Aggression in cats - Amitriptyline

[ElizabethP]

Hello all, I've just joined this site - was led to you by an internet search under the title topic. It's good to find you.

I'm wondering if anyone has used Amitriptyline to help with one cat being agressive with another - and did it work (initially and then long term)?

My husband and I are Brits, living in Tanzania, East Africa (for many years). We live on a farm, a big open space, lots of room, and have 3 dogs and - up until recently - 5 cats. All of them are rescued, ex street dogs, cats rescued from ditches or off the streets in town. The cats are my life, I am the typical crazy cat lady and I love them all. Our oldest boy, Mr Nort, died recently aged 18. At that point, life with the remaining 4 - all of whom have always got on well - started to become a bit of a nightmare. All the cats - 3 boys: Norman Monduli, Weasel, Harry Casual and 1 girl Catsi - were all spayed and neutered early on, we've had them all pretty much since kittens.

In the absence of Mr Nort (the alpha male) about 4 months ago, the remaining boys are jockying for top cat position, and it's particularly bad with Weasel and Harry Casual. Weasel would like to drive HC out of the house and is constantly squaring up to him, sneaking up on him, trying to find him and - when he can - attacking him. HC is the younger and smaller cat, very gentle and sweet, a real mummy's boy and he's always been very much 'my cat'. Weasel has always been a non-person cat; he tolerates us but has never wanted to be held or cuddled, he loves walks on the farm with us but is very much 'the cat who walks by himself'.

I have tried water bottles, spraying pre or during an attack to try and prevent or stop; lots of positive reinforcements to try and get Weasel to walk away; trying to show him as much love too in a way that he can cope with, but it's all wearing very thin and I am starting to really despair as poor old Harry Casual is nervous and hides a lot of the time which I hate.

A wonderful American vet, volunteering here, suggested I try a plug-in pheremone diffuser, Feliway, which I had sent out from the UK and which worked initially, but less so after about a month/6 weeks. She also mentioned Amitriptyline - which we can get easily here - and a 0.5m to 1.5mg (per kg) dose per day. Weasel is now two weeks into a daily course of this drug. Its a 10mg pill and he gets 1/4 in the morning and 1/4 at night with his food; so far I'm finding it easy to get him to take it with his food.

I broke a bone in my foot over Christmas so am very tied to the house now, which is perfect as it means I can watch Weasel on a pretty constant basis especially now that he is on this medication, which worried me hugely (giving it to him at all). He is about the same in general behaviour, perhaps a little sleepier (but then he has always been quite a lazy cat) and I do think overall his agression is lessening - would it after two weeks or I am just being over-optimistic? I have caught him staking Harry Casual a couple of days ago, and - as always - it's like a red mist comes down and he looks at HC with such hatred (or equivalent cat feeling) as if he really wants to drive him away forever. I stopped him jumping on HC, after he had him cornered, and since then the mist has lifted and they stare at each other a lot but nothing physical.

Cat Psychology 101!! It can only be about the boys wanting the top cat spot: Weasel is older and wants it, perhaps HC is having a run at it in his very gentle - but still cat-like - way.

I am desperate for this to work, it's a bit of a last resort as I'm not sure what to do if it doesn't. I guess we would look to rehome Weasel, but that could be hard here and I would hate to not have him with us. We cannot seperate our cats, this is an open house, open garden, they have lots of free-roaming room to move around it but are usually all to be found wherever my husband and I are. I would love to hear from anyone who has used Amitryptiline - with or without success - with any advice or thoughts, successes or not. I have done a lot of reading about Amitryptiline but less reviews about IF and HOW it has worked in aggression. Many thanks in advance

 

[Cat McCannon]

First, put away the spray bottle! It only makes the situation worse.

Second, cats are not dogs. They aren’t fighting to see who gets to be the “alpha cat”, they’re disturbed because a member of their community has gone missing and the routine they had is interrupted. They’re grieving. They’re unsure of themselves. Sometimes, when a cat is unsure of itself, it gives off a vibe other cats interpret as prey behavior. That prey behavior trigger can a cat’s predator drive which humans see as bullying. This further erodes the confidence of the cat getting attacked which further triggers the predator drive in other cats creating a vicious circle.

Of course, as their living guardian, you’re concerned. Cats are experts at reading body language. They see your concern in your body language. Cats look to their guardians to gauge what’s going on in their world. If their guardians are tense or anxious or angry, they take that as a signal there’sa danger they need to look out for. In turn, they become unsettled.

