Pregabalin Alleviates Anxiety and Fear in Cats during Transportation and Veterinary Visits—A Clinical Field Study

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Cats are often anxious during travel and veterinary visits which can lead to a lack of veterinary care. In this study, a novel pregabalin 50 mg/mL oral solution was tested in 209 cats suffering from anxiety. The cats were given either flavored pregabalin solution or an identical placebo solution without pregabalin 90 min before transporting them in a car for at least 20 min to a veterinary clinic. The effect of the treatment during transportation was evaluated by the cat owner and during clinical examination by the veterinarian. Neither the cat owner nor the veterinarian knew which treatment the cat had received. Both travel- and veterinary-visit-related anxiety were significantly decreased in cats that had received pregabalin. Treatment was well tolerated. Only few cats showed slight incoordination and tiredness for a short time. The owners found a small volume o flavored oral solution user-friendly. It was also well accepted by the cats. This study showed that a single oral dosage of the novel pregabalin solution alleviates anxiety and fear related to transportation and veterinary visits in cats, thus aiding both owners and veterinarians by enabling cat-friendly handling and improving the welfare of cats in stressful situations. ABSTRACT: Cats frequently suffer from anxiety related to travel and veterinary visits. One sequela is avoidance of veterinary visits and lack of adequate veterinary care. The objective of this study was to test clinical efficacy and safety of a novel formulation of a pregabalin 50 mg/mL oral solution for alleviation of anxiety and fear in cats during transport and veterinary visits. A total of 209 client-owned cats were given either a flavored pregabalin oral solution at the dosage of 5 mg/kg (n = 108) or an identical placebo (n = 101) approximately 90 min before placing them into the carrier and transporting them in a car for at least 20 min to a veterinary clinic. The treatment effect using a 5-point numerical rating scale was evaluated during transportation by the owner and during clinical examination by the veterinarian, both blinded to the treatment. In addition, to verify the owner assessment, an external expert blinded to the treatment and owner assessment evaluated the transportation video recordings using the same rating scale as the owner. Pregabalin 5 mg/kg statistically significantly decreased both travel- (p < 0.01) and veterinary-visit- (p < 0.01) related anxiety compared to the placebo. The external expert’s evaluation was in agreement with the owners’ assessment confirming the treatment effect during transportation (p < 0.01). Treatment was well tolerated with only a few cats showing transient slight incoordination and tiredness. The flavored oral solution formulation with a small dosing volume of 0.1 mL/kg was found by the owners to be user-friendly and was well-accepted by the cats. This study demonstrated that a single oral dosage of the novel pregabalin oral solution alleviates anxiety and fear related to transportation and veterinary visits in cats, thus providing practical aid for both owners and veterinarians to enable cat-friendly handling and improving the welfare of cats in situations they often perceive as very stressful.