{"id":629001,"date":"2024-07-20T14:35:09","date_gmt":"2024-07-20T18:35:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=629001"},"modified":"2025-11-06T13:34:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T18:34:10","slug":"tramadol-for-cats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/tramadol-for-cats\/","title":{"rendered":"Tramadol for cats"},"content":{"rendered":"

Veterinarians use tramadol, a generic opioid agonist, to treat chronic pain in dogs and cats. It\u2019s not always the first choice for various reasons, so it\u2019s usually used as an alternative or add-on treatment. Although some veterinarians may use it for acute pain, it may take up to 14 days of daily dosing for tramadol to hit its maximum analgesic effects. Tramadol is safe for cats. Side effects tend to be minimal if the drug is given as prescribed.<\/span><\/p>\n

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What is tramadol used for in cats?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Veterinarians use tramadol in cats as a painkiller. It\u2019s often used as an alternative drug or add-on <\/span>treatment for a cat<\/span><\/a> with ongoing or chronic pain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Chronic pain in cats<\/span><\/h3>\n

Like people, cats often suffer from ongoing pain due to conditions such as <\/span>osteoarthritis<\/span><\/a>, joint damage, nerve damage, inflammatory conditions, and cancer. Some of these conditions are very common. As many as <\/span>9 out of 10<\/span><\/a> cats have some form of degenerative joint disease. <\/span>One study<\/span><\/a> found that 61% of cats of various ages had at least one joint affected by osteoarthritis, and 48% had multiple osteoarthritic joints. That percentage increases in senior cats.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unlike humans and dogs, it\u2019s hard to tell when a cat is in pain. The signs are subtle and may just look like the cat is slowing down with age. The cat might not move around much, sleep more than usual, hide from people, not use the litter box, refuse to lie down, avoid stairs, change its grooming habits, walk stiffly, avoid jumping down, or not eat much. These are all possible symptoms that the cat hurts, but the only sure way to diagnose a pain condition is to find the cause. Diagnosing the reason may be quite involved.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once a diagnosis is reached, the veterinarian will treat both the cause and the pain. Pain treatment usually involves more than one therapy, and painkillers like tramadol are traditionally part of the process. Veterinarians have several options. The use of tramadol is one possible choice, but it\u2019s often used as a second choice or as an adjunct to another <\/span>analgesic drug<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tramadol<\/span><\/a> is an opioid, but it also works like a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor or <\/span>SNRI<\/span><\/a>. It relieves pain through at least three separate mechanisms of action:<\/span><\/p>\n