Your job is to relax and project confidence to your cats through your actions, body language and voice. Let them know that while a treasured member of the community is gone, all is well with the world. Be patient and give them time to process the loss.

Mr. Nort was certainly “Top Cat” but not by dominating the others. His confidence was a calming influence on the others. They looked to him in a way they all look to you for assurance all is well in the world. He let the other cats know when their shenanigans wouldn’t be tolerated. Now that assurance and guidance is gone. That’s why your cats are fighting. Not to assert dominance.

What can you do? First, observe the violence of the fighting. If there’s no fur flying or blood, it’s not deadly serious. If one or the other cat breaks it off, it’s more about cats sorting things out for themselves. If, after breaking it off, the cat comes back, they might actually been finding it fun.

It’s also possible the aggressor finds attacking their victim fun, but that’s not always good for the victim.

Only you can decide what’s actually going on when your cats fight. Only you can decide if it’s play, two cats working things out or something that needs your intervention.

The two best tools for intervention is to distract them by playing with them using a cat toy, or to use something like a piece of cardboard to separate the cats. Often, blocking line of sight from each other is enough. Either way, remain calm and confident. Spend time with each cat individually and together as a group. No more spray bottles!

You’re doing a good job and your cats are blessed to have you.

We’d love to see photos of your kitties and hear what life is like for them on a Tanzanian farm!

 

[ElizabethP]

Thanks so much for yours and for the support. You do hope you're always doing the right thing but what I'm so aware of, is what fragile beings they all are, in their different and funny little ways. I will stop the water spray, it was the vet who recommended it, but it always feels horrible to do, so that's an easy one.

Yes fur does fly, when Weasel and Boyd are in an altercation, lots of it. They sound terrible, but then cat fights always do don't they. The other morning, we were woken up by unholy screaming and my husband ran into the main room to see a ball of two tabby cats heading out the door. I was out in the dark immediately, hobbling around on crutches, and they both appeared relatively soon after and neither seemed worse for wear. Note to self: don't overreact and fear the worst all the time!!

We have always been such a happy family and that makes this all the more distressing. All of them came to us from bad beginnings: I actually stole Weasel, as a 6-week old kitten, from a neighbouring farm where he had been locked into a store, expected to kill rats (who were bigger than him!!). And my husband found Harry Casual in a flooded farm furrow, at 6-days old with his eyes still tightly shut, and I hand-raised him. One of our little dogs was thrown into a fuel drum as a puppy, but luckily we heard his cries - it took days before he would let us anywhere near. But they're all ok,and life is usually always lived as a group activity.

It has been an interesting study of my relationship with Weasel, always a cool customer - and one who did actually pick fights with Mr Nort a few times - in that whilst he doesn't want to be smothered in attention, I think you are right that he does want to feel confident and have a calm household around him. I am also finding that - whilst on the Amitryptiline - he is more relaxed about being petted and even enjoyed a tummy rub this afternoon - a rare thing.

They are SO affected by us aren't they, and our moods and behaviours. Whether this drug works, or not, it's good to remember how much we influence things and that they look to us to make sure "all is well in their world" - a good reminder, thank you

 

[NekoM]

Anything for a quiet life! Your vets suggestion is relevant, It’s a fairly common anxiety medication for cats under stress, I’m not sure what the dosage would be though. You should look on the Chewy website, it’s prescription only but it may give you an indication of what the amount should be.

 

[Alldara]

I agree with Cat McCannon . Put away your spray bottle ElizabethP It was a former common method, but now we know so much more about cats and enough to know that the spray bottle just adds to insecurity.

Throw out the "alpha" think. It was a theory about dogs that was disproven. It never applied to cats.

My suggestion would be to separate the agresser and re-introduce the cats to one another using the introduction method found on this website, or Jackson Galaxy's method (both are similar, but the point to be is you can modify it a bit for your home as long as you hit the main points ).

The point of the re-introductions will be to teach them that they are safe with one another again. To establish appropriate inter-cat behaviour, and basically to allow them to rebond. Plus, it usually helps to re-establish a human-cat play routine that builds confidence appropriately and gets that extra play (prey) energy out. How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide – TheCatSite Articles

 

[Furballsmom]

I'm wondering if anyone has used Amitriptyline to help with one cat being agressive with another - and did it work (initially and then long term)?

