There is a wide range of cat antibiotics. This complicates the decision making process of the veterinarian in respect of the cat’s senistivity to the drug and the potential allergy to it. However, the wide range allows vets to select an antibiotic that can target a specific bacteria.
There are two general categories:
- drugs that inhibit microorganism growth
- drugs that kill microorganisms
Antibiotics should be continued for 48 hours after the symptoms disappear. Improvements in symptoms should occur within 48 hours. See your vet if not.
I enthusiastically advise people to buy this excellent book: Cat Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook, Fully Revised and Updated
– this is the main source for this page and probably the best book on cat health problems on the market today.
Antibiotics Don’t Work Sometimes
Sometimes antibiotics don’t work. One classic example might be using antibiotics for an abscess. Cats, especially roaming toms, get into fights and might acquire an abscess on their head somewhere. Abscesses are resistant areas as antibiotics might not get into the wound. This is because the drugs are carried in the bloodstream and the bloodstream is not going into the wound area. The answer the experts say (and in my personal experience) is to make sure the wound is properly drained and cleaned removing foreign bodies etc.
Another barrier to the effectiveness of antibiotics is their incomplete absorption from the gastrointestinal tract. Some antibiotics are best given on an empty stomach. Injecting the drug gets around this problem.
If a bacterial infection is misdiagnosed the antibiotics will obviously be ineffective.
As mentioned above a particular antibiotic is best suited to a particular bacteria type. The key is to ascertain the bacteria and select the appropriate drug. Mistakes can naturally be made.
Cat Antibiotics – an Example
Here is a video of Timmy eating after a visit to the veterinarian in South West London, UK. He had gotten into a fight and was bitten on the side of his face. He came in and he had washed the area so much that the fur had been removed. It must have hurt and irritated. I kept him in with difficulty as he is a stray and not my cat; although I feed him. And took him to the vet as soon as possible.
His abscess was opened up, drained, cleaned and an antibiotic injection given. I was given antibiotic pills to give him. I placed a whole pill inside a piece of cooked and diced chicken. He gobbled the whole piece and took the pill with it. I did this until the entire course was finished. He recovered thankfullly. I was worried that he might not. If he hadn’t it would have meant a return to the vet and a proper operation under anesthetic, I was advised.
Cat Antibiotics
Here is a list of antibiotics, specifying their use and their side effects:
Drugs as Poisons
Drugs cause side effects. Usually the side effects are less than the benefits.
| Cat breeders not uncommonly administer cat antibiotics but laypeople should not without proper veterinary advice and guidance. |
Cat antibiotics can cause allergic reactions. Allergic reactions include:
- rash
- itching and scratching
- watering of eyes
- wheezing
- anaphylactic shock
Cat antibiotics can be toxic in overdose or due to impaired elimination. Young and old cats are the most susceptible. Antibiotics can also lead to deafness in cats.
Bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics if used for a long time or in too low a dose.
The good bacteria can be altered by cat antibiotics, which can result in the proliferation of harmful bacteria (e.g. diarrhea).
