Sleeping pills for cats: review of effective remedies, reviews

In what cases can sleeping pills be used?

Cats need to be not just calmed down, but put into forced sleep at special moments when complete immobility is required of them. It is not always possible to fix active and capricious predators in one position for a long time.

Their restlessness interferes with:

when visiting a veterinary clinic. Some tests, long-term instrumental studies, manipulations, including those preparatory to surgical interventions, can be carried out only if the cat is completely motionless;
rehabilitation after complex operations, as well as serious mental problems require the use of sleeping pills. They are included in complex therapy for critical behavioral disorders: aggression, hyperexcitability, marking of territory until the causes of the disorders are eliminated;
grooming: for grooming, a particularly difficult, aggressive and nervous cat will need sleeping pills;
transportation. It is quite difficult for a cat to travel long distances. To prevent a nervous breakdown and make transportation easier for accompanying people, it is easier if the cat takes sleeping pills on the road.

Insomnia during pregnancy

Sleep problems are very common during pregnancy. For many women, insomnia begins already in the first trimester of pregnancy. There are a lot of thoughts in the head of the expectant mother that do not allow her to sleep, she cannot find a comfortable position, she tosses and turns, in the second trimester the growing belly begins to interfere, and in the third trimester thoughts about the upcoming birth prevent her from falling asleep. How can I sleep here? To overcome insomnia during pregnancy, you need to establish its causes and eliminate them yourself and with the help of specialists.

Causes

Hormonal changes in a woman’s body can lead to insomnia in the very early stages:

for example, during pregnancy the level of progesterone and a number of other hormones increases. By mobilizing strength to carry a pregnancy to term, they at the same time put the body in a state of “combat readiness” and sometimes simply do not allow one to relax. As pregnancy progresses, there are more and more reasons for insomnia.

The causes of sleep disturbances in pregnant women can be physiological:

difficulties in finding a comfortable position (increased weight and a larger belly make this process very difficult);
back and lower back pain;
fetal movement;
frequent urge to urinate at night (the enlarged uterus puts pressure on the bladder, now it needs to be emptied much more often);
heartburn (disorders of the gastrointestinal tract are generally characteristic of pregnancy);
cramps (pregnant women especially often complain of leg cramps);
itching in the abdominal area due to stretching of the skin;
shortness of breath (increased body weight makes breathing difficult, in addition, the uterus puts pressure on the lungs);

and psychological:

chronic fatigue;
nervous tension, stress (fear of upcoming changes, anxiety for the child, fear of childbirth);
nightmares.

Any of these reasons is quite enough to deprive a woman of sleep, and most often they are also combined!

How to deal with insomnia?

From the tips listed below, try to choose only what suits your case and what you personally like. If one recommendation doesn't help, try another one. Each situation is individual, each woman needs to choose her own method, her own combination of techniques.

During the day:

Avoid overexertion. Fatigue accumulated during the day does not always lead to sound sleep; sometimes it turns out that after a hard day you simply cannot relax.
If you are used to sleeping for some time during the day, try to give up this habit for a few days or at least reduce the time you sleep during the day - maybe night sleep will be restored.
If you are tormented by nightmares, which you then cannot forget about, talk about them in the morning or afternoon with a loved one (husband, mother, friend). Psychoanalysts consider discussing night dreams a very effective means of overcoming the fear of them: firstly, loved ones will try to calm you down, and most likely they will succeed, and secondly, by putting into words the vague visions that tormented you, you yourself will discover that there are no special reasons for no fear.
During the day, find time and opportunity to do simple exercises that you can do. Swimming, walking and even dancing are considered very useful (in the latter case, of course, it all depends on the stage of pregnancy and your well-being).
Your body should get used to the fact that the bed is a place only for sleeping: break the habit of lying in bed - you should not read, watch TV, etc. while lying down.

In the evening, about two hours before bed, begin preparing for the coming night to be calm and peaceful. Experts talk about sleep hygiene, which includes a number of activities:

