My cat has stomatitis. Is human Benadryl safe or other OTC meds?

Benadryl (diphenhydramine) can be used for cats. Other over the counter antihistamines for use in cats include Chlor-Trimeton® (chlorpheneramine), Claritin® (loratadine) and Zyrtec® (cetirizine). You can get doses for any of the above from your veterinarian. Legally, we are prohibited from supplying doses for medications, even OTC meds, in the absence of a physical exam and a VPCR (Veterinarian-Patient-Client Relationship).

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Musha. Benadryl is used for allergic reactions, and not for polyps. In addition, without seeing her in person, I can't say if it's safe to give to her or not. The steroid should help with the inflammation, so I would not give her any additional medication. Best of luck.

I find that only 2 treatments definitively help stomatitis. The first is to remove the teeth that are in the portion of the mouth that is affected. Current theories are that stomatitis is an immune-mediated reaction to the teeth themselves that may be precipitated by feline viral diseases (typically chlamydophila and calici) and that is why steroid drugs also help to calm the inflammation and improve the condition of the gums. Antibiotics are very limited in their efficacy, because they don't address the true problem.

I am sorry to hear that Sweety has a painful mouth. Unfortunately, gingivitis/stomatitis in cats can be very severe and quite debilitating. It can be made even worse in cats that have other immune issues, such as allergies or FeLV/FIV infections. Antibiotics and immune-suppressive medications can be used in mild cases. Thorough dental cleaning will help many of these cases more than just medical treatment. However, many cats will need all or most of their teeth pulled to ease the pain. The pain and inflammation is caused by an immune reaction to the tartar. Since we can't completely prevent tartar build up on the teeth, often removing the teeth is our only option. Obviously this is quite a bit more expensive than a simple teeth cleaning. I recommend discussing your options with the veterinarian that has treated Sweety as far as medications or financing for the dental cleaning. Here is some more information that you may find helpful: https://www.petcoach.co/article/7-smart-solutions-for-pet-care-financing/ http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=170

Benadryl will not help, it's probably allergy related indeed, it's a common problem in cats (may be autoimmune related as well), as long as it does not bother him there is usually no reason to treat it, if it gets worse or affects his appetite you will need to take him to the vet for a steroid injection.

This is not likely to cause a problem, but not ideal either. Topical Benadryl is not very effective in dogs and cats, and of course cats notoriously lick off whatever you put on them. Consider using [Zymox spray](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zymox-spray-with-5-hydrocortisone). You can pick it up from the local Petco. Place an e-collar (cone) on him/her for a couple of days. If the spot isn't improving after 3-4 days, have your cat evaluated by a veterinarian. Thanks for asking PetCoach!

No, it isn't safe for you to give her Benadryl to sedate her. For one, it is never safe to self treat an animal; in addition, benadryl will not give the sedation needed to flush out an abscess. An abscess is very painful, and Clussy will need stronger sedatives in order to do this. Finally, flushing an abscess has to be done in a sterile manner to avoid introducing additional bacteria in the wound. I would trap her and take her into a vet for the abscess to flushed out sterilely. The vet can safely sedate her in order to do this, flush out the abscess sterilely, and give her antibiotics to treat the infection. I would take her into the vet as soon as possible.