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Did too much Gabapentin make my cat's health worse or speed decline?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | 12 years and 4 months old | 8.8 lbs

I had a cat that was put to sleep a few days ago. She had SCC (Squamous Cell Carcinoma) in her mouth and the tumour was growing so the vet prescribed Gabapentin 100mg twice a day. She was only 4kg and after the first dose we knew there was a problem. She should have been given 25mg doses and even then twice a day was too much. She was shortly after found to have a secondary infection that would have killed her quick if we didn't put her down. Do you think the overdose sped up her deterioration?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on July 28th, 2019

I'm so sorry to hear about Sweedie's passing. Gabapentin has a wide dosing range. The typically dose for a cat is 5 - 10mg/kg every 8-12 hours. So, 20-40mg would be average dosing 2 to 3 times per day. That being said, higher doses have been used like 50mg 1-3 times per day in certain instances. An overdose of this medication is usually only a problem in cats with kidney disease; otherwise they usually just get very sleepy and can have diarrhea with an overdose. I doubt the high dose sped up any infection unless the infection was related to the kidneys. Hope this answers your question. Again, so sorry for your loss.

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    Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on May 4th, 2019

    Hello. It is very possible that this is too high an initial dose of Gabapentin for Lucky. I would hold off giving anymore until he seems to be back to normal, & then I would try administering only 25 mg every 12 hours. The dose recommended for cancer pain in cats is only 50 mg every 12-24 hours, so unless he is very painful, 100 mg is probably not a suitable dose for him. Please make sure you discuss this & all medicine changes/adjustments with your veterinarian. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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