My cat ate my tramadol

[Menu]

Erm......

Slightly panicking here. I was about to take some tramadol when my cat insisted I stroke her immediately. So being the multitasker I am I instinctively attempted to do the two things at once. I put one capsule in my mouth and stroked her a bit then put the other one in - BUT.....there was nothing there! After a few seconds of mild confusion I looked at my hand and it had some white powder on it. The capsule had exploded, I think while it was still in the packet. I immediately went to wash my hands and then checked all over the bed and carpet for powder but I couldn't see any. It felt a bit weird as it didn't look like a full capsule's worth on my hand. I then noticed my cat licking her white paw with some gusto after which she, and do indulge me here, seemed to have the expression of a cat who had just ingested 25mg of Tramadol. She's now fallen fast asleep.

I'm panicking. Anyone know what I should be looking out for here?

I asked an online vet who said it sounds like she will only have ingested trace amounts and I shouldn't worry.....

But I am.

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

My dog died last year, and towards the end he was given 80mg tramadol tablets as pain relief. Your cat will be fine, if a bit spaced out. Actually, 25mg is a pretty paltry amount. Wake her up and give her another dose so she can really get her groove on.

[itsfredtitmus]

She'll be absolutely fine - pets are prescribed tramadol anyway aren't they? I doubt the powder on the carpet would have been enough to even have an effect.

Also my cat drank a few good gallops of liquid codeine that was left at the bottom of fridge and was fine.

[Wonderful Butternut]

Google tells me that Tramadol is used for pain treatment in cats and the correct dose is apparently 4mg per kilo of cat. Cat's usually weigh in at 4-5kg, so the correct dose would be 16-20mg, unless she's very small or a chonkasaurus (and the latter is positive in this case). So if she's gotten some of a 25mg tablet, she may not severely overdosed, or overdosed at all. Signs of an overdose to look out for are sedation, agitation, wobbliness, disorientation, vomiting, tremors and possibly seizures.

Can you wake her?

Beyond consulting Dr. CaB, there isn't really anything you can do other than try and find an emergency vet that'll talk to you over the phone or that you can even drive or be driven to.

[Menu]

My dog died last year, and towards the end he was given 80mg tramadol tablets as pain relief. Your cat will be fine, if a bit spaced out. Actually, 25mg is a pretty paltry amount. Wake her up and give her another dose so she can really get her groove on.

Ha ha! Ok that sounds reassuring. Sorry about your dog though. At least he's not in pain any more.

[Menu]

She'll be absolutely fine - pets are prescribed tramadol anyway aren't they? I doubt the powder on the carpet would have been enough to even have an effect.

Also my cat drank a few good gallops of liquid codeine that was left at the bottom of fridge and was fine.

Thank you, that reassures me. Wouldn't mind a bit of the old refrigerated liquid codeine myself.

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

Hey, there was an upside: there was still about 10 left in the packet when he died, which gave me some fun evenings for a while.

[Menu]

Google tells me that Tramadol is used for pain treatment in cats and the correct dose is apparently 4mg per kilo of cat. Cat's usually weigh in at 4-5kg, so the correct dose would be 16-20mg, unless she's very small or a chonkasaurus (and the latter is positive in this case). So if she's gotten some of a 25mg tablet, she may not severely overdosed, or overdosed at all. Signs of an overdose to look out for are sedation, agitation, wobbliness, disorientation, vomiting, tremors and possibly seizures.

Can you wake her?

Beyond consulting Dr. CaB, there isn't really anything you can do other than try and find an emergency vet that'll talk to you over the phone or that you can even drive or be driven to.

Thank you for all that. She IS a chonkasaurus so that's good. As soon as I started panicking about this, every movement she made seemed odd or noteworthy. She's asleep now. I woke her once and she seemed dazed but that's normal.

The online vet said he didn't think she'd ingested any and wasn't worried. Cost me £5 but it was reassuring.

[Menu]

Hey, there was an upside: there was still about 10 left in the packet when he died, which gave me some fun evenings for a while.

Yeah thanks for the invite, 'mate'.

[Menu]

STOP LICKING YOUR PAW

[PlanktonSideburns]

Ha ha! Ok that sounds reassuring. Sorry about your dog though. At least he's not in pain any more.

You don't know that

Could be reincarnated as an on fire snake

[Glebe]

Hope your cat's okay Menu and sorry about your dog ESP.

[Wonderful Butternut]

STOP LICKING YOUR PAW

Wash her paw for her. She'll hate you for a few minutes, but at least you won't be thinking about her picking up more trace amounts of painkiller.

[Menu]

Wash her paw for her. She'll hate you for a few minutes, but at least you won't be thinking about her picking up more trace amounts of painkiller.

That's a good idea, thank you.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Errant schoolboy reconsiders non- completion of homework excuse.

[Menu]

Errant schoolboy reconsiders non- completion of homework excuse.

LOL

[Wonderful Butternut]

Can we take it that the cat is none the worse for the experience?

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

Codemasters announce long awaited Rockstar Ate My Hamster sequel.

[PlanktonSideburns]

Ye how cat

[Phoenix Lazarus]

I'm imagining this as a Tom and Jerry cartoon in which Jerry's tricked Tom into consuming the substance.  Tom has those spiral shapes in his eyes that are often used as cartoon shorthand for being stoned.  He's staggering about, seeing double of a laughing Jerry, with an overlay of wavy, multicoloured lines across his vision.

[steve98]

And the maid appears "O Lordy Lordy, you darn cat. Has you been at The Master's medicine? Why I oughta whup yo..."

[shagatha crustie]

It'll be fine. Bung on At the Speed of Sound and have a spliff.

[DistressedArea]

Dog once took my car keys and crashed my car into a bus shelter.

No walkies for a month and a lifetime ban from the sofa, you've got to be firm or they'll just do it again.

[itsfredtitmus]

Cat ate all me finasteride

[idunnosomename]

Horse ate my ketamine

[imitationleather]

I ate all me ketamine

[Hand Solo]

Think you should try and get your cat back by eating all its worming tablets.

[itsfredtitmus]

Any other nutters on here that feed their pets opioids?

[steve98]

Nope, just weed to the cat, young weed leaves (Which have not, so far, proved to be a gateway drug)

[Menu]

Can we take it that the cat is none the worse for the experience?

Yes she's fine thanks. It all seems so silly now. Thanks to everyone for their advice and quips! Great place this.