Reaction to tramadol

Hi all,

I was just wondering if any other cat owners have had any bad reactions to tramadol at all?

I have a 13 old ginger Tom cat who has been having lower back pain for the past few weeks. We took him to the vets again last week as the loxicom he was having did not seem to be working too well. They agreed to arrange for him to have an X-ray later this week but to continue with the pain relief in the mean time.


I rang the vets again on Saturday morning as his walking had become a lot worse and his back leg was giving way. The vet managed to move the X-ray forward to tomorrow and prescribed him 0.5mg of Tramadol.

We gave this to him on Saturday evening after trying to get him to take it in his food for several hours we resorted to giving it to him orally (he struggles to take tablets directly). We were successful but after 40 minutes of giving him the tablet he was foaming at his mouth and had large pupils. He seemed to be hallucinating and was not himself at all. The foaming stopped after 20 minutes or so and his breathing and heart rate seemed normal.

I felt so awful as he had obviously had a bad reaction to the tramadol. We monitored him carefully overnight (I was awake all night watching him as I was scared something awful would happen to him).

It has now been about 46 hours ago since he had that dose and he still doesn't seem back to his normal self. He is no longer hallucinating and is being affectionate but he is normally a very vocal cat and hasn't meowed very much since. He is passing urine and is drinking but he hasn't eaten very much since Saturday.

He is going to the vets first thing tomorrow morning and I will be sure they never give tramadol to him ever again.

Has anyone else had similar side effects with their cat? Should I be worried that he still isn't himself?

Any suggestions I would really appreciate it. Thanks.

Tramadol is very sedating and it tastes HORRIBLE.  Thus the foaming at the mouth and your difficultly getting him to eat it. Maybe it was too high a dose for him to start off with? I don't know how fast it metabolizes in cats, in dogs it peaks about 4-5 hours after dosing.

I have an old dog who takes it twice daily for arthritis and when she first started on it she was very tired and slept all day. After about a week she balanced back out again and is fine.

Hi Cinqchats,

Yes the dose was certainly too high for him I would say. My concern is that although he is much better, he still isn't back to usual self. It's not like him to meow, it's strange. You would think the drug would be out of his system now, I guessed at least within 8 hours. It makes me very cautious about giving him another dose even if the vet reduced it. Guess we will see what the vets say when he goes again tomorrow. It was a rather scary experience.

Hope your dog is doing okay.

Hi Minnie8888 I hope you and your cat are doing better. I don't have any experience with tramadol in pets but in my family none of us are able to take this medicine my Grandma and my sister have both had bad reactions which have caused them to be under phyciatric care for a week after only been given one dose and doctors said it was directly related to the medication so if this drug can cause that reaction in humans it seems very likely that it has caused the same reaction in your cat (sorry not sure on his name). I guess your vet will decide what is best but I can understand your reluctance to give him the next dose. Good luck and I hope he gets better soon.

He would no longer be experiencing pain relief from the drug, but it can take a long time to completely clear from his body.  So sorry he had such a bad reaction.  I would guess that the worst of it is over.  Please let us know what the vet says.

Thank you for your replies. Poppy heart, yes tramadol can be have awful side effects in humans too, particularly older adults. I work in health care so I have some experience of the side effects of it in humans but I had no idea how it would affect poor Tyger. The vet seemed to be very relaxed about it all and said its effects on cats are not really known but it obviously didn't suit him. He is now in having his X-Ray's so I am sat patiently waiting to call at lunch time to see how he is. Hopefully we will know what's wrong later. It's so difficult isn't it because you feel so helpless. He hates the vets so the thought of him being there all day makes me feel awful, although I know he is in the best place and will soon be home. Thank you talking peanut for your support.

Hi Minnie8888 how did Tyger go with his xray and vet visit?

Hi Poppyheart,

Thanks for asking how it went. The X-rays showed that he has spondylosis to his lower spine ( which is extra growth of bone to the vertebra). He also has a kyphosis (curvuture of the spine) and both this problems are causing the nerves to occasional get nipped and that's why his back legs have been giving way. They can't do anything surgically and he is going back to the vets this afternoon for a steroid injection which should help with any inflammation and discomfort. We just need to make life as easy as we can for him. The vet doesn't want him jumping too much, but it difficult to tell a cat who loves sitting at our high window sill that! So the plan is to make him some little steps onto he sofa and window sill and just monitor how things go. He seems much happier now and the back to his usually self.
I myself haven't been to well this week either so have been home all day so he is loving the extra cuddles all day long too!

That's not good news but it sounds like at least they are able to help with his pain with the steroid shot. Sorry to hear that you aren't feeling very well either. Thanks for the update and I hope he can stay comfortable.

Just hope he will be a little more comfortable after today. It's horrible seeing them getting old. He seems happy though so I think we just have to monitor it. And definitely no more tramadol for Tyger! Thanks for you support.