Cat Medications

If you own a cat, you know its day-to-day routine. If you observe that your cat is not doing its regular activities or notice a behavior change, your cat could be unwell. As a cat parent, you need to find out why.

Cats are very good at masking their discomfort and illness. When your cat starts to hide or becomes withdrawn, cranky, or clingy than usual, you may need to contact your vet at La Jolla Veterinary Hospital. Even the slightest behavior change in your cat can signal a problem. Your vet will examine your cat and prescribe medication if necessary. Some of the medicine vets use for cats include:

Antibiotics

Your vet may prescribe an antibiotic if your cat has a bacterial infection, such as an ear, skin, or urinary tract infection. Antibiotics can prevent infections from developing into risky situations, like during surgery or after getting a wound. An antibiotic may not work on a viral infection. Your vet will help determine when antibiotics are necessary for your cat.

NSAIDs

NSAIDs, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, are anti-inflammatory drugs. They help reduce swelling and can relieve mild pain in cats. Prescription NSAIDs stop enzymes that cause inflammation and pain while leaving the healthy ones alone.

Unlike over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, prescription NSAIDs help maintain blood circulation in the kidneys, uphold normal blood clotting abilities, and guard the stomach against ulcers.

Opioid Pain Relievers

Opioids help treat moderate to severe pain in cats. When your cat is in pain and NSAIDs fail to work, your vet may recommend opioids. Opioids restrain and block the pain receptors in your cat's nervous system. There are various types of opioids, and your vet can prescribe the most suitable one based on your cat's case.

Steroids

Vets commonly prescribe steroid drugs to treat mild swelling and reduce swelling caused by allergic reactions. When given high doses, steroid medications suppress or stop an immune response. As a result, they may delay healing, weaken cartilage, and put your cat at risk of developing diabetes. That is why your vet may advise against using steroids for the long term.

Antiparasitic Medicines

There are various parasites your cat can get, like fleas, hookworms, tapeworms, roundworms, and whipworms. An exam by your veterinarian can help determine the best antiparasitic medicine for your cat. For instance, medications that kill fleas do not enter the bloodstream and cannot destroy internal parasites like tapeworms.

Behavior Modifying Sedatives and Drugs

Your vet can prescribe behavior-modifying medicines if your cat is having behavior problems. The medications can help treat aggression, bullying, and compulsive behaviors like excessive chewing on cloth materials or grooming.

Chemotherapeutics

Chemotherapeutics are various drugs that aim to destroy cancer cells. They help delay disease progression and improve life quality in cats. Chemotherapy medications help treat feline lymphoma and leukemia.

Hormone Replacement Therapy Drugs

Hormone replacement therapy helps restock a cat's hormone levels with artificial copies of one or more hormones. Hormone levels wear away with time, die out due to a genetic effect, or become absent after illness or surgery. Hormone replacement therapy medicines replenish the run-down hormones to prevent hormonal imbalance in cats.

For more on cat medicine, visit La Jolla Veterinary Hospital at our La Jolla, California office. Call (858) 454-6155 to schedule an appointment today.