Cat · Felis catus · typical adult weight 2.50–7.00 kg
Atropine is dosed at 0.02–0.04 mg/kg IM once in cats, per Verified against Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th Ed, p.141 (2026-08-01). — Plumb's 10th ed (held) printed p.114, Atropine monograph spanning p.112-115; page located 2026-08-05 from the book's own running heads, and carries this exact dose under the matching species heading. — SOURCE EDITION: Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook — ISBN 9781394172207, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781394172207. Atropine is used in cats for Pre-anesthetic anticholinergic, CPR protocol, Bradycardia, Pre-anesthetic. Routes documented in cats: IM, IV, IV or IM, SC. A typical adult cat weighs 2.50–7.00 kg. ExoticRx lists 4 cited dose rules for Atropine in cats, drawn from published veterinary references. Verify against current literature before clinical use.
| Route | Dose | Frequency | Duration | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IM | 0.02–0.04 mg/kg | once | Single dose | Pre-anesthetic anticholinergic | Strong | Verified against Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th Ed, p.141 (2026-08-01). — Plumb's 10th ed (held) printed p.114, Atropine monograph spanning p.112-115; page located 2026-08-05 from the book's own running heads, and carries this exact dose under the matching species heading. — SOURCE EDITION: Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook — ISBN 9781394172207, |
| IV | 0.04 mg/kg | q3-5min | During CPR | CPR protocol | Moderate | Fletcher DJ, Boller M, Brainard BM, et al. RECOVER evidence and knowledge gap analysis on veterinary CPR. Part 7: Clinical guidelines. J Vet Emerg Crit Care. 2012;22. doi:10.1111/j.1476-4431.2012.00751.x — Verified against Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th Ed, p.141 (2026-08-01). — Plumb's 10th ed (held) printed p.114, Atropine monograph spanning p.112-115; page located 2026-08-05 from the book's own running heads, and carries this exact dose under the matching species heading. — SOURCE EDITION: Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook — ISBN 9781394172207, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781394172207 |
| IV or IM | 0.02–0.04 mg/kg | once (preanaesthetic; no repeat interval printed) | As needed | Bradycardia | Weak | Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th ed (2023, held copy; the original seed cited the 9th, which was never consulted), Atropine, printed p.114 (corpus PDF p.141). Page NOTE: "FDA approval has not been required for atropine products in animals. All dosages should be considered extra-label." — SOURCE EDITION: Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook — ISBN 9781394172207, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781394172207 INDICATION NARROWED 2026-08-12: Plumb's 10th ed Atropine monograph, corpus p.141, prints 0.02 mg/kg IV as the DIAGNOSTIC TEST DOSE for organophosphate/carbamate exposure - "give test dose of atropine at 0.02 mg/kg IV. If heart rate increases and pupils dilate […]" - and states it "generally requires 10 times (0.2 mg/kg) the test dose to resolve muscarinic signs of OP/carbamate poisoning". Serving the test dose under an organophosphate indication was a 5-10x underdose in a time-critical toxicosis. The OP treatment dose is NOT added here; that is a dose addition requiring a clinician. |
| SC | 0.02–0.04 mg/kg | once | Single dose | Pre-anesthetic | Weak | Papich, Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs, 4th Ed (2016), PDF p.90 (printed p.62), Atropine Sulfate - Small Animal Dosage, Cats — SOURCE EDITION: Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs — ISBN 9780323244855, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323244855 |
Every held source for this drug and species, as printed. Where they differ, both are shown — the choice is yours, not ours.
