Lidocaine

Lidocaine is a local anesthetic drug used as a cardiac antiarrhythmic and to produce infiltration anesthesia and epidural and peripheral nerve block. The drug is used as percutaneous injection and intravenous regional anesthesia. ⁶

In dogs, cats, horses and other species lidocaine is used to produce sedation, as an analgesic, and as a preanesthetic to local anesthesia; to produce sedation, accompanied by a shorter period of analgesia. It may also be used to calm and facilitate handling of animals for diagnostic procedures, for minor surgical procedures, for therapeutic medication for sedation and relief of pain following injury or surgery, and as a preanesthetic to local anesthetic. ²

Cats might be more sensitive to the CNS effects of lidocaine. ⁴

References:
REF FILE 324-DAC