Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Gabapentin daily helps reduce stress and improve behavior in shelter
By Eagan, Bailey H et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2023·Faculty of Land and Food Systems, Canada·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Daily gabapentin improved behavior modification progress and decreased stress in shelter cats from hoarding environments in a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of fearful shelter cats from hoarding situations were given daily doses of gabapentin to see if it would help them adjust better to their new environment. The cats that received gabapentin showed less stress and were able to adapt to behavior modification programs much faster than those who received a placebo. In fact, the time it took for these cats to graduate from the program was cut in half. Most of the cats improved significantly, and many showed social behaviors even a year after being adopted.
People also search for: shelter cat behavior modification · gabapentin for stressed cats · how to help a fearful cat adjust · cat anxiety treatment · adopting a cat from a hoarding situation
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of daily gabapentin on behavior modification progression and signs of stress in fearful shelter cats from hoarding environments. ANIMALS: 37 cats (32 met inclusion criteria). PROCEDURES: Healthy fearful cats were entered into group (1) gabapentin or (2) placebo upon intake. Both groups received daily behavior modification. Cats received 10 mg/kg of liquid gabapentin or placebo every 12 hours. Daily measures of cat stress score, latency to emerge from hiding, general in-shelter behavior, and urine suppression were collected. Results were analyzed on an intention-to-treat and per-protocol basis (including only cats that received > 75% of their doses). Post-adoption surveys assessed cat social behavior. RESULTS: Of 32 fearful cats, 28 (87.5%) graduated from the behavior modification program in a median of 11 days (range, 4 to 51 days). Per-protocol analysis showed that gabapentin predicted quicker behavior modification progression and lower cat stress score, latency to emerge, and urine suppression compared to placebo. Median time to graduation was reduced by half with gabapentin. Intention-to-treat analysis showed that gabapentin predicted a lower cat stress score and latency to emerge. No differences were observed between groups for general in-shelter behavior. Among limited survey respondents (n = 7), despite showing unsocial behavior in the first week and among unfamiliar people, cats showed social behavior 1 year post-adoption. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Daily gabapentin was beneficial in behavior modification progress and reduced signs of stress in shelter cats. Fearful cats from hoarding environments can be successfully treated with behavior modification ± daily gabapentin within an animal shelter.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37146974/