I was just curiouse

I took my kitty in the other day because she was having an allergic reaction to something. Vet told me that human antihistimines don't work the same way in cats so Benadryl is not an option for felines.