The sources disagree for this combination. The ranges below do not overlap on a comparable route. This is not an error in one of them — published veterinary references differ, and reconciling them for a particular patient is a clinical judgement.
| Dose (mg/kg) | Route | Source | As printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.01–0.03 | IV | BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed — Part A (Canine and Feline)p.54 | 0.01-0.03 mg/kg i.v. Low doses may exacerbate bradycardia; repetition of the dose will usually p |
| 0.03–0.04 | IM | BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed — Part A (Canine and Feline)p.54 | of the dose will usually promote an increase in heart rate. 0.03-0.04 mg/kg i.m. can be given to prevent development of bradycardia during administration of |
| 0.2–0.5 | IV | BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed — Part A (Canine and Feline)p.54 | dose 0.2-0.5 mg/kg (1⁄4 dose i.v., 3⁄4 i.m., s.c.) to effect; repeat as necessary; or 0.1-0.2 mg/kg (% |
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Competitive muscarinic receptor antagonist. Increases heart rate (vagolytic), reduces secretions, and mydriasis.
Tachycardia, ileus, urinary retention. Increases myocardial oxygen demand. Rabbits have high atropinase activity — may need higher/more frequent doses or use glycopyrrolate instead.
Species-specific contraindications and adverse-reaction reports for cats may differ from canine / feline reference data — consult the primary citations listed with each rule.
Atropine dose ranges in cats, with cited source references: IM 0.02–0.04 mg/kg once; IV 0.04 mg/kg q3-5min; IV or IM 0.02–0.04 mg/kg once (preanaesthetic; no repeat interval printed); SC 0.02–0.04 mg/kg once. Reference ranges from cited sources — verify against current literature before clinical use.
Documented routes for Atropine in cats: IM, IV, IV or IM, SC.
Cited course lengths for Atropine in cats include: Single dose; During CPR; As needed. Duration depends on the indication — match it to the specific dose rule in the table above.
Atropine is indicated in cats for: Pre-anesthetic anticholinergic, CPR protocol, Bradycardia, Pre-anesthetic.
These are general warnings for Atropine across species; consult the cat dosing table above for species-specific guidance. Tachycardia, ileus, urinary retention. Increases myocardial oxygen demand. Rabbits have high atropinase activity — may need higher/more frequent doses or use glycopyrrolate instead.
Why a species-specific page? Atropine pharmacokinetics differ across species: dose ranges, intervals, and route preferences are not interchangeable. Cross-extrapolation from canine doses is unsafe in cats — the rules above are the citations specific to this species, not generic recommendations.
Sourced from published veterinary references; awaiting credentialed clinical reviewer. See our editorial process. Reference only — not veterinary advice.
| 0.1–0.2 | IV | BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed — Part A (Canine and Feline)p.54 | se i.v., 3⁄4 i.m., s.c.) to effect; repeat as necessary; or 0.1-0.2 mg/kg (% i.v., % i.m.) then i.m. q6h. |
| 0.04 | IV | BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed — Part A (Canine and Feline)p.54 | 0.04 mg/kg i.v. with edrophonium (0.5-1.0 mg/kg). Azathioprine (Azathioprine*, Imura |
| 0.5–1 | IM | BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed — Part A (Canine and Feline)p.54 | 0.04 mg/kg i.v. with edrophonium (0.5-1.0 mg/kg). Azathioprine (Azathioprine*, Imuran*) POM |
| 0.02–0.04 | IV | Papich Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs, 4th edp.90 | • 0.02-0.04 mg/kg q6-8h IV, IM, or • 0.02-0.04 mg/kg q6-8h IV, IM, or SQ. |
| 0.01 | — | Papich Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs, 4th edp.90 | from 0.01 mg/kg to 0.06 mg/kg, |
| 0.06 | — | Papich Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs, 4th edp.90 | from 0.01 mg/kg to 0.06 mg/kg, |
| 0.005–0.01 | — | Papich Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs, 4th edp.90 | • Sinus bradycardia: 0.005-0.01 mg/kg, |
| 0.04 | — | Papich Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs, 4th edp.90 | suscitation (CPR) up to 0.04 mg/kg. |
| 0.2–0.5 | — | Papich Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs, 4th edp.90 | toxicosis: 0.2-0.5 mg/kg as needed, toxicosis: 0.2-0.5 mg/kg as needed, |
Figures are transcribed from the cited page or table of each held edition and are shown for reference only. They are not dose recommendations, they do not feed the calculator, and none has been reviewed by a veterinarian.