Do not eat heavy food shortly before bed: on a full stomach you will toss and turn until the morning.
Do not schedule tasks that require physical or mental effort for the evening.
Avoid emotional tension and stressful situations during this period of the day (do not schedule unpleasant conversations and heated explanations for the evening, ask your family and friends not to call you in the evening and, of course, do not watch action films and thrillers at night).
Take a warm bath or shower before bed. You can add a decoction of chamomile or a few drops of some aromatic oil (for example, lavender) to your bath - this will help you relax.
Try to drink less in the evening (keeping your total daily fluid intake at 6-8 glasses), this will help you cope with the cause of insomnia, such as the need to empty your bladder frequently.
Before going to bed, drink a cup of warm milk (if you don't like the taste of milk, you can add cinnamon, a little honey or sugar) or herbal tea (chamomile is often recommended for its relaxing effect). But you need to give up regular tonic tea (not to mention coffee!). By the way, milk contains tryptophan, which can be called a mild natural sleeping pill - this substance has a calming, sedative effect.
You can eat a small sandwich with boiled turkey before bed (the meat of this bird is also rich in tryptophan).
If you feel weak, lightheaded, or have an increased heart rate in the evening, your insomnia may be due to hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). In this case, sweet tea, juice, or just a piece of sugar can help you (and be sure to tell your doctor about these symptoms so that he can confirm or deny this diagnosis and take appropriate measures).
Before going to bed, apply lotion to the skin of your abdomen, this can prevent itching.
Ask your husband or someone close to you to give you a massage before going to bed: it will give you the opportunity to relax, relieve back and lower back pain, and massage your feet and ankle joints will help avoid cramps. Shiatsu acupressure massage can also be effective, if someone in your family knows its technique, why not try it.
It is possible that homeopathic remedies correctly selected by a specialist will help in the fight against insomnia.
For some people, sex will help them fall asleep. If you have no medical contraindications to having sex, you feel desire and know that you usually feel sleepy after sex - why not?

But now the nightly ritual of getting ready for bed is completed, and you are already in bed. What to do at night so that the desired dream comes to you?

At night:

First of all, try not to get nervous, don’t think about not being able to sleep, this will only make the situation worse.
The bedroom should be cool (however, you must avoid overcooling your feet - you can sleep in socks). If it is not possible to sleep with the window open, you need to ventilate the room well before going to bed.
Nightwear (shirt, pajamas) should be comfortable, made from natural materials, and not restrict movement and breathing.
It is best to sleep on a comfortable mattress. Find out what is right for you - maybe a feather bed, maybe a textured mattress with a surface reminiscent of cartons for transporting eggs, or maybe, on the contrary, it will be easier for you to sleep on a hard surface, and you just need to put boards under the mattress.
A pregnant woman will need many pillows (at least 3) of various shapes and sizes to sleep. It’s good if you manage to purchase a special pillow for pregnant women - it has a wedge shape and is specially designed to be placed under the stomach. After giving birth, you can use it while breastfeeding. Pillows can be placed under the side, under the neck, pressed between the legs; You can cover the entire mattress with pillows - this improved bed will better conform to the shape of your body. You can place an extra pillow under your head - in some cases, this not only makes breathing easier, but also proves to be an effective remedy against heartburn.
Look for a comfortable position in which you can fall asleep. If you can’t sleep on your stomach and back, that means you’ll have to lie on your side (some doctors believe that it’s better to lie on the left, as this increases blood flow to the uterus). Place one pillow under your stomach, squeeze the other between your knees, if your back and lower back hurt, you can tuck another pillow under your side. Sometimes women are advised to sleep in the fetal position (it is unnecessary to remind you how physiological it is, I will only say that by stimulating blood circulation, it promotes maximum relaxation of all muscles).
However, it should be remembered that in the last months of pregnancy it is not recommended to sleep on your back, since the weight of the uterus can compress the inferior vena cava, which runs along the spine. This causes loss of consciousness in a pregnant woman and oxygen starvation in a child.
When you feel sleep approaching, try to breathe slowly and deeply.
It is possible that aromatherapy will help you. A drop of lavender oil can be useful not only in the bath, but also in bed.
If you are unable to fall asleep within half an hour, get up, go into another room, leaf through a magazine or read a book that can induce sleep, start knitting, listen to soothing music and go to bed only when you feel sleep approaching.

What not to do?

In any case, remember: under no circumstances make your own decision to use sleeping pills! Even if you already resorted to it before pregnancy. Even if your pregnant friend drank it. Even if it was recommended to you by a compassionate saleswoman from a pharmacy kiosk. The decision to use sleeping pills can only be made by an obstetrician-gynecologist!

How does a sleeping pill affect a cat's body?

To choose a sleeping pill for a cat, you need to contact a veterinarian. Due to the fact that modern pharmaceuticals offer a huge number of products, only a professional will understand the nuances and make an adequate prescription.

