Analgesia · Cats only

Kitty Magic (DKT)

Single-syringe IM sedation combo for cats, mixing equal volumes of dexmedetomidine, ketamine, and an opioid (butorphanol or buprenorphine) for mild, moderate, or profound sedation. Useful when IV access is impractical or minimal handling is desired. Atipamezole reverses the dex component.

Cats only · Schedule II/III/IV

Fixed stock concentrations required. Dexmedetomidine 0.5 mg/mL · Ketamine 100 mg/mL · Butorphanol 10 mg/mL · Buprenorphine 0.3 mg/mL. Using different concentrations will produce wrong doses.
Dexmedetomidine cardiovascular effects. Expect bradycardia and pale/grey mucous membranes, this is expected vasoconstriction, not shock. Monitor SpO₂, HR, RR, and temperature. Apply ophthalmic lubricant. Contraindicated in cardiac disease, respiratory disorders, shock, severe debilitation.

Patient weight

Weight

lb kg

Table range: 2–8 kg (4–18 lb)

Opioid

Butorphanol Buprenorphine

Sedation level

Mild — preanesthesia / sedation Moderate — castration / minor surgery Profound — OHE / invasive surgery

Awaiting input

Enter a patient weight to see the result.

Reference

How it works

The equal-volume protocol exploits the fixed stock concentrations to produce a predictable drug ratio without requiring individual weight-based calculations in the moment. The Plumb's table maps cat body weight and desired depth of sedation to a single volume that is drawn from each of the three vials.

Delivered doses scale with volume. At 0.2 mL per drug (4–6 kg cat, moderate): dexmedetomidine ≈22 µg/kg, ketamine ≈4.4 mg/kg, butorphanol ≈0.44 mg/kg IM. Onset 5–15 min, peak 15–30 min. Allow the cat to rest quietly after injection.

Choosing buprenorphine produces slower-onset but longer-duration sedation. Sedation with buprenorphine + dexmedetomidine is less predictable and of slower onset but longer duration than butorphanol + dexmedetomidine.

For lighter sedation only (preanesthesia), ketamine can be omitted. In that case, draw dexmedetomidine + opioid only at the same volumes.

Formula

Volumes come directly from the Plumb's DKT table, looked up by weight band and sedation level. The underlying relationship for each drug is:

$$\text{volume}_{\text{mL}} = \frac{\text{dose}_{\text{mg}}}{\text{stock}_{\text{mg/mL}}}$$

Sources

Plumb DC. Plumb's Veterinary Drugs. Dexmedetomidine monograph, "In combination with an opioid and ketamine (ie, 'kitty magic', DKT, or Triple Combination) to provide sedation and analgesia (extra-label)", cats dosing table. plumbs.com
All doses are extra-label in the United States. DEA: dexmedetomidine is not scheduled; ketamine is Schedule III; butorphanol is Schedule IV; buprenorphine is Schedule III. Follow all applicable controlled substance recording and dispensing requirements.