In looking through some threads here, I'm not really seeing the answer to your question directly, although I did find these which could come in handy for you;

Trying to give my cat Amitriptyline

Weaning off amitriptyline

AMITRIPTYLINE - Mar Vista Animal Medical Center

 

[nurseangel]

Hi, welcome to TCS! I'm glad you've joined our friendly community.

I used Elavil with Speck when he had a falling out with Daisy. It did not work out well for any of us. I would give him the medication and he would start foaming at the mouth. It didn't help his attitude toward Daisy (one day she went outside and when she came back in, he started attacking her). It only made him drugged up and angry. It made me feel bad for giving it to him. Maybe we didn't give it enough time, and all cats are different. That's just my personal experience. We ended up having to seperate them completely. I should add that we had a very severe situation. Cats generally don't fight to the death like dogs sometimes do. But I honestly believe he would have killed Daisy had they not been separated.

Please keep us posted on your situation. If you chose to use medication, have a towel ready in case there is drooling.

 

[Cat McCannon]

ElizabethP , if fur is flying, it's serious. You do need to intervene. Use something like a piece of cardboard to separate the two cats. There's usually a stare-down before the fight starts. If you see the stare-down start, get the cardboard and separate them before they start fighting. Make sure the cardboard is large enough you don't have to bend down or get your hand near the Zone of Mutilation.

 

[ElizabethP]

Anything for a quiet life! Your vets suggestion is relevant, It’s a fairly common anxiety medication for cats under stress, I’m not sure what the dosage would be though. You should look on the Chewy website, it’s prescription only but it may give you an indication of what the amount should be.

Thanks so much and yes, anything for a quiet life! My husband and I say that often . I'll look at that website, thank you. The same vet recommended between 0.5mg up to 1.5mg per kg of cat. Weasel gets 5mg per day, spread over an am and pm dose.

 

[ElizabethP]

I agree with Cat McCannon . Put away your spray bottle ElizabethP It was a former common method, but now we know so much more about cats and enough to know that the spray bottle just adds to insecurity.

Throw out the "alpha" think. It was a theory about dogs that was disproven. It never applied to cats.

My suggestion would be to separate the agresser and re-introduce the cats to one another using the introduction method found on this website, or Jackson Galaxy's method (both are similar, but the point to be is you can modify it a bit for your home as long as you hit the main points ).

The point of the re-introductions will be to teach them that they are safe with one another again. To establish appropriate inter-cat behaviour, and basically to allow them to rebond. Plus, it usually helps to re-establish a human-cat play routine that builds confidence appropriately and gets that extra play (prey) energy out. How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide – TheCatSite Articles

Thanks so much for your thoughts. I had not heard of the Jackson Galaxy cat introduction method, but have his website up now - plus will look at what has been written here, thank you for that link. Our house unfortunately is not great for separating cats, it's small but very open with permanently open doors, windows etc (no glass); but I will look at what we could do as the idea of making them feel safe with each other again....is there anything that I want more!!!!!!

I am very aware of where they all like to be, usually wherever I am (when I'm at home) and that is usually always the office which is in our round 'yurt-like' bedroom. They definitely all have their favourite places to be, and Weasel is a bit like a cuckoo in that regard in that he will go and sleep in Boyd's favourite places when he thinks that no-one is looking. They all sleep on the bed at night with us, the only time peace truly reigns in our house.

Right, off to some morning reading with my coffee - thank you

 

[ElizabethP]

In looking through some threads here, I'm not really seeing the answer to your question directly, although I did find these which could come in handy for you;

Trying to give my cat Amitriptyline

Weaning off amitriptyline

AMITRIPTYLINE - Mar Vista Animal Medical Center

Thank you for these links Thankfully I am finding it easy to give Weasel the two 1/4 pills every day, I just mix them up in a small amount of his food which he wolfs down, and then I top up the bowl once it's gone. This all relies on my being here, which thankfully I am at the moment. When I'm out on assignment, it will be down to my husband/staff and we'll deal with that when we get to it.

 

[ElizabethP]

Hi, welcome to TCS! I'm glad you've joined our friendly community.

I used Elavil with Speck when he had a falling out with Daisy. It did not work out well for any of us. I would give him the medication and he would start foaming at the mouth. It didn't help his attitude toward Daisy (one day she went outside and when she came back in, he started attacking her). It only made him drugged up and angry. It made me feel bad for giving it to him. Maybe we didn't give it enough time, and all cats are different. That's just my personal experience. We ended up having to seperate them completely. I should add that we had a very severe situation. Cats generally don't fight to the death like dogs sometimes do. But I honestly believe he would have killed Daisy had they not been separated.

