Cat Inappropriately urinating-Anxiety meds? Looking for other's experiences with them...

[coconutkris]

Hi All,

So- I am really at the end of my rope.  I have had my little guy for 7 years now, since he was only a few weeks old.  And he has been inappropriately urinating pretty much the entire time.  I also have his sister and another cat as well, both of which use the litter boxes like champs...

My 'problem' cat actually will make a point to come IN from outside to pee on the couch or bed etc.  I have gone through mattresses, couches, and millions of bottles of cleaners at this point.

I have tried aromatherapy, calming collars, Feliway plug-ins and sprays (to the tune of at least 1000 wasted!), calming treats (melatonin, l-theanine, chamomile etc).

I have tried multiple litter box arrangements and types of litter.  I keep the boxes clean and add cat-attract to a few of them.  I've tried diet changes.

Essentially, I have tried everything I can think of.

I've taken him to the vet multiple times as well, but everything always checks out.  They have said that they think he has a sensitive urinary tract..but he hasn't ever had crystals or anything like that...I've had nearly every vet push drugs on me but I am very holistically minded and hate the idea of putting him on something when he can't tell me how it makes him feel..I also worry about side-effects...

Over the last few months the peeing has been out of control.  He has peed all over the couch (I have it taped up in plastic!) and daily on the bed.  I am living at the laundry mat because my comforters don't fit in my washing machine and everytime I do a wash at the laundry mat (this week I've gone three times) it costs $8.  It is madness.  He also pees all over the floor.  We did recently move and there are other cats around that he fights with, so I know that stresses him- but he has been peeing like this forever.  He does use the litterbox to poop, but that is it.

In any case, after 7 years I am done and exhausted.  I just can't handle it anymore.  So, I'm considering putting him on anti-anxiety meds and just seeing what happens.

I would like to know about anyone else's experiences with them.  Did your cat have to be on them forever? Did it significantly alter your cat's personality (my little guy is so adorable and awesome with a big personality, I don't want to change that).....

Please share if you have any ideas!!!! I'm so torn but I just can't live like this anymore, I'm going crazy, especially when I wake up at 3am to him peeing on me!!!!!

 

[hexiesfriend]

I had a Cat who sprayed everywhere so I can relate. He did pee on me a couple times too. That I took as marking behavior, love we can all do without. Clearly if your cat is peeing on you repeatedly and most things that have your scent he's making sure everyone knows you and anything that smells like you is off limits. He clearly feels there are other things around him threatening his security. I never put my cat Bob on anxiety meds but I probably should have. Others can chime in on the specifics but I think you need to try this because it sounds like you are at wits end. He is lucky to have such a patient owner 7 years is a long time.

 

[coconutkris]

Thanks for the input. Everything I read on the anxiety meds is very mixed. I ordered a calming tincture blend with GABA and l-tryptophan and a few other calming ingredients but it is so hard to dose him with it. So far it seems the peeing has slightly gone down, but then he threw up today which he never does... Ugh. Life. :/

 

[flowerdew]

I don't know if you're still looking for anecdotes about this, but my kitten is very anxious, and one of the symptoms of it, but by no means one of the major ones, is occasional inappropriate elimination.

She has been on a downward trajectory for several months now, and here's what I can tell you from what I've tried:

- Anxitane (L-Theanine) had a small effect, not that she seemed to get better on it, but that her decline seemed to briefly halt, and when it started up again, seemed to progress more slowly than before. She still had accidents while on this. Cost about $36/mo in crushable tablets from my vet, which she took mixed into her meals.

- Petco Calming Treats (L-Tryptophan) had a larger effect - she seemed to improve for a while, but eventually her anxiety did get worse while she was on it, though like with the Anxitane, it really seemed to slow the progression of symptoms. About $9 for a packet, 60 chews in the packet. They recommended 2 per day, but that knocked her out. She had about 3/4 of a chew crumbled up in her food (she would not eat the treats by themselves) once a day. She did still have accidents while on this.

