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My veterinarian prescribed my cat Cerenia, a drug to help with vomiting (antiemetic). However, the instructions included with the medicine say that it is "for oral use with dogs only."
Is it safe to give my cat Cerenia as per my vet's instructions? Or is this medicine unsafe for cats? Is it possible that there is a Cerenia for cats and my vet accidentally gave me the wrong pill?
As a vet who sees a lot of cats, Cerenia is one of the most common drugs I turn to for cats these days.
It is far superior to many of the other anti-emetics used in the past. It is nice in that it also has some anti-inflammatory properties particularly good for conditions such as pancreatitis or rhinitis.
It is true that the tablet form is widely used off label in cats in the US. The injectable form is labelled for cats.
I have yet to run into any major adverse effects in cats from use of oral Cerenia. A number of my patients with chronic pancreatitis, kidney disease, or gastrointestinal disease, are on this medication at a low dose long term, and it really does seem to help.
Some cats are particularly averse to the flavour of the tablets (foaming and drooling, which usually subsides within a few minutes), while others don't seem to taste it at all - not sure how to explain it!
It's safe to administer Cerenia tablets, but only when prescribed by a veterinarian. According to https://allaboutcats.com/cerenia-for-cats, Cerenia tablets aren't formally licensed for use with cats, but the veterinary community views them as mostly safe in certain situations.
Cerenia Tablets for Cats
Cerenia tablets are also available, formulated for oral use in dogs. Although Cerenia tablets aren’t licensed to be given to cats, some DVM texts advise that this is possible for certain selected cases. Cerenia should only be given to cats in this way when recommended by the consulting veterinary surgeon.
And:
Is Cerenia safe for cats?
Cerenia is a safe product, with the only common problem being the transient pain reaction that can happen when the injection is given.
When cats were given up to five times the recommended dosage doses daily for fifteen consecutive days, there were no discernible adverse effects either clinically (the animals seemed well) nor in laboratory tests (using blood and urine samples).
I found my cat responded really well to Cerenia when he was first prescribed it six months ago for his Pancreatitis. But after for some reason-it is not preventing vomiting spells even after the prescribed 1/2 tablet for three days. The other issue is that it is VERY expensive! With only four tablets in a package, treating two episodes of vomiting would use three tablets when 1/2 a tablet is used. It is easy to administer as it’s tiny and half a Cerenia can be put into a treat. My cat’s pancreatitis was checked by my vet and with his special food, his bloodwork showed a decrease in the “bad” stuff. So it appears he has developed a tolerance to Cerenia in just four months.