Please keep us posted on your situation. If you chose to use medication, have a towel ready in case there is drooling.

Thank you, it has been a lovely discovery to find you all and thank you very much to all for help so far. One feels a bit isolated out here, I have a couple of other totally animal-obsessed friends, but we are short on small animal vets and sophisticated equipment (you have to go to Nairobi, Kenya for that). We used to have only local cattle vets here and - when a small rescue cat of mine started showing signs of epilepsy, I had to learn more about her condition and treat her myself as there was no-one else to ask.

That's why forums like this are an absolute lifeline, so thank you so much.

I'm sorry to hear about your experience with Daisy and Speck and that Speck did not react well to the drug. I am already using the drug and thankfully, two weeks in, Weasel has adapted to it well and there is no foaming at the mouth or any other side effects that I can see. I do think it is making him a more relaxed and, dare I say, happy cat. He will never purr or seek a cuddle, but he is hanging out with me more and he has to know he is very much loved; he responds in a more easy way to my voice and I'm always talking to him. Calm happy household and all that....

Incidentally, how did things progress with Speck and Daisy, are they still always separated and how do you manage that? Can they not go outside because of this?

 

[ElizabethP]

ElizabethP , if fur is flying, it's serious. You do need to intervene. Use something like a piece of cardboard to separate the two cats. There's usually a stare-down before the fight starts. If you see the stare-down start, get the cardboard and separate them before they start fighting. Make sure the cardboard is large enough you don't have to bend down or get your hand near the Zone of Mutilation.

Thank you and yes the aftermath of a fight is a mass of tabby-cat tummy fur all over the floor. And a massively stressed out cat mother. Sometimes it does happen when they're in the garden, or in the coffee outside our hedge. I hate that, as I cannot get to them quickly enough but thankfully those outdoor incidents are rare. Generally my Harry Casual cat will be where I am and this stupid broken foot incident has come at a good time as I can really study them all closely. Here we more often have 'lion reseachers' or wild dog, or elephants... my new specialist subject: cat researcher

The fights when they happen are hard to predict and don't always start with a stare-down (although when that does happen, I can usually talk then out of it). Other times it erupts with litle or no warning, Weasel is a serious opportunist and will suddenly get HC in a bad spot and rush at him. They move fast, and I do not right now, but we have cardboard and I will keep that at hand.

 

[ElizabethP]

The boys. I realise that little Catsi does not feature (our one little girl cat) - she is a funny little thing, and actually Harry Casual's sister who was also rescued from the furrow at 6 days old. Despite being with us ever since, she is still quite feral and lives outside a lot but comes inside for food every day and will also creep on to the bed when she thinks no-one is watching. Weasel looks a bit mean in this picture, but that is his usual face and he wasn't being like that at that time - I think I had just woken him up.

 

[Meowmee]

Hello all, I've just joined this site - was led to you by an internet search under the title topic. It's good to find you.

I'm wondering if anyone has used Amitriptyline to help with one cat being agressive with another - and did it work (initially and then long term)?

My husband and I are Brits, living in Tanzania, East Africa (for many years). We live on a farm, a big open space, lots of room, and have 3 dogs and - up until recently - 5 cats. All of them are rescued, ex street dogs, cats rescued from ditches or off the streets in town. The cats are my life, I am the typical crazy cat lady and I love them all. Our oldest boy, Mr Nort, died recently aged 18. At that point, life with the remaining 4 - all of whom have always got on well - started to become a bit of a nightmare. All the cats - 3 boys: Norman Monduli, Weasel, Harry Casual and 1 girl Catsi - were all spayed and neutered early on, we've had them all pretty much since kittens.

In the absence of Mr Nort (the alpha male) about 4 months ago, the remaining boys are jockying for top cat position, and it's particularly bad with Weasel and Harry Casual. Weasel would like to drive HC out of the house and is constantly squaring up to him, sneaking up on him, trying to find him and - when he can - attacking him. HC is the younger and smaller cat, very gentle and sweet, a real mummy's boy and he's always been very much 'my cat'. Weasel has always been a non-person cat; he tolerates us but has never wanted to be held or cuddled, he loves walks on the farm with us but is very much 'the cat who walks by himself'.