- Prozac (Fluoxetine) has had an amazing effect so far. She's been on it since 15 December. Full effects generally aren't seen for several months, but she is responding so well in the short time she's been on it, particularly in the last week. She currently gets about 1/5 a pill a day (2 mg, I believe). The vet started her at 2.5, which made her throw up and look generally ill. Took her down to 1.25, which seemed to have no effect at all. She is doing very well at 2 mg. So far, she hasn't had any accidents since being on it, but she was only an occasional inappropriate eliminator, so it's really too early to tell. Costs $4 for a bottle of 30 pills (5 month supply for my kitten). She takes it wrapped in half of a pill pocket.

If you're considering any of these, please remember that your cat should NOT take both Tryptophan and Prozac at the same time, as that can lead to a life-threatening interaction called serotonin syndrome. I've had it recommended that you leave at least 2 weeks between ending Tryptophan and starting Prozac. If you're going the other way, Prozac to Tryptophan, the wait time between the two is much longer, something like 6 months. There's no reported cases that I am aware of where Prozac has interacted like that with Theanine, but Theanine is thought to work mildly on increasing serotonin (I think it works more strongly on dopamine), so the mechanism for this reaction is conceivably present.

Absolutely you need to talk to a vet about any medication or supplement, prescribed or holistic or off the shelf at the pet store or whatever, that your cat may be taking before you add in any of these.

 

[coconutkris]

Thanks flower dew, especially for the info about waiting between tryptophan and Prozac and vise versa. Im still torn over whether or not to put my cat on it. He is so special and sensitive so i worry it might damage him. But perhaps he would be much happier as right now he seems at times so stressed by having to defend his territory Does your vet think your Kitty will need the prozac forever?

 

[flowerdew]

My vet and I are planning/hoping to try a couple of months on the Prozac. I have 1 April as a target date in my mind for starting to wean her off of it, but we'll see. The hope is that she will improve enough that she'll break the habit of being fearful, and will be able to do okay without Prozac. I had some doubts about whether we'd get that far; until I was recently able to identify one of her biggest stressors (squirrels in the walls of the house!!!), I suspected that she had a pretty serious chemical imbalance. But I'm feeling more hopeful now.

When my vet first suggested Prozac as a possibility months ago, I was reluctant. I didn't want to mess with her core personality. It felt extreme. But her decline has been so steep and awful, it's like her core personality was being devoured whole. She started out bossy and presumptuous and bold - if she were a person, she would have been some Little Orphan Annie/Punky Brewster street urchin marching up to you and saying, Listen, Mister! But by the time I started the Prozac, she was a cowering, crying wreck afraid of pretty much her entire environment. So the choice to put her on it was made easy - I would try anything if it meant she felt better than this.

The first week she seemed calmer, but groggy and ill and she vomited a couple of times. She'd never done that before. I was told that that was common when starting Prozac, but I was very uncomfortable with it. When I halved the dose, the calmness vanished along with the illness. She seems to be tolerating and responding to what I'm giving her now well. She's coming out to greet me and begging to be picked up and cuddled and climbing her cat tree and looking out the windows - all of these things she loves but hasn't done in the past month or more. It's really encouraging. She ran over to my housemate and started scolding her when my housemate made the mistake of walking into "my kitten's" sunroom and sitting down on "my kitten's" couch in there. She hasn't been that bold and indignant in so long. I feel like I am getting my kitten back.

But it's not even been a month yet, so I can't guarantee that it will continue to be this promising. From what I've seen now, though, I really glad I decided to try this, and while I didn't want her on this drug to begin with and am hoping that I don't have to keep her on it very long, if she deteriorates when I try to wean her off of it, I will put her back on and keep her on it indefinitely without regret.

 

[psychomama]

My cat has been on fluoxetine for 5 years for excessive vocalization and excessive stress. He was a feral .We get a tuna flavored suspension from BCP in TX. My vet says he needs to be on it for life. No side effects and he is not a stress ball anymore nor does he yowl allnight long. I trust my my vet and this decision.

