Can I give my cat Benadryl?

I have a 2.5yr old cat that has an immune system disorder. He gets acne under his chin and I have been able to keep it under control until now. It is res, swollen and itchy. Is it safe to give him a tiny dose of childerns benadryl???

This is the first flare up he has had in over a year

People get so lax with OTC medicines. Do you know that benedryl is a first generation antihistamine with a lot of potentially serious side effects? Do you still want to use it without calling your vet first?

Your cat probably needs an antibiotic for his chin, too, if there's a bit of infection on the skin. Just call the vet and see what they want you to do.

I have called the vet they just havent called me back yet. I clean it every day with Hibaclense. Last time they game him a depo shot, something I will NEVER let them give him again!

I came here because I know ppl give it to thieir dogs without issue. Though it might be the same for cats and, well, what better place to go!?

People do use it on their cats, it's just not something that should be done, with a dog or cat, without vet supervision. To do so without is very irresponsible (@those dog owners).

Did he react to the depo or are you just worried about the eventual side effects that would happen if he regularly had them for years?

I hope the vet calls you back soon. Since he does have chronic health issues they'll probably want you to bring him in. And it could be possible that this isn't his acne - maybe there's a scratch you didn't see, dental issue, an insect/spider got inside, etc.

well im not sure i'd call it a reaction. he was just not himself at all for almost 2 weeks. he was very lethargic, didn't play at ALL, which is very unlike him. He was very quiet, again not like him at ALL. I just don't think he did very well with it.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

People do use it on their cats, it's just not something that should be done, with a dog or cat, without vet supervision. To do so without is very irresponsible (@those dog owners).

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I'm not trying to start a fight or anything. But why is it ok for a person to medicate themselves or their kids but not their pets? Medicating yourself or your kids can be just as dangerous as medicating your pets. It all comes down to common sense and doing proper research. If you're going to say it's irresponsible to medicate your pets yourself, then all OTC medications should be illegal because people shouldn't be medicating themselves with them them either.

To be honest, I don't see anything wrong with a person medicating their pets themselves as long as they know what they're doing. Go to a trusted veterinary website for the correct dosages and information. Or get one of those pill books for pets.

People medicate themselves and their kids all the time. There's nothing wrong with it as long as you do proper research and read the correct dosing instructions. And of course, if the medicine doesn't help then see the doctor. I wish people would learn that just because someone has a veterinary or medical degree doesn't mean they know what they're doing. Ever hear of a thing called malpractice? It's far more common in veterinary medicine than you might think. It's so common that you probably wouldn't even know if it happened to your pet. My veterinarian will freely admit that I know more about general and certain serious cat health problems than him or the other three veterinarians at his practice. I don't know what is being taught to veterinarians in veterinary school but it certainly makes me not want to take my cats to them sometimes. My veterinarian says I have educated him on a lot of stuff that wasn't taught to him in veterinary school. Having said that. . .

My vet said I could give my 7-10 pound cats 1 mg of Chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton) twice a day for seasonal allergies (sneezing and watery eyes).

Benadryl - http://www.petplace.com/drug-library...ryl/page1.aspx
Chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton) - http://www.petplace.com/drug-library...ton/page1.aspx

So, when was the last time your cat verbally explained their symptoms to you? No home treatment should replace vet care, it is actually in the rules for this very forum not to suggest otherwise. If you have a problem with it, talk to one of the mods about it.


And yes, I do have a problem with people taking OTC meds and supplements. Most people haven't researched enough to know how each drug metabolizes, it's half-life, and side effects - especially for various medical problems they may have. They also don't stop to at least chat with the pharmacist.
I react horribly to first gen. antihistamines due to how non selective they are - my mother kept trying to treat me with it as a child because she thought it was safe and the experience was terrible.

alright, heard back from the vet. marley weighs 11lbs to it is safe for me to give him the childrens liquid kind at 1tsp! hopefully it helps the little guy!

thanks for the articles!!!

The bottom line here I think is ask the vet. Sure, they are not perfect. But they do have years of vet school and experience that most of us don't have. I know a person who developed a sore jaw, more than three months ago. Because she had been treated in the past for TMJ, she assumed that was her problem. She medicated herself with tons of Tylenol before she finally went to the dentist. She suggested to the dentist the TMJ. They took a full mouth x-ray and it showed nothing. So they continued treating TMJ, adding steroids. This person didn't get better so they went to another dentist who continued on with the same treatement because of the power of suggestion. Finally this person went back to the first dentist who took an x-ray of one side and found of all things an abcessed tooth. Finally after months of treatement and pain, a correct diagnosis. Moral of this story, self medicate can cause problems.