I have tried water bottles, spraying pre or during an attack to try and prevent or stop; lots of positive reinforcements to try and get Weasel to walk away; trying to show him as much love too in a way that he can cope with, but it's all wearing very thin and I am starting to really despair as poor old Harry Casual is nervous and hides a lot of the time which I hate.

A wonderful American vet, volunteering here, suggested I try a plug-in pheremone diffuser, Feliway, which I had sent out from the UK and which worked initially, but less so after about a month/6 weeks. She also mentioned Amitriptyline - which we can get easily here - and a 0.5m to 1.5mg (per kg) dose per day. Weasel is now two weeks into a daily course of this drug. Its a 10mg pill and he gets 1/4 in the morning and 1/4 at night with his food; so far I'm finding it easy to get him to take it with his food.

I broke a bone in my foot over Christmas so am very tied to the house now, which is perfect as it means I can watch Weasel on a pretty constant basis especially now that he is on this medication, which worried me hugely (giving it to him at all). He is about the same in general behaviour, perhaps a little sleepier (but then he has always been quite a lazy cat) and I do think overall his agression is lessening - would it after two weeks or I am just being over-optimistic? I have caught him staking Harry Casual a couple of days ago, and - as always - it's like a red mist comes down and he looks at HC with such hatred (or equivalent cat feeling) as if he really wants to drive him away forever. I stopped him jumping on HC, after he had him cornered, and since then the mist has lifted and they stare at each other a lot but nothing physical.

Cat Psychology 101!! It can only be about the boys wanting the top cat spot: Weasel is older and wants it, perhaps HC is having a run at it in his very gentle - but still cat-like - way.

I am desperate for this to work, it's a bit of a last resort as I'm not sure what to do if it doesn't. I guess we would look to rehome Weasel, but that could be hard here and I would hate to not have him with us. We cannot seperate our cats, this is an open house, open garden, they have lots of free-roaming room to move around it but are usually all to be found wherever my husband and I are. I would love to hear from anyone who has used Amitryptiline - with or without success - with any advice or thoughts, successes or not. I have done a lot of reading about Amitryptiline but less reviews about IF and HOW it has worked in aggression. Many thanks in advance

So sorry you’re in this situation it must be so stressful. I gave amitriptyline to Sybil because she had a lifelong pee problem. I don’t remember now if it really helped at all but it made her pretty dopey so I think we just took her off at some point.

At that point no one was using Prozac for cats I think, because that supposedly works better for P problems and I probably would’ve tried it.
For aggression I have used gabapentin with three cats now and it has worked very well. It doesn’t matter whether the aggression is out of anxiety and fear. These were outside cats coming inside who needed to be adapted to the inside life and stop any aggression. They are not on it anymore but some were on it for a few weeks and then weaned off.

there is no way to know whether it will work or not until you try it so if you think it will help your situation trying it for a while is not going to hurt. It could even be a situation where they only need the medication for a few weeks and then you can take them off of it.

If you try amitriptyline please make sure that you wean your cat off of it slowly if that happens because I was on that myself on low levels for chronic pain years ago and it was a terrible withdrawal. I just stopped taking it and it took me over a year to recover from it all, and now I can’t take any of those drugs anymore.

for some reason I didn’t notice that you were already giving it to him and I would say two weeks is not long enough in my opinion. I tried different medication for my Quinn who is ia Siamese because he was super aggressive with Sybil my girly then. None of them worked for him but one thing that did work was the thunder coat. You might want to try that for weasel too because it did calm Quinn down a bit while did not stop that behavior completely.

I disagree with the alpha cat theory. My Quinn is definitely the alpha cat, and he lets everybody know, including me, lol, that he’s the one in charge. He is a pb meezer.

And the other cats do try to challenge him at times. While it may not be like dogs in a wolf pack there is a hierarchy within cat colonies for sure. it also is probably more of a “ I am going to be the closest to the humans etc.” in this case maybe.

When my Byron passed away the other cats reacted because they were scared that the boss was gone. He was also the undeniable alpha cat not only of our household but of the entire garden- no cat would come into the garden while he was there- he never had to fight anybody, he just looked at them.

My Angie who was the second cat in line was absolutely terrified for a few days and wouldn’t come out of my bedroom. Because although she was a feisty little tortie who bossed everybody around she had no interest in being the alpha cat.

