abs: Effect of Gabapentin on Feline Blood Pressure
_{Small Animal Residents' Forum}

Situational hypertension is common in cats, challenging the diagnosis of pathological hypertension. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of gabapentin on direct arterial systolic blood pressure (BP) in cats in the at-home and in-clinic environments. We hypothesized that gabapentin would have no effect on BP in a home environment and would mitigate situational BP increases in clinic. Six research cats had telemetric BP catheters implanted in a femoral artery and allowed two weeks to recover. Cats were administered gabapentin (100mg/cat PO) or placebo in a cross-over, masked study design. In phase 1, direct BP was measured continuously at home for 24 hours before and after administration of gabapentin or placebo. Systolic BP (SBP) during the 4 hours post-administration of gabapentin or placebo was compared between treatments. In phase 2, cats were given gabapentin or placebo 90-minutes before transport to a clinic and direct BP was measured continuously during a simulated veterinary visit. Delta direct SBP (direct SBP – baseline 24-h-average-SBP) were calculated for average BP measured in the waiting and exam rooms, and compared between treatments. Statistical comparisons were made using linear mixed models. There were no significant differences in at-home or in-clinic BPs between treatments, with large inter-individual variability noted. In-clinic SBP increases, relative to the 24h-at-home-BP-average, were seen in either treatment group. Limitations of the study include the small sample size. This study suggests gabapentin might not directly impact BP and might not alleviate situational increases in BP.