Please help with advice on my Cat and Gabapentin

[Loopylou6]

My cat was discharged from the Vet yesterday after being treated for a bladder blockage caused by spasms. One of the meds they've sent him home with is gabapentin, when I first got him home he was quite wobbly on his back legs, but after I gave him his due dose of it, ( 1:30 pm) his walking got really bad and he was high as a kite. I called the vet before his second dose was due and she said don't give it him, so I didn't.
This morning he still can't barely walk, so I've phoned and spoken to the vets again ( different team from the night shift ) and they've said its normal for him to be wobbly and that i should carry on with and the more it gets into his system the easier it will get as his body gets used to it.
I'm conflicted WWYD?

So I'm not a vet or vet nurse so can only give you my experience of using gabapentin with my cat. Started her on it a couple of months ago and our vet said to start with a non-therapeutic dose for a week or so to see how her body copes. She's been fine so we are now trialling a small increase for her PM dose and leaving her AM dose the same to see if it brings any added benefits. I've been advised that if we spot any signs of her being spaced out or not being able to use her legs then the dose is too high and would need to be reduced.
Is there another vet at the practice you could speak to about your concerns?

It's animal trust, so there's loads of different ones. I might call a different one

It's worth an enquiry. I would just explain that you're concerned about your cats reaction to the meds. Best of luck!

IN humans you build up the dose slowly over 3 days.

My cat was given gabapentin after an operation - and I don't think he tolerated it well at all, he was really increasingly spacey, floppy and wobbly. Not interested in food. He was on the correct dosage based on weight, but it was clearly too much for him. When we went back to the vets they halved his dose, with the option to increase if he was distressed.

Also - fingers crossed for your cat - bladder blockages are such a worry. Mine ended up with having to have a penile urethectomy and a removal of bladder stones in the same operation. 2 years later though and he's still with us though.

My cat was on gabapentin for about 3 weeks, fractured pelvis, he seemed fine. Wasn't really walking because he was confined to a crate but was standing up fine on back.legs

His walking has improved, but he still cant wee

I think he needs to go back to the vet. We were told gabapentin would make the dog ‘flat’. It made zero difference over 3 days to his lameness so we stopped it.

He can walk more, but he still can't wee

What dose is he on? My cat is on 12.5mg twice a day for a neurological condition. Sometimes she’s sleepy after the morning dose but that could just be typical cat laziness. She has no mobility issues and she doesn’t look ‘drugged’ on that dose.

@Loopylou6

He can walk more, but he still can't wee

Do you mean he hasn't urinated at all since coming home ie for more than 48 hours going by your first post? If so, vets ASAP!

The Wobblieness on gaba is not a worry
Not weeing is massive issue, call them asap

Definitely go back if he is not able to have a wee! On the long journey with my blocked cat, they claimed it was due to a spasm... turned out it was a stone blocking him.