important question

a local person told me that since the 4th of July will be coming up before long, I should go to a vet and get Benadryl for my cat! the person said in this area it's a common practice for vets to advise pet owners to essentially dope-up their cats to keep them calm. I've never heard of anything like this, and think it's outrageous... so I'm posting here to ask what you think.

WHAT?!? That's just insane, not to mention very dangerous for the cat.

That's terrible advice. Some cats might stress over loud noises, but drugging them up will only make it worse for them, not only will they be stressing over loud noises they will feel vulnerable and scared because they feel funny.

You can keep some feliway plug in diffusers going, and/or get some rescue remedy to help your kitty cope with any stress.

Don't ever give any drug to your cat unless the vet who knows your cat has prescribed it.

thank you both for your input on this... I agree with you one hundred percent!

I wouldn't do that unless I had a particularly fearful pet, and then only on my vet's advice.

My kitties aren't afraid of loud noises. They sit in the windows during thunderstorms. It's kind of freaky.

This "local person"....is it the villiage idiot?

I live two blocks over from the barge used to set off Boston's fireworks. That's the big display that's on TV during the annual July 4 Boston Pops concert with the 1812 Overture and all that. My cats have never needed tranquilizers! But they do have stunned expressions when we come home afterward.

Lately we've been escaping the whole thing and going to Maine for the holiday. I wish I could take our cats with us, but I suspect they order takeout, bribe the cat sitter, and amuse themselves as usual when we aren't here.

I would never do any such thing. Cats can run and hide under the bed if they are scared.

I had to "dope up" my former foster dog over the 4th of July because she was extremely scared but none of my cats have needed any such intervention. If my cat would be extremely nervous I'd go to the vet for meds. I would never give anything to all of them just in case. Besides, I don't think Benadryl would help a whole lot.

It is however safe to give Benadryl to a cat if it's needed. I use it sometimes for cats with URI.

If I needed something to calm Attitude or Nuts I'd ask my vet for something or his recommendations instead of doping them up on a 'might' happen and not even asking the vet if they have a better suggestion. I highly doubt any worthwhile vet would ever endorse doping a cat on a maybe.

That is appalling, I just couldn't imagine doing that. I hated doping Spaz, but then again it didn't work so I might be looking at it from that angle. That was under vet orders, and was foir a darn good reason and it sure wasn't Benedryl I was giving her. I'd honestly be afraid to try and dope up a cat on Benedryl to try and calm them. It doesn't always work on kids to make them aleep(guilty, once he refused to go to sleep and refused to quit screaming and being a crank because he was tired, he was also having an allergic reaction at the time, which if I had known about I would have given him Benedryl, so while I gave it for reason that was to get him to sleep before the neighbors called the cops saying I was beating him it was needed for a valid one) so why would it always work on a cat. I know kids who go insane on Benedryl and bounce off the walls,The 'Tude and Nuts are already that way I couldn't imagine giving them Benedryl and finding out it had the exact opposite of calming them down.

Taryn