Drug therapy in cats: mechanisms and avoidance of adverse drug reactions

This is the first of a 4-part series concerning drug therapy in cats. In this article, factors that may increase the incidence of type-A adverse drug reactions in cats are discussed. Factors related to species and age differences, drug interactions, and the effects of disease are emphasized. Those that tend to be unique to cats, such as species-induced differences in drug disposition, are described in detail when sufficient information was available from the literature. General recommendations regarding drug administration are made, which will facilitate the implementation of rational drug therapy in cats, thus reducing the incidence of adverse reactions.