Cat not tolerating Mirtaz

[Cosmic76]

Has anyone got any experience of giving their cat Mirtaz? He's been on it for 4 days now, he's definitely eating well but it's come at a price.

Just to note, he's got very sensitive senses and ears to begin with as he's deaf, bless him, so we can only get it on his ear if we sneak up on him while he's sleeping, the minute he gets a whiff of it he does a visceral recoil and bolts, if we do manage to get it on his ear, he is VERY grumpy after and won't let us come near him, he gets upset if I try and stroke him and hides in our conservatory. I feel like hes lost all trust in us. He's usually okay(ish) again by morning but he's not his usual happy self, he hardly purrs now he's on it.

Would we be better off trying the tablet form or would he still be off? I have read the side effects can be agitation and depression.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Are you talking strictly about his reaction to having the Mirataz rubbed into his ear, or other behaviors associated to its impact on him?

Too much can bring about hyperactivity/aggravation, and lowering the dose can usually resolve that. I never gave Feeby more than half the dose and only every other day. Of course the reason for needing Mirataz can affect the dose and frequency too, but I think there is a bit of experimentation with finding the correct amount for each cat.

If it is just his reaction to having it rubbed into his ear, tbh, since he is deaf you are really doing him a disservice by startling him to apply the med. Do you he think he would learn to be more amenable if you treat this process as you would most any other with a deaf cat - by making him aware of what is about to happen? Perhaps, treats before and after application, with him being fully awake? I think this might be more appropriate for a deaf cat.

The oral form will require you to pill your cat, although I believe you can give it to him with food (probably better to do so, to avoid any possible stomach distress). The dosage/frequency does sometimes need to be experimented with as well.

 

[stephanietx]

How often are you giving it? Could he do without it? What issue is causing the inappetence?

 

[Cosmic76]

Are you talking strictly about his reaction to having the Mirataz rubbed into his ear, or other behaviors associated to its impact on him?

Too much can bring about hyperactivity/aggravation, and lowering the dose can usually resolve that. I never gave Feeby more than half the dose and only every other day. Of course the reason for needing Mirataz can affect the dose and frequency too, but I think there is a bit of experimentation with finding the correct amount for each cat.

If it is just his reaction to having it rubbed into his ear, tbh, since he is deaf you are really doing him a disservice by startling him to apply the med. Do you he think he would learn to be more amenable if you treat this process as you would most any other with a deaf cat - by making him aware of what is about to happen? Perhaps, treats before and after application, with him being fully awake? I think this might be more appropriate for a deaf cat.

The oral form will require you to pill your cat, although I believe you can give it to him with food (probably better to do so, to avoid any possible stomach distress). The dosage/frequency does sometimes need to be experimented with as well.

Yes, I totally understand that surprising him isn't ideal, but we desperately need him to eat properly and start gaining weight as soon as he can (he has non-regenerative anaemia) and applying this gel with his consent is a no go, if he gets time to sniff then we've lost the moment and he's out of here, so whilst it sounds mean we have be a bit cruel to be kind at the moment. I think it must have a strong smell (for him) because it's not the applying it that seems to offend him (loves his ears being touched usually). We have been doing treats after to try and reward him, but he's not food driven at the best of times.

Thank you for your advice, I think I will ask the vet for tablet form, I reckon I could persuade him to take it in a pill pocket.

 

[Cosmic76]

How often are you giving it? Could he do without it? What issue is causing the inappetence?

Daily, at the moment, in alternate ears. He had gone off food and his weight has been very slowly declining, he did eat well the day before starting Mirtaz but vomited everything back up. Blood tests revealed non-regenerative anaemia with a currently unknown cause, he also had blood in his urine but the vet doesn't think it's CKD as his SDMA and BUN/CREA were normal.

 

[stephanietx]

Was he tested for pancreatitis or IBD? Both cause vomiting, lethargy, and inappetence due to nausea. Is he demonstrating any nausea? Drinking excessive water, lip smacking, excessive tongue blepping (sticking tongue out), unable to get comfortable when sleeping.

 

[Cosmic76]

Was he tested for pancreatitis or IBD? Both cause vomiting, lethargy, and inappetence due to nausea. Is he demonstrating any nausea? Drinking excessive water, lip smacking, excessive tongue blepping (sticking tongue out), unable to get comfortable when sleeping.

No, he wasn't tested for those, he doesn't appear to be nauseated, not to my eye anyway, hes always been a good water drinker and hadn't been doing it excessively, no bleps or smacking that I've witnessed! Could Pancreatitis cause blood in urine? When he was first assessed by the vet he was growling a lot when they felt around his abdomen, but we've had a good feel at home as well and he hasn't expressed any pain to us.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I think it must have a strong smell (for him) because it's not the applying it that seems to offend him (loves his ears being touched usually).

I know cats can smell much better than we can, but I don't recall Mirataz having any particular smell, much less strong. That is not really relevant, I suppose.

Based on what little I know, it might be possible to have blood in the urine due to non-regenerative anemia, but that is more likely with certain specific causes of anemia. That is a good question to ask your vet, they have to know that it can be caused by other things than CKD. There are a whole host of possible causes for non-regenerative anemia - up to and including infectious disease - all of which can require specialized treatments. Some will impact cobalamin levels (B-12), which can attribute to weight loss due to malabsorption in the intestines. Nonetheless, I am sure your cat is being treated for it in general, so I won't go into that aspect, especially since that is not what you asked about.

I hope you have better success with the oral mirtazapine!

 

[Cosmic76]

Was he tested for pancreatitis or IBD? Both cause vomiting, lethargy, and inappetence due to nausea. Is he demonstrating any nausea? Drinking excessive water, lip smacking, excessive tongue blepping (sticking tongue out), unable to get comfortable when sleeping.

Hi Stephanietx,
Just thought I'd let you know that he was admitted for barrage of tests and CT/US today and they believe he has IBD, so you were correct in your line of query IBD in cats is completely new to me, so I will have a lot of learning to do.

 

[louisstools]

My 12 year old girl has been on it since March 2023 due to low/no appetite that has no explanation. She tolerates it but doesn't like it. She really hates it when I have to clean her ears every two days to prevent build up. Her actual dose is 1/2 inch. Some days she gets just that and other days she gets 6x times that. It depends on what it takes to get her to eat. But she gets it every day because her appetite is so hit and miss.

 

[silent meowlook]

How is he doing?