According to the duration of the effect, sleeping pills are:

short-term action (2-3 hours). Suitable for preparing for travel with the prospect of long-term transportation, for relieving stress, and for veterinary procedures;
medium-term (4-5 hours) will be needed to prepare for anesthesia, in the treatment of seizures and severe mental disorders. The compounds in the composition provide muscle relaxation, analgesia, and sedation. Rapid addiction is noted;
long-term (8-10 hours). Often prescription drugs only. Used for complex surgical interventions or veterinary procedures. In addition to sleeping pills, they exhibit analgesic activity. Relaxes muscles. On the road or for a haircut - this is not the most humane option. The most important thing is to follow the dosage, otherwise the animal will not wake up. Although, it is unlikely that they will give it to you without a prescription.

Serious tranquilizers are produced primarily from artificially synthesized chemicals. Herbal or homeopathic options have a milder effect and create a more sedative effect.

Drops for transporting cats

Drugs for transporting cats in the form of drops are classified as mild sedatives. These are homeopathic medicines. Their recipe is based on an extract of soothing herbs. Such funds have a cumulative effect. Therefore, you need to start dripping your cat in advance so that the drops have a 100% effect.

But sometimes there is quite a long road ahead and despite the measures taken, the cat becomes noticeably nervous. In this case, you cannot do without drops of sleeping pills for cats for transportation.

Cat sleeping pills can be divided according to the duration of their effect on the body:

short-term drops (gentle) - last 2-3 hours;
medium-term – valid for 5 hours;
narcotic drugs - they are used only under the supervision of a doctor, they are not suitable for home use! Not suitable for use on the go!

Contraindications

In fact, tranquilizers have many contraindications. In addition to individual intolerance, the chemicals in the composition can cause problems with the respiratory tract, kidneys, and heart. Especially if there are prerequisites for their occurrence in the anamnesis. Therefore, on the road or for a haircut, it is better to buy your cat a regular sedative, for example Stop-stress, Kot Bayun, Antistress, Fospasim.

For pregnant cats, kittens or lactating females, sleeping pills are often toxic and must be monitored by a veterinarian.

Why does a cat get stressed on the road?

The reason is the notorious instinct of self-preservation. Animals, like people, tend to be in control of situations. This helps to identify dangers in a timely manner. And if everything within the walls of your home has been known for a long time, if every object smells familiar, if the cat knows all the ins and outs, and there are always familiar people nearby, then there is no reason to stress.

Things are different on the road. And sometimes during transportation it is difficult to do without a cat sedative. Unfamiliar places, foreign smells, sounds, changes in air temperature, closed spaces and vibration while traveling are a reason to be nervous, and sometimes very nervous. After all, our beauties are hypersensitive! Transportation has a particularly strong impact on cats living in apartments, who see the street only outside the window.

Do not expose your pets to undue risk, because nerves aggravate diseases not only in people, but also in animals. Before leaving the house, give the cat a sedative and the transportation will be comfortable for both him and you.

Which sleeping pill is better

For a cat that is waiting for a long journey, an X-ray, an ultrasound, a tomograph or a difficult haircut before an exhibition, the veterinarian will inject Xylanite, Vetranquil, Intraval, Rometar. They are used to quickly relax and calm the animal.

More serious tranquilizers with medium-term effects, as well as potent long-term drugs that are used for premedication, should be prescribed in the clinic in emergency cases; they are not suitable for haircuts or on the road.

Systematic use of sleeping pills is possible only for serious mental disorders. In this case, it is strictly forbidden to use human medicines.

Tablets for transporting cats

Cat transport tablets most often have a chemical composition. They are used only in emergency situations and only after a consultation with a veterinarian. The dosage is calculated by the doctor, who takes into account the characteristics of the breed, the state of health and the weight of the animal. Each specific cat will have its own individual dose.

If you don't have time to visit a cat doctor, trust the professionals from Animals Travel.

Our specialists will not only go to the veterinarian with your pet, but if necessary, they will organize and provide transportation for the cat themselves.

Side effects from using sleeping pills

The most common problem is that animals become accustomed to the components of sleeping pills. Therefore, you need to very carefully follow the prescribed dosage and not abuse the long-term use of medications for cats. Remember, exceeding the dose has a narcotic effect or carries a fatal risk for the cat.

Among the side effects when it is better to refuse further use of sleeping pills: vomiting, diarrhea, hypersalivation, unusual behavior of the cat, refusal to feed.

Contraindications to the use of sedatives

By choosing your own cat sedative during transportation, you are risking the lives of your beloved furbabies. The tailed beast may have an allergic reaction to some drugs, and it is simply impossible to find out without the help of a veterinarian.

It is strictly forbidden to use sedatives during a cat’s pregnancy or during feeding, and the ban on the use of these drugs applies to kittens under one year of age.

Some diseases also fall into the category of contraindications: various diseases of the kidneys and genitourinary system, problems with blood pressure or vision.

Be attentive to those you have tamed, do not endanger their lives!