Dr. Cris Bird
Savannah Super Cat
Many of us travel a lot with our cats to shows. I'd like to ask Dr. Per a question about preventing or treating "car sickness" in cats. By "car sickness," i mean vomiting of cats while in a moving car.
I'm a research scientist, not a vet, so I'm guessing on this. But it seems to me (based on my personal experience with my cats) that feline car sickness is usually either caused by motion sickness or by stress-induced traveler's diarrhea. I haven't had very many cats with genuine motion sickness, but I have had one or two over the years. I've much more often seen cats develop loose stools after an entire weekend at a show -- not at the beginning of a show -- and sometimes that intestinal discomfort seems to lead to nausea and vomiting.
I've found that stress-related diarrhea and the associated vomiting can often be prevented by feeding a cat Fortiflora, which helps keep beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract and prevent overgrowth of "bad" bacteria. It does not always work, though. Occasionally, cats seem to need something stronger, such as Flagyl (metronidazole).
I have heard of vets recommending dimenhydrate (Dramamine) for feline motion sickness, but that would probably only work for those few cats prone to motion sickness.
I have also occasionally heard of vets recommending famotidine (Pepcid) for preventing feline nausea during a journey. I have not tried it because that doesn't make any sense to me. Why would a medication that reduces secretion of stomach acid be useful in treating any kind of "car sickness?" Am I missing something?
Thanks!
I'm a research scientist, not a vet, so I'm guessing on this. But it seems to me (based on my personal experience with my cats) that feline car sickness is usually either caused by motion sickness or by stress-induced traveler's diarrhea. I haven't had very many cats with genuine motion sickness, but I have had one or two over the years. I've much more often seen cats develop loose stools after an entire weekend at a show -- not at the beginning of a show -- and sometimes that intestinal discomfort seems to lead to nausea and vomiting.
I've found that stress-related diarrhea and the associated vomiting can often be prevented by feeding a cat Fortiflora, which helps keep beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract and prevent overgrowth of "bad" bacteria. It does not always work, though. Occasionally, cats seem to need something stronger, such as Flagyl (metronidazole).
I have heard of vets recommending dimenhydrate (Dramamine) for feline motion sickness, but that would probably only work for those few cats prone to motion sickness.
I have also occasionally heard of vets recommending famotidine (Pepcid) for preventing feline nausea during a journey. I have not tried it because that doesn't make any sense to me. Why would a medication that reduces secretion of stomach acid be useful in treating any kind of "car sickness?" Am I missing something?
Thanks!