My cat got agitated on Xanax. Is a higher dose safe for flying?

I'm not sure, you would need to ask the specific veterinarian in question what his/her concerns are. Alprazolam is fairly commonly used for travel anxiety in cats, but there are also other meds that can work well. It may be a question of personal preference for your veterinarian, based on his/her experience.

Actually now the recommend medication is gabapentin. Ask your veterinarian for some and give it before the visit. With this the cats are just mellow, easy to handle and not as drugged as with the other medications. Diazepam is not used much in cats now due to it causing liver problems. Apromazine can make them sedate but doesn’t reduce the aggression. I personally don’t find Xanax effective. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for your cat.

It is unlikely that 1/4 of a 0.25mg alprazolam (Xanax) will sedate Pixie much, if at all. Always check with Pixie's vet prior to giving her any medication. Call the vet who will be examining her to ask if more effective oral sedatives (such as trazodone and/or gabapentin) can be prescribed in order to facilitate the vet visit. That said, use extreme caution giving any prescribed oral medication to Pixie since she is a feral cat. I would not recommend attempting to give her a pill if she is not up to date on her rabies vaccine due to the potential that she may bite you, intentionally or otherwise. If oral medication is not an option for one reason or another, you could either look into mobile vets able to come to your house, or expect to have her sedated at your vet if you are able to get her into a carrier. I hope that all goes well!

Plane rides can definitely be stressful for cats. There are several different sedatives that would be appropriate for a healthy young cat. Gabapentin is my favorite, but you'll have to talk with your vet to see what they are comfortable with. Acepromazine is a sedative that was commonly used previously, but is not longer recommend because we understand better that is it slows down the body, but not the mind - not so helpful for scary situations. Good luck!

I would think it would be safe for Cindy as long as she doesn't have any blood pressure issues. There are sedatives that would be safe. Talk to her veterinarian about Alprazolam which most cats tolerate very well. I recommend a trial run before the plane ride to make sure Cindy does well with it. Best of luck!

Some cats don't do well on planes. Sedatives may or may not be safe for Leo, so he should be examined by a vet in Texas to determine what would be the best course of action. If he hasn't been in a kennel before this plane ride, you may have some time to work on getting him more comfortable in his carrier before your flight back.

In cats, the dose is 0.125 to 0.25 mg per cat as needed up to every 12 hours. This medicine should be used only if strictly recommend and/or supervised by a veterinarian. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.