However in the case of Weasel. It seems that he has also taken a dislike to HC. So, maybe a re-introduction could help- can you keep them separated for a while and then share scents again, and re-introduce them? I’m not sure if that’s possible in your situation but I guess it’s worth a try if you can do that.

 

[ElizabethP]

So sorry you’re in this situation it must be so stressful. I gave amitriptyline to Sybil because she had a lifelong pee problem. I don’t remember now if it really helped at all but it made her pretty dopey so I think we just took her off at some point.
....

Thank you so much, yes it hasn't helped my stress levels at all which in turn cannot be helping theirs. I am super-aware of that and - whilst stuck here at home at the moment - have tried my utmost to keep everything calm and relaxed, no stressed tones of voice; I even play them all gentle classical music and - as I type now - all four of them are in various positions of snooze on or around the bed: happy days

Thankfully, Weasel hasn't experienced any massive side-effects from Amitryptiline (been two weeks now) and so I will continue on. I do think I am seeing a change in him, he does seem a slightly happier cat if that's possible (also presumably because I'm around more and working with him to make him happy). He still has moments of wanting to drive Harry Casual away but the last massive fight was a week ago, and I read that the drug only takes effect within 2 - 4 weeks.

I've also been on Amitryptiline and Gabapentin, for chronic nerve pain, over the years, so know it well (find it odd that my cat now takes it!! ) but yes, I do know about the withdrawal phase and weaning him off it slowly. Sort of related, but my pharmacist told me the other day that it's now possible to take them - as humans - on an 'as and when needed' basis, not a course of, which I had never heard before. Not sure I would do that though.

 

[ElizabethP]

441310[/ATTACH]

 

[ElizabethP]

However in the case of Weasel. It seems that he has also taken a dislike to HC. So, maybe a re-introduction could help- can you keep them separated for a while and then share scents again, and re-introduce them? I’m not sure if that’s possible in your situation but I guess it’s worth a try if you can do that.

They used to love each other. Mr Nort was obviously much older, but then Norman Monduli and Weasel were a couple of years old at least when HC and Catsi - these scrappy little baby ferals - arrived in their midst, and I have many pictures of a real 'pile' of happy cats all in a heap, little and bigger ones. It was only when Mr Nort died, that it all went wrong.

I'm looking at ways to do a re-introduction, but sadly our house is not best set-up for cat separation; it's all too open and not easy to contain them anywhere.

This is them now, as I type. L-R: Harry, Catsi, my bag - for separation, although they all know they're all there - and Weasel

What is a thunder coat?

 

[Alldara]

ElizabethP like a weighted blanket that your cat can wear for anxiety. (Except it works more by compression than weight)
ThunderShirt for Cats - Calming Wrap

 

[Meowmee]

Thank you so much, yes it hasn't helped my stress levels at all which in turn cannot be helping theirs. I am super-aware of that and - whilst stuck here at home at the moment - have tried my utmost to keep everything calm and relaxed, no stressed tones of voice; I even play them all gentle classical music and - as I type now - all four of them are in various positions of snooze on or around the bed: happy days

Thankfully, Weasel hasn't experienced any massive side-effects from Amitryptiline (been two weeks now) and so I will continue on. I do think I am seeing a change in him, he does seem a slightly happier cat if that's possible (also presumably because I'm around more and working with him to make him happy). He still has moments of wanting to drive Harry Casual away but the last massive fight was a week ago, and I read that the drug only takes effect within 2 - 4 weeks.

I've also been on Amitryptiline and Gabapentin, for chronic nerve pain, over the years, so know it well (find it odd that my cat now takes it!! ) but yes, I do know about the withdrawal phase and weaning him off it slowly. Sort of related, but my pharmacist told me the other day that it's now possible to take them - as humans - on an 'as and when needed' basis, not a course of, which I had never heard before. Not sure I would do that though.

You’re welcome That is great that it’s helping him, and you being there more etc will help too. It definitely can take longer to see if it will help him. I would do lots of playing together with him, and hc, and everyone, and giving treats together too so they continue to associate positive things with each other.
The thunder coat works by mild compression, it’s not weighted, but you need to make sure you get the right size. It has a patch where you can add or spray a calming spray too. Here is Quinn in his. He hated putting it on but then he was ok with it after. He went through two sizes and he no longer wears it. When Sybil was ill with hcm and chf I mostly kept them apart at the end of her life because I didn’t want him stressing her out at all.