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Can I give my injured cat dog Gabapentin for pain after a fall?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | 2 years and 7 months old | 16 lbs

My vet is closed & can't spend a fortune on ER vet. My cat fell the top of our staircase and a heavy metal chair came toppling down over him. :( At first he seemed in shock. Wide-eyed, looking all around. Worried he may have hit his head. We felt him all over. All legs seem fine but He is walking around scrunched down. He doesn't seem as Dazed anymore. Even ate a little. I think he is in pain. .7 mls of Gabapentin was prescribed to my 14lb dog a couple months ago. Can i give to my poor 16lb cat?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on January 27th, 2017

Unfortunately we cannot, by law, recommend that you give any medication to poor Oliver that was not personally prescribed by your own veterinarian. Even with that said, Gabapentin is rarely used in cats because we don't have enough clinical evidence to support using it safely in them for analgesic (pain management) purposes. It sounds like Oliver may have suffered a concussion or even has a musculoskeletal injury around his neck area. You can apply a cold compress on the neck area for 5-10 minutes to help with any suspected swelling for now, and then I recommend getting him seen in the morning by your local vet. Your regular vet may not be open on the weekend; however, there are usually some clinics open (like VCA or Banfield) that can help Oliver get examined, tested for internal injury, and treated appropriately with safe medication specific to his particular injury.

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