So I just tried to give Marley some benadryl and this statement couldn't have been more true:

In cats, oral diphenhydramine is bitter and can cause profuse, yet temporary, drooling.

He was foaming at the mouth something terrible and I didn't even give him half of the suggested dose. I feel awful for him I'll try mixing it with his food and see if he will take it that way, if not we will have to make a trip to the vet!

I'm just silly, I know -- but, what is he eating ??

Grain free food might be something to check in to ??

Unless I know otherwise, diet is usually the first thing I look at when there's a health issue. I learned to ask this question for myself - when I get headaches, the first thing I think about and ask is what I've been eating. I know for sure that MSG will give me a headache faster than an eye blink - and there are other foods I avoid because I've identified them as problematic for me.

I think grain foods for our cats is problematic for good health.

just my 2¢

OTC medicines have correct dosages for humans(by age/weight, etc) so you know how much to use. If I don't know the right dosage(my son has had severe food allergies since birth and after 1 he could have Benedryl) I called the doctor to find out, I called the allergist fairly frequently as Bobby gained weight to find out the correct dosage. They don't have the dosages for cats or dogs or whatever on the bottles, just humans that is why you need to contact the vet about it, just like I would for myself or my child if I didn't know the correct dosage.

OTC medications are still medicine and with any medication comes possible side effects, just because you don't need a prescription doesn't mean they are any safer than the prescription stuff.

It is also important to know if the medication is even safe to give an animal. Humans can take Tylenol but it would kill a cat. Also, only your vet knows your animals history and if they can take the medication safely. The internet doesn't take the place of your vet. Also, in human medicine OB/GYNs and brain surgeons are most often sued for malpractice but that didn't stop me from using one while I was pregnant(and for the routine woman stuff) and if I needed brain surgery I would surely need a brain surgeon. Just because malpractice happens doesn't mean there aren't good doctors/vets out there and I trust them a lot more than the internet.

Taryn

Thank you ! At last some one with some common sense.

Not everyone has plenty of money to go running to the vet every time there cat has an illness . I've learned to research different sites and have been able to diagnose and treat my animals myself saving hundreds of dollars. Most vets are waiting to overcharge the public just like medical doctors do.

I've had the vet tell me to use Benadryl, but I've never managed to get any of it in them, even using a pill form.  Like you said, lots of foamy drool and the cat will then avoid whatever it was you tried to put it in, even their favorite food.

My kitty has seasonal allergies that make him itchy as well. BOTH, my regular Vet. & the Holistic Vet. said that it was o.k. to give him

a half of a Claritin, (non-drowsy) (generic brand is cheaper) or a half of a Zyrtech. He weights 14 lbs. I would never even try liquid.

I just put the half pill in a treat (call it his night, night treat) & he eats it just fine. He doesn't even get drowsy from them.

We have done this off & on for two yrs now w/ no side effects. Yes, I agree, we don't all have money to go running to the Vet for every little thing!

I am considering giving my cat Benadryl because she screams constantly.  The vet has given her a clean bill of health, but has said that cats who are deaf (which she is) caterwaul all the time.  She starts at 3:00 AM, and doesn't stop until my husband and I leave for work.  Then she starts as soon as we get home.  It is disrupting our sleep, not to mention driving us crazy.  I agree with the comments about the vet bills...we really can't afford them. Any advice?

I would NOT advise you to give Benadryl to your cat for the reasons you stated above. I am assuming that you think it will make her drowsy (or make her sleep) and therefore less likely to vocalize?

I imagine she is either trying to communicate something to you or to another animal (inside or out.) Is she spayed??
I would try a calming diffuser with her and see if that gives some relief.

She is spayed, is 20 years old, and has always been an indoor cat.  We have tried giving her extra attention, to no avail.  There is another cat in the house, but they really don't interact.  What is a calming diffuser?  Thanks for your help.

A calming diffuser emits a synthetic pheremone that helps kitties destress and be more calm.  Look for a Feliway or Comfort Zone with Feliway when you do a search online.