Cat Information

Can I give my cats Clonazepam (klonopin) to sedate them for a 1000 mile trip?

My wife and I are moving out to kansas city and are really stressing out about transporting the cats. We have crates for them but want them to stay calm and sedated. one of them traveled when she was young but hasn't traveled any signifcant distance in a crate EVER. The other one has never traveled period. I've been reading online and it appears as though vets often dispense benzodyazapines for cats. It looks like the typical dosage is between .25 and .5mg. We have put all of our money into getting the house ready for sale and moving and would like to avoid the hefty vet charge that would inevitably come with this type of thing. I happen to be prescribed to clonazepam so I figured I would just give them .5mg at the begining of each 8 hour travel day (2 days, 16 hours) to keep them calm and relaxed in there crates. I just wanted to get input from any users on the site who have EXPERIENCE with this sort of thing. Any other travel recomendations would be much appreciated as well (e.g.when and where to let them go potty?) Thanks in advance, Daniel PLEASE DON'T ANSWER WITH A FREAKED OUT NOOOO IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. I KNOW THAT VETS PRESCRIBE CLONAZAPEM FOR CATS AND I'M NOT GOING TO PAY MONEY TO A VET JUST FOR THEM TO TELL ME WHAT I ALREADY KNOW.

Public Comments

1. talk to your vet. i would just take them on trips around town in their crates and let them settle down.
2. You would be wise to discuss this with your vet. Any money you save by not contacting the vet prior to administering medicine you have no idea about will probably be spent on emergency care for the poisoned cat or for his cremation. Do not ever give any medication to a cat without the approval of your vet including OTC's. On the road, you may not have access to immediate vet care in case something comes up. Edit: Yes, vets sometimes prescribe these meds BUT they know the dosage for the cat's weight. YOU DO NOT. Would you really risk your cat's health by taking advice from people over the internet who may or may not know what they're talking about? You're making a bad move if you do.
3. Call your vet, it depends on the cat. NEVER DO ANYTHING AS BIG AS THAT UNLESS YOU CONSULT YOUR VET. My answer is no.
4. What I used for my cat, while traveling days ( camping nights ), was DRAMAMINE, which can be bought at any grocery or pharmacy. It worked great to keep the cat relaxed ( and asleep ) for the daytime hours, but he was alert & happy in the evenings / nights. Dramamine comes in 50 mg tablets, and the dose for an average size cat is 12.5 mg ( 1/4 tablet ), 1 hour before traveling. Withhold food before taking the trip.....cats travel better on an empty stomach. I have a daughter who suffers from motion sickness, so I gave her AND the cat some Dramamine in the mornings, and THEY BOTH slept during the daytime traveling. No after-effects from either of them. By withholding food in the morning, and giving each cat 1/4 tablet, you can have relaxed kitties for your travels. Feed them AS SOON as you stop in the evening, so they can get some nourishment for that day, and maybe again right before bedtime. Let them have water in the morning, just no food. You may also want to cover their crates with a sheet to block out unnecessary "stimulation"....traffic noises, moving objects, wind, etc.........A sheet is light weight, but will do a good job of "masking" what's going on outside the crate / car........... Hope this helps, and you all have a wonderfully easy traveling.......
5. Daniel, please check with your vet. I know for a fact human eye drops can not be administered to an animals eyes, of course i checked with my vet. Are vets in your area that expensive, or maybe you could call and ask him or her without making a visit. Also, vet could probably help you out with potty issues. I don't want to scare you but i know personally speaking a cat can have a heart attack in transit, so please take precaution as i know you are trying to do, speak to a professional and Good Luck and drive safely.
6. Do you self diagnose or experiment on your children as well? Just call or make a vet visit, omfg people. Well if you already know so much and dont need a vet, why are you asking Yahoo Answers loser?
7. Never give any medication intended for humans to an animal unless you have discussed it in detail with a vet. Never. Many perfectly ordinary human meds are deadly to animals. Next, I suspect that you're more stressed about this than the cats will be. I don't think there's any need to sedate them at all. 1000 miles, a two-day drive, 10 hours max each day, yes, with one overnight stop? Piece of cake. So book a pet accepting motel(there are lots out there, Motel 6 is my favourite) at the halfway point, making sure you get one with a parking space right outside the door to save schlepping cat carriers upstairs. Put each cat in a carrier with a blanket in it and possibly over it since cats often feel more secure in a closed space but they do like to be able to see you. Take along a litter box or lidded plastic box with litter in it, a large garbage bag or sheet of plastic to place under the box in the motel room in case of bad aim by the cats, plastic bags to scoop into. Bring a few old towels or a roll of paper towel, a spray bottle of windex and some strong room spray. Cats rarely get carsick but it's as well to be prepared. Feed them very lightly in the morning, you can offer water or food while driving but they probably won't take it and I don't bother. They shouldn't need to use the litter box either. They can hold it that long unless they have a medical problem, especially under the slight stress of being in a car. Never open the car door or window unless the cats are in their carriers, and I recommend leaving them there all the time you're driving. A loose cat in a moving car can be a real hazard. When you arrive at the motel, bring all your stuff in, bring the cats' stuff in and set it out --litter box, food and water dishes and fill them right away. Last, bring the cats in. Set the carriers down, open the doors, and let the cats find their own way out when they're comfortable. You might be surprised how fast that happens. Last but not least, if they have access to outdoors, get hold of them the night before the drive and close the cat door, and put them in the carriers or shut them in a room if you'll have to have doors open while loading up in the morning. Cats often seem to disappear when you most want them to be there.