jake has been a bit of an issue the last few months... i spoke about it a bit here: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/290069/still-having-trouble-with-jake. short story is he started seriously bullying our younger female but will play with the older female. he also bit me once due to overstimulation and also ends up scratching me about 75% of the times we interact. we have tried everything within our means at this point. we went to the vet this past weekend and explained the situation and went over what we've tried. she prescribed 10mg of amitriptyline (Elavil) daily. we did not give jake the dose on saturday evening because he had received vaccines and we figured one thing at a time. so we gave him the first dose last night. (side note: pill pockets were a big NOPE. we hit the pill in a piece of american cheese and down it went.)
jake ate normally last night before bed and this morning did not wake us up by trying to beat the crap out of samantha (youngest) under our bed. when it was time for breakfast, he stomped around the kitchen with the girls, who were very wary of him - particularly piglet. jake often would smack them if they rubbed on him or got too close to him while i was making their breakfast; he seemed a bit surprised that piglet growled at him and preemptively smacked at him. i kept separating him to keep the girls from hitting him before he hit them (since he wasn't hitting them) and fed everyone. jake ate normally, maybe a bit slower than usual.
this morning, he is definitely slow. i know amitriptyline is a tricyclic antidepressant so it has a serious sedating effect. i've read threads where people describe their cats as 'zombies' for a couple of weeks. i approached jake to pet him and he put up with it for a minute, then halfheartedly wrapped his arms around me and nibbled my hand to get me to stop. i called him into the bedroom and jake jumped on the bed, settling down to nap. i sat with him for a minute and petted him; he allowed me to do so and then put his head down to sleep.
this is a HUGE difference from what jake is usually like. i haven't tried to get him to play or anything because i'm not sure how else the amitriptyline will affect him. i'm hopeful that this will work because rehoming was really our next step and is out of the question, so i'd just have to put up with it.
tl;dr - jake started amitriptyline last night (10mg/daily) and already seems flat, disinterested, and sleepy. does anyone have any experience with amitriptyline who would be willing to share their experiences - how long does the 'zombie' state last, what side effects should i look for, etc. the vet said jake has a SLIGHT heart murmur but is not concerned; she wants him back in 6 weeks for bloodwork. tia.
jake ate normally last night before bed and this morning did not wake us up by trying to beat the crap out of samantha (youngest) under our bed. when it was time for breakfast, he stomped around the kitchen with the girls, who were very wary of him - particularly piglet. jake often would smack them if they rubbed on him or got too close to him while i was making their breakfast; he seemed a bit surprised that piglet growled at him and preemptively smacked at him. i kept separating him to keep the girls from hitting him before he hit them (since he wasn't hitting them) and fed everyone. jake ate normally, maybe a bit slower than usual.
this morning, he is definitely slow. i know amitriptyline is a tricyclic antidepressant so it has a serious sedating effect. i've read threads where people describe their cats as 'zombies' for a couple of weeks. i approached jake to pet him and he put up with it for a minute, then halfheartedly wrapped his arms around me and nibbled my hand to get me to stop. i called him into the bedroom and jake jumped on the bed, settling down to nap. i sat with him for a minute and petted him; he allowed me to do so and then put his head down to sleep.
this is a HUGE difference from what jake is usually like. i haven't tried to get him to play or anything because i'm not sure how else the amitriptyline will affect him. i'm hopeful that this will work because rehoming was really our next step and is out of the question, so i'd just have to put up with it.
tl;dr - jake started amitriptyline last night (10mg/daily) and already seems flat, disinterested, and sleepy. does anyone have any experience with amitriptyline who would be willing to share their experiences - how long does the 'zombie' state last, what side effects should i look for, etc. the vet said jake has a SLIGHT heart murmur but is not concerned; she wants him back in 6 weeks for bloodwork. tia.