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Prozac for Cats
Edith_Bagot-Dix
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Perhaps a bit weird, but I thought I'd ask.
My girlfriend and I have three cats. Two are neutered females that we adopted as kittens (not littermates though), the other is a neutered male that we rescued. Basically, one of of the females seems to be completely insane. As a kitten she was very gregarious and friendly, and she has gradually become more and more antisocial and aggressive over the past four years. It began with an aversion to strangers and graduated to full on aggression (blocking people and hissing and growling at them). She is a bit aggressive with the other cats but not too bad. The main issue right now is that, about a year and a half ago, she started "spritzing" certain places in the house with urine. This got worse last summer while my girlfriend was away for two months for work. She needed to do a similar rotation this year, and just returned from it. I have also been away (for the past seven months) so we had a friend checking on the cats daily. We also had my parents look after the male to reduce conflict. By all accounts the care the cats got was top notch. The cat in question has absolutely lost her mind, though. She has urinated all over the house, mostly in unusual places where she likes to nap (examples: top of the fridge, in a book case cubby hole). My girlfriend is barely able to handle her (cat growls and spits at her) and has taken her to the vet (only adding to the cat's anxiety, the vet said she was one of the most anxious cats she had ever seen) and received a prescription for anti-anxiety meds. We also keep feliway diffusers in the house. My girlfriend is at her wits end and is pretty broken up that this cat also seems to hate her now (the one saving grace is the cat has always been very sweet to her, and it is also her first pet, so she is pretty distraught about being rejected by it). I'm just wondering if anyone has any experience with this medication for cats and if there is any reason for hope.
My girlfriend and I have three cats. Two are neutered females that we adopted as kittens (not littermates though), the other is a neutered male that we rescued. Basically, one of of the females seems to be completely insane. As a kitten she was very gregarious and friendly, and she has gradually become more and more antisocial and aggressive over the past four years. It began with an aversion to strangers and graduated to full on aggression (blocking people and hissing and growling at them). She is a bit aggressive with the other cats but not too bad. The main issue right now is that, about a year and a half ago, she started "spritzing" certain places in the house with urine. This got worse last summer while my girlfriend was away for two months for work. She needed to do a similar rotation this year, and just returned from it. I have also been away (for the past seven months) so we had a friend checking on the cats daily. We also had my parents look after the male to reduce conflict. By all accounts the care the cats got was top notch. The cat in question has absolutely lost her mind, though. She has urinated all over the house, mostly in unusual places where she likes to nap (examples: top of the fridge, in a book case cubby hole). My girlfriend is barely able to handle her (cat growls and spits at her) and has taken her to the vet (only adding to the cat's anxiety, the vet said she was one of the most anxious cats she had ever seen) and received a prescription for anti-anxiety meds. We also keep feliway diffusers in the house. My girlfriend is at her wits end and is pretty broken up that this cat also seems to hate her now (the one saving grace is the cat has always been very sweet to her, and it is also her first pet, so she is pretty distraught about being rejected by it). I'm just wondering if anyone has any experience with this medication for cats and if there is any reason for hope.
Also on Steam and PSN: twobadcats
Edith_Bagot-Dix on
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Hope this helps while waiting for someone to come along with the real thing.
Guess I should have elaborated - the cat is receiving it, but from what I understand from the vet, it's not an overnight thing. I guess I am just looking for a reason to be upbeat about it.
Also on Steam and PSN: twobadcats
My dad had a cat that needed kitty prozac. From what I recall the medication took the edge off and made the cat more mellow, but she never really returned to her "original" self. The medicated cat also developed issues with my dad's other cat and became aggressive towards my stepmom. The medication reduced the aggression but it never went away fully.
Sadly my parents ended up giving the cat up to another home but they've kept in touch and the cat seems to be doing well in her new house. I know that probably isn't the uplifiting story you are looking for, but I wanted to share my experience.
These drugs work in animals for mostly the same reason they work on humans. Cats and humans (and all vertebrates, really) have nervous systems that run on the same basic chemicals, so there's a lot of overlap between drugs that work on different species. (Note: don't take this as an excuse to feed your cat Tylenol - there are some things that are safe in humans that will kill a cat. Luckily, Prozac is not one of them. I know you know this, but it's H/A, so I just want to be safe.)
Keep in mind that psych meds are actually tested in animals (rats, usually) before they get to human clinical trials. Human trials are expensive and pharma companies only spend money on drugs that show desirable behavior changes in animals.
Just to echo jedi's post, they're not a magic bullet (nor are they a magic bullet in humans either) but they can help.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
Has the cat been checked for thyroid problems?
Yes, I believe that was one of the things the vet checked her for the last time she was in.
Also on Steam and PSN: twobadcats
Also on Steam and PSN: twobadcats
I can't believe I had not heard of these before. I think this is something we'll be getting.
Also on Steam and PSN: twobadcats
I'm just saying, it's not magic. Doubtless much easier with a second person, though.
How often do you have to pill the cat?
It is going to be daily for at least two months.
Also on Steam and PSN: twobadcats
They should probably go through their vet for their medications...