 

[riley1]

I know all about peeing in the house.  When I first got my little Rizzo he peed on everything.  Some cats are more sensitive than others & he was very angry for being pushed out of home & then losing the sister that had been with him his whole life.  Some people took him from his original home & gave him to me because they said he was beating up the other cats.  They knew he was peeing but thought it was the stress of all the other cats around. I wish they could have taken his sister as well.  The first year with us my husband was dying & I was very stressed.  I took him to the vet & nothing was wrong so I asked about Prozac. The vet said no.  Later I found out that this vet knows nothing about cats.  It took  me about 3 years to get over the loss of my husband so his first four years were very stressful. Even after things settled down I would get upset over most everything.  Cats are very sensitive to our moods & he continued peeing for 8 years.  The last two months of his life he stopped peeing & was super sweet. 

I would try the Prozac for sure.  A friend of mine has this problem with two of her cats & it worked for her.  I wish I would have gone to another vet and gotten it for Rizzo.  It would have made our lives much easier.  Should have gotten some for me as well.

 

[palikakitty]

I have one word for you--Prozac. Our Bradshaw was not as bad as your boy but would pee in shoes, purses, on newspapers and magazines. It got to the point that my husband put up hooks so we could hang purses and bags and people would come over and wonder how we could keep every surface clean and free of stuff--because we had too! Prozac solved the problem for us. We did it for awhile, then got lazy and the problem came back. Now we are religous about giving it. Your boy will be tired at first but that wears off. Im actually thinking about putting another cat on it as he pees when someone comes over. He's almost 18 and we think has a bit of either dementia or that old peoples' syndrome where they think they can do whatever they want! He will occasionally bite us, bite our other cats, etc. which he never did before. He checks out ok at the vet.

 

[hombre de gato]

Hello, I just read your post and was wondering how everything has turned out? Did his personality change? I have a similar issue and concern too. 

Please update.

 

[crazy4strays]

This is an old post, so I don't know if the original poster will reply, but I have a cat currently on anxiety meds. They have been wonderful.

He went from not using the box at all to using it full time. The vet has me weaning him off them right now.

 

[ermentrude]

3rd anti-depressant was "just right" - zoloft. His personality has not changed significantly, maybe a little more zen, but not space cadet. He plays, he runs, he goes in his box. Small price to pay.

 

[riley1]

3rd anti-depressant was "just right" - zoloft. His personality has not changed significantly, maybe a little more zen, but not space cadet. He plays, he runs, he goes in his box. Small price to pay.

Good for you!

 

[hombre de gato]

So it's been five months on cat intros. Personality change is the question. I am glad to say No. Max is his normal awesome self. Kitty was never bothered. She is an effective communicator physically and verbally. Now the details. Loki had some pissing issue that has passed (not a uti) and he is slowly learning the house and resident cat rules. From what I have observed, Loki's life experiences were somewhat limited. An example of this would be how to navigate around a curtain, obsessed with mirrors reflections and angles. When taking a bath and cupping water and pouring it out of the hand back into the tub, made Loki hightail it out of the bathroom was a laugh. Loki is getting use to this slowly. Just had our first snow. Picture in your mind how dogs play in the snow, that is Max. Loki is still trying to figure out what this white stuff is. He sniffs it and sits. 

Max, when it comes to Loki, watches him cautiously. They do chase each other, sniff noses. share sweet  spots around the house, deep sleeps in the living room. However, Max's extreme playful side with us only comes out fully when Loki is not around. So with these details I can only conclude that over time (cat time) everything is going to be fine for my pride and us. 

I will repeat myself. Do not rush the process. It is clearly apparent that cats, depending upon their experiences, have to learn a lot. My cats are doing so well with each other. But I can't say it was easy. I almost had to give up Loki because of the pissing. My relationship was tested over this. My girl looooves Max so much. She was afraid for him. The possibility of other unforeseen issues. We needed to all learn about each other. Kitty and Max had to share our love and home with Loki. They needed to know who Loki is. Loki had to do the same plus get to know new people and new experiences. I am seeing trust growing and I can't wait til the fruition. What a great time in my life. Did I mention these cats are my first pets. I had a hamster and a parakeet once. But they are not like the complicated cat. I love it and boy o' boy do I love my pride.