My friend is thinking of trying euthanize her cat with hydrocodone, crushed and dissolved in water, administered orally with an eye dropper. Will this work? Will the cat suffer? What is the lethal dose? The cat is very old (22+ years) sick, dying, suffering, and terrified of the vet. She loves her cat very much, and does not want its final moments to be terrifying, so she does not want to have a vet do it. Is there any way to humanly euthanize a cat at home with pharmaceuticals?
Hyperion,
The best, XXXXX XXXXX and safest way to euthanize the cat is to have the vet do it. Most vets will administer the meds and allow her to sit with her cat, quietly and alone. You don't want to take any chances of giving the cat the wrong dose, and giving human medication, if she truly loves her baby, it's best to let a professional take care of it.
Chase
Experience: 25 yrs Raising and caring for cats, medical, diet and behavioral issues
I am not looking for a canned "Just take the cat to the vet answer." I can get that info, for free, from anyone, anywhere. I am looking for information on hydrocodone toxicity and overdose effects in felines. I have learned from own research so far that cats are very susceptible to hydrocodone, and it is very easy to overdose them. I want to know specifically the effects of crushing, dissolving in water, and orally administering the 1 or more tablets of the following drug: hydrocodone/APAP 5MG/500MG. I believe the APAP stands for N-Acetyl-Para-Amino-Phenol (acetaminophen). Basically, it is 500 MG of Tylenol added to the hydrocodone, which would make sense, since this was prescribed as a pain killer. I will only pay for complete and informative answers to the following questions: 1. What are the pharmacological effects of hydrocodone/APAP in felines? 2. What is the lethal dose of hydrocodone/APAP 5MG/500MG in felines, preferably in milligrams per kilogram? 3. If a cat is given the lethal dose hydrocodone/APAP 5MG/500MG, how is the animal likely to die? Will the animal die happy/content/high-as-kite, or are there likely to be adverse/painful side-effects during death? Also, if I have to chose between multiple good answers, the money goes to the person who sites sources where they got the info from.
No one here is going to answer that question.
It would be not only inhumane, but inhuman.
Hello, Chase is absolutely correct. No one here will answer this question, providing information on how to overdose a cat with hydrocodone. The cat will NOT doze off into a happy slumber, but will be poisoned and suffer a painful death. If your friend loves her cat dearly, and I'm sure she does, I can understand her not wanting to bring the cat to the vet if the cat is terrified of the vet and your friend doesn't want her cat's last moments to be in that type of setting. The most caring, loving, and humane thing to do in this situation, is to find a 'mobile vet' in your area who will come to YOU; in this way, the cat doesn't have to be terrified, the vet will administer a medication to calm the cat, and then will give the dose of the accepted medication to put the cat gently to sleep. Your friend may hold her cat in her arms, if she likes, as this is done. If you have no mobile vets in your area, you can call any local vets and ask them to make a housecall for this purpose. The actual number of vets who would agree to do this at home, may not be very high, but you can give it a try. If your friend wants the best for her cat, the cat should definitely not be euthanized at home, using the drug you mention. The only way the cat can be euthanized at home, is by a vet, with the method described above. You're not obligated to agree with this advice, and you're not obligated to accept any answer you feel didn't provide the information you're seeking, but I can assure you that no experienced pet expert on this site will advise you any differently. I hope your friend is able to put her cat to rest in the most serene, humane manner possible, and I wish you all much good luck.