It is very normal to take medicine when you are sick. Many owners will choose to take medicine by themselves when their cats encounter some minor problems. However, we know that medicine is poisonous. If you don’t feed it randomly, the cat will eat the wrong food. Tragedies of death due to drugs are not unheard of. Therefore, it is okay to give medicine to cats, but the medicine must be used rationally, otherwise not only will the disease not be cured, but it will cause discomfort or even death. ​​​​​​

First of all, we need to know that cats are not as resistant to drugs as humans. Drugs that enter the body are decomposed by the liver. Cats have much fewer enzymes to metabolize drugs than humans. Once used improperly or excessively, poisoning will occur. Many drugs on the market, such as labor pain and antipyretics, contain many ingredients that cats cannot break down, which are dangerous or even fatal to cats. Many traditional Chinese medicine ingredients are also harmful to cats, such as berberine. The medicine to be used must be prescribed at the discretion of the veterinarian and must not be decided by yourself.

Many human medicines and veterinary medicines are common, but the dosage must be controlled, otherwise it will cause discomfort. But there are also many drugs that must not be fed to pets indiscriminately. Such as cold analgesics: the fatality rate is very high, it is best not to use them. The two main ingredients of cold medicine (mainly Western medicine) are: acetaminophen and pseudoephedrine. Acetaminophen can cause liver failure and the destruction of red blood cells, especially in cats, and even a small amount can be fatal. Symptoms include: salivation, difficulty breathing, blood in urine, coma, and jaundice. Pseudoephedrine has a very low safety level for dogs and cats. Abnormal symptoms often appear 30 minutes after ingestion: excitement, panting, high body temperature, and dilated pupils. Severe liver damage, movement disorder, coma and death.

Diet pills: Do not give cats any human weight loss pills. The most commonly available supplement for cats is L-carnitine, known as vitamin BT. Representative drug: phenytoin.

Caffeine-containing: Caffeine-containing drugs, as a central nervous system stimulant, are easily addictive and toxic to cats. Not only some common Western medicines such as aspirin contain caffeine, but some Chinese medicines also contain caffeine and theophylline, which are best not to be given to cats. Representative drugs: aspirin; compound licorice tablets.

Never give the above medicines to cats casually, so what are the commonly used medicines that are always available?

Yunnan Baiyao: It can be used to stop bleeding. Do not use it indiscriminately if there is no bleeding.

Mommy Love, Zhengchangsheng, Smecta: used to assist in the treatment of diarrhea caused by flora disorders, but are ineffective in diarrhea caused by parasites and viruses.

Eye drops: clofloxacin, chloramphenicol, erythromycin ointment to treat general inflammation and conjunctivitis, but generally cannot be used continuously for multiple days, and specific medical advice needs to be followed.

Anti-inflammatory drugs: cephalosporins, gentamicin, azithromycin, amoxicillin.

We must follow the following principles when using drugs for cats

1. Follow the doctor’s instructionsReasonable feeding of medicine

Medications are only effective if they are taken correctly according to the guidance of your veterinarian. Do not change the time and dosage of medication without authorization, and do not delay.

2. Do not rely on subjective judgment when taking medication, and do not stop medication at will

Prescription drugs are basically required to cure the cat. You cannot stop them at will without seeing obvious effects, or if they are almost good enough, you don’t need to take them anymore.

3. Don’t forget one meal, just combine two meals

The use of most drugs is determined based on the cat’s weight. Combining drugs indiscriminately will increase the burden on the cat and even cause drug poisoning.

You must pay more attention to the use of drugs. You must understand which drugs can be fed to cats and which drugs cannot. Many cats have kidney failure and eventually die due to indiscriminate use of drugs. This must be paid attention to.