What vets charged for a long-term medication on owners’ bills. Pharmacy prices and the checkups that go with it are in the list below.
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These prices come from bills that owners shared with us for this. We never publish names or addresses, we check each bill for duplicates and reading mistakes, and we compare the same charge with the same charge. “Most bills” means the middle half: a quarter were lower and a quarter were higher.
We publish what pet owners actually paid at the vet, from real bills they share with us. We are not a clinic and we don’t sell treatment; our job is to make vet prices clear before you get the bill. How we check the bills
A long-term medication has two costs: the drug each month, and the checkups and tests that go with it. The form it comes in changes the monthly price a lot.
Have these prices with you when you call a vet or check the bill afterwards.
A year of methimazole tablets from a regular pharmacy is about $50. A year of Solensia injections at the vet is $850–$1,200.
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Free · your details stay private · no obligationPet insurance covers chronic cat medications for conditions diagnosed after enrollment. Hyperthyroidism, kidney disease, diabetes, IBD, and asthma are all covered at 70–90% after deductible. Pre-existing conditions are excluded. Monitoring blood work is also covered as part of managing the condition.
Based on 16 real invoices, cat chronic medication visits typically cost between $45 and $250. This includes the medication plus any exam or monitoring charges. Cat medications are often cheaper than dog medications because cats need smaller doses. Monthly medication alone (without exams) ranges from $10–$100/month depending on the drug.
Several common cat medications are human generics: methimazole ($4–$15/month with GoodRx — the #1 chronic cat med), gabapentin ($4–$10/month), prednisolone ($4–$15/month), famotidine ($4–$10/month), and amoxicillin ($4–$15/month). Ask your vet for a written prescription. Human pharmacy prices are 50–85% cheaper than vet pricing.
Vet-only cat medications (not available at human pharmacies): Convenia injection ($40–$100 per injection), Solensia ($70–$100/month for arthritis), Onsior ($30–$50/month), and compounded transdermal gels. For these, online pet pharmacies (Chewy, 1-800-PetMeds) are typically 20–40% cheaper than the vet.
Methimazole (the standard medication): $48–$180/year at a human pharmacy with GoodRx, or $120–$600/year at the vet. Add monitoring: thyroid blood panels ($70–$150) every 3–6 months initially, then every 6–12 months once stable = $140–$600/year in monitoring. Total annual cost: $190–$1,200 depending on pharmacy choice and monitoring frequency.
Yes — compounded transdermal gels (applied to the ear) cost 2–4x more than oral tablets. Methimazole gel: $30–$60/month vs $4–$15 for oral tablets. The premium covers custom compounding. Gels are worth the extra cost for cats that are impossible to pill — but for cats that accept tablets (hidden in treats or pill pockets), oral medication is significantly cheaper.
Yes — pet insurance covers medications for conditions diagnosed after enrollment. Hyperthyroidism, kidney disease, diabetes, IBD, and asthma are all covered at 70–90% after deductible for the life of the policy. Pre-existing conditions are excluded. Even with insurance, filling at cheaper pharmacies reduces your out-of-pocket.
This page was last changed on August 1, 2026. Prices update as owners share new bills. How we work this out