Felines are susceptible to contracting multiple diseases and many of them of bacterial origin, perhaps they are a risk group since among their main characteristics stands out an independent behavior that translates into life outside the home, where the owner cannot control any factors that increase the risk of a bacterial infection.
As happens with humans, cats must be treated in the event of contracting a disease of these characteristics, and the treatment in the case of a bacterial infection must be through antibiotic drugs.
But does that mean I can give my cat antibiotics? This is the question we answer in this AnimalWised article.
How do antibiotics work in cats?
Administering an antibiotic drug to a cat is not a trivial matter, since these drugs have a very defined mechanism of action that can cause damage to the bodyof the animal. Next we will observe that antibiotics can have two mechanisms of action to treat our cat's pathology:
- Bacteriostatic action: The antibiotic acts by inhibiting the proliferation of bacteria.
- Bactericidal action: The antibiotic acts by destroying the bacteria causing the infection.
Depending on the nature of the antibiotic, the drug may end up destroying part of the cat's intestinal flora, made up of beneficial bacteria, but that the antibiotic is not able to distinguish from those that are causing the pathology.
What are the antibiotics that can be given to a cat?
Cats (as well as dogs) are generally given antibiotics approved for human use, the best known being amoxicillin, although we can mention other active ingredients such as doxycycline or cephalexin.
However, the first reason why you cannot give your cat any antibiotics lies in the differences between human physiology and feline physiology. In other words, our body metabolizes each antibiotic in a certain way, but the cat metabolizes it in a different way, which necessarily implies an adaptation of the dose
The second reason why you can't give your cat antibiotics is that they don't all work the same way or against the same bacteria, and while many human antibiotics are used on pets, some can be potentially toxic to them.
Can I give my cat amoxicillin?
We have seen that there are several antibiotics for humans that are commonly used in cats and dogs, one of the most used being amoxicillin. Therefore, it is a frequent mistake to look for information about the necessary dose of amoxicillin for a cat and proceed to its administration, let's see why:
Amoxicillin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic, which indicates that it acts against a large number of bacteria. If your cat has an infection caused by bacteria resistant to amoxicillin, something very serious will happen: the bacteria that are part of your cat's body will be destroyed and the The bacteria causing the infection will proliferate without any type of bacterial competition, aggravating the pathology in a very dangerous way.
Amoxicillin, as well as any antibiotic drug, must be prescribed by a veterinarian, since in the event that the infection does not referred with a broad-spectrum antibiotic, at the veterinary clinic they will proceed to perform an antibiogram, a test that determines which antibiotics the infectious bacteria can be attacked with.
You cannot give your cat any medication
Regardless of whether we are talking about veterinary drugs or drugs indicated for human consumption, it is as common as it is wrong for you to medicate your cat yourself, since the only qualified person to prescribe a drug treatment for our pets is the vet
If you give your cat inappropriate medications, you put its life in danger, and can cause serious poisoning, and you can mask a serious illnessthat requires urgent veterinary attention.
Discover also on our site Can I give my cat paracetamol?
