Rapamycin For Your Cat

Rapamycin For Your Cat — The Science

Want Rapamycin For Your Cat?  Can’t blame you.  Here’s what the science says:

• Rapamycin increases lifespan by up to 14% in EVERY mammal species studied to date.
• Rapamycin is the ONLY drug proven to slow/stop the progression of HCM in a majority of cat patients.
• Rapamycin has broad anti-cancer benefits in cats, proven in squamous cell carcinoma, mammary cancer, and melonoma.
• Rapamycin has been proven beneficial in Chronic Kidney Disease in other species, and is currently being studied in cats
• Rapamycin has been proven to reduce periodontal disease.
• AND THE BIGGEST ONE?  Rapamycin is SAFE for cats.

Rapamycin For Your Cat With Kidney Disease

Rapamycin has been proven in other species (like us humans) to slow the progression of Chronic Kidney Disease, or CKD.  

This is very logical, since CKD is an inflammatory disease and rapamycin reduces inflammation and resulting scar tissue.

Rapamycin is currently being studied for cat CKD at the OSU and FSU vet schools.  Stay tuned!!

Rapamycin For Your Cat With Arthritis

Along with its proven benefits against HCM and other inflammatory diseases, rapamycin has been proven to reduce the aches and pains of arthritis.  Not only does this improve our cats’ quality of life, but it also will EXTEND that life by directly reducing inflammation.

Rapamycin For Your Cat — Dosage

The rapamycin dosage found to be most effective in the Trivium study for HCM was 0.3 mg/kg body weight given once weekly with food.  If you have a 7 lb cat, that translates into a 1 mg dose.  Remember that rapamycin is degraded by stomach acidity, so we need to use a delayed release version for best results.

Rapamycin for Your Cat — Side Effects and Safety

This will be a short topic, because at the doses we are using for cats rapamycin appears to be very safe.

We have treated over 150 cats with rapamycin and found only 3-4% that have transient GI irritation, usually soft poop, that typically resolves without therapy.

The one issue I’d approach with caution is the use of rapamycin in diabetic cats.  To be clear, the benefits of rapamycin for HCM outweigh pretty much anything else, but one diabetic patient in the Trivium study did run into fatal complications.

 While we have NOT seen these issues in our patients–not even close, and we have 5-6 diabetics under treatment as I write this… I would use caution with rapamycin if your kitty is diabetic.  Not saying don’t use it, but start slow and pay attention to your kitty’s blood sugar levels.

Rapamycin also appears to be very safe with other medications, including those in the typical HCM stack– atenolol, clopidogrel, pimobendan, furosemide, and pals.

The bottom line?  To date, we haven’t had any cat parent stop using rapamycin because of side effects.  I’m watching this closely and will update this if needed, because your cat’s safety matters more than anything else to me.

Is rapamycin available for cats?

Yes, you can purchase it through us by following this link. 

Can rapamycin actually reverse HCM? 

In a minority of cases, rapamycin has been proven to actually reverse HCM and improve echo measurements of your cat’s heart.  More commonly, about 2/3 of patients on rapamycin have seen slowed or, in some cases, a stop in  HCM progression. 

It appears that rapamycin does not help about 10-20% of cats.  

Can my vet prescribe rapamycin? 

Yes, any veterinarian can prescribe rapamycin for off label use in your cat. 

Do you require a prescription for me to purchase my cat’s rapamycin?

  Yes, rapamycin is a prescription drug and so you can purchase it with a prescription from your local vet OR after a Longevity Consult with me. 

When will Trivium Felicyn CA1 be available?

Felicyn CA1 has been approved by the FDA but Trivium has not released shipping or pricing info as of 7/25.