Cat Pain Relief

 

Cats are particularly special animals that need more care and attention when attempting to administer drugs. Some cat pain relief drugs that are otherwise okay for dogs and other small animals can be very toxic to cats and potentially fatal. This is especially true of NSAID’s (or Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) that can be particularly devastating to a cat’s liver. Their liver does not have enough of the specific enzyme required and so the NSAID lasts much longer in the blood stream. This means any dose of an NSAID should be severely restricted, minimized and regulated in order to prevent damaging the liver and potentially killing the pet. There are two NSAID’s that cats can tolerate to an extent. These are called Meloxicam and Ketoprofen. These two pain killers can be obtained as tablets or as syrup. Both of these medicines are licensed for use in Canada and Europe but not in the United States. However, because of the limited amount of medication available for cats, some veterinarians will provide one of these two NSAID’s anyway to help alleviate suffering. When this kind of drug is issued, it is called “Off-Label use”.

 

 

Your vet should always conduct extensive tests to ensure your cats liver and kidneys are working and healthy before administering any cat pain relief drugs. Your cat should also be closely monitored while on any kind of medication. Do not be tempted to provide your cat with human or dog medication. Tylenol and Aspirin are extremely dangerous for your cat and can be fatal even if only the tiniest powder is ingested.

 

This is why many owners decide that natural pain relief is often the best way to go and there can be a few methods you may wish to try before seeing your vet about possible pain killers. These natural methods of cat pain relief include:

 

Acupuncture

Much like the acupuncture you can get for yourself to relieve stiff joints and pain you can also get regular acupuncture session for your cat. These sessions can however be a little costly, and you will need to get them done regularly to upkeep the benefit of them.

 

Exercise and Diet

For some cats, your vet may recommend a change of diet and an exercise plan to keep your cats joints flexible and help alleviate pain. They may even recommend supplements to help your cat’s general health and aid the natural healing process.

 

Copper Collars

Many cat owners can testify to the use of copper collars to help alleviate pain. There have been cases where cats have been unable to run around and jump to high places anymore due to things like arthritis. When these cats had a copper collar tried on them, they suddenly became much more active and could jump to their favorite windowsills with much more ease. It seems to make a noticeable difference and seemingly helps alleviate their pains. It is suspected that these collars help by stimulating the flow of oxygen in the blood stream.