Question:
the vet gave me some promazine to put in the cats food
to make my mom less allergic to my cat. Since this stuff is
actually an anti-depressant for people, can this stuff make
my kitty a little weird/different than usual after a long time?
Answer:
I find that scary...I'd ask other vets what they think. It seems so silly to
try and change the cat and not work on the allergy. Promazine (Sparine) is a propylamino phenothiazine derivative - a
neuroleptic agent! Its infamous for its hypotensive and bradycardic
effects. In fact, Atropine is often given with promazine to help negate its
bradycardic effects. Cardiovascular collapse (secondary to bradycardia and
hypotension) has been documented in *all* major species. Its not even used much any more as a tranquilizer because of the adverse
effects and because the tranquilization effects of promazine can be
overridden and it cannot always be counted upon when used as a restraining
agent.
Get your Mom some Claritin! And get your cat a new vet! Perhaps your vet has prescribed diluted acepromazine injectable
solution. Some vets believe this may decrease the allergenicity of
cats. The dose is generally too low to cause any sedation - you
should ask your vet about this. I don't believe this is an
effective treatment but some vets have reported good results. If
it is a very low dose (talk to your vet) then trial therapy
probably would cause no problems. A better option might be to
rinse your cat well with distilled water every 3-4 weeks to
decrease dander accumulation. I just bought a shedding tool for cats. I am amazed at the amount of dead,
dander carrying hair I can get off of them with it, and they seem to quite
enjoy it. I know that between that and combing, I am getting a LOT more hair
off of them than with just combing. what does it look like? Does it say "shedding tool" on the package? I
need to get something like that. My Balinese, Frank is shedding something
awful--all that fine, long angora-like hair everywhere. I have even used one of
my hairbrushes because it seems to get more loose hair than the comb or the pet
brushes I have. You know, I understood every bit of that first paragraph! No, REALLY!!!
