Cat anxiety medication!

[mayalovesnessa]

So, almost 2 years ago I rescued a beautiful, white, odd eyed cat. She was 6 months old when we brought her home. She was born feral and had anxiety issues from the start. She has NEVER had any aggression issues. Anyway, my boyfriend and I have consulted a behaviorist named miechelle. I forget her last name. Anyway, we have tried the spirit essences, feliaway, calming collar and royal canin calming food RX from the vet. Nothing has worked. The entire year and a half we have had her she has made small improvements, but still hides and doesn't prefer to be found. She isn't taking to slow behavioral training. She is even too scared to fully hunt her toys. She will be in the zone for 5 seconds and run away. This has been a constant since we got her. BeFore I go ahead and tell miechelle we are ready to try medication, PLEASE tell me about your experiences on the medication, which medication and also any advice. I'm not interested in hearing more behavior techniques, as I have consulted more than one behaviorist and talked with many vets. This is our absolute LAST RESORT. So thank you for any help you can provide!

 

[canopener]

Some SSRIs and tricyclics are options in cats. My family has a cat that has been on and off Amitriptyline for years (she's 17) . When she gets anxious she marks things and amitriptyline has the benefit of taking the edge off the anxiety as well as having an off-label indication for feline urinary syndrome (or it did when she was started on it years ago). I've known a number of people who have had cats do well on Prozac. Benzodiazepines are effective for situations of short duration (like long car trip), but my vet does not recommend them for long term therapy.

Make an appointment with your vet to discuss the situation and review medication options.

(Just a disclaimer. I know I use a lot of medical jargon in my posts. To clarify, I am a final year human medical student and have no veterinary training whatsoever.)

 

[detmut]

i agree with CanOpener

here are your options

• Alprazolam (Xanax)
• Amitriptyline (Elavil)
• Buspirone (Buspar)
• Clomipramine (Clomicalm)
• Clorazepate (Tranxene)
• Diazepam (Valium)
• Fluoxetine (Prozac)
• Trazadone
• Inderal
• Paroxetine (Paxil)
• Tranxene-SD