Cats on Prozac?

barbarak

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Oh, something else:  As long as the spraying continues, you need to get a jug of Simple Solution.  I got mine on Amazon, just the regular strength works fine for me.  Put it in a spray bottle and douse anywhere the cats spray.  You can use it on pretty much anything, it gets rid of the urine odor and does NOT have a bad odor of its own.  I have used on fabric, walls, the dirt in my plants, furniture, even my hardwood floors.  And it also works great on vomit and poop!  The price fluctuates on Amazon, I've paid anywhere from 12.99 to 19.99 for a gallon but it's worth every penny!  Because sometimes you just need to get rid of the odor quickly when you don't have time to scrub or launder right away, or it's something that can't be laundered.  (Like my couch!)
 

cattilac

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. You are an Angel! Could you please PM me so we can keep in touch?
I might try getting the pills myself as I order drugs from Canada cheap. I already ordered more of the liquid at a cheaper price on line . Anything beats $30.00 a month! Thank-you so much.
 
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Boris Diamond

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I have a cat, Diamond, with a very high prey drive.  If another cat takes off running, his eyes get as big as saucers and the hunt is on.  He also likes to stare down other cats and intimidate them into moving.   Unfortunately for him, he is the one who loses!  He is the one who gets taken to the vet's for a tooth puncture wound, scratched inner eyelid and other injuries. Several times I have cleaned blood from between Diamond's eyes.  I have seen Diamond with a mouthful of fur, but I have not seen any injuries to my other cats.  

If I give this cat a timeout for an hour it helps for a while, but in six hours he might be at it again. Nothing, outside of picking him up,  will stop him or even get his attention when the hunt is on.  
   This went on for over a year.  I had to isolate him when I left the house and at other times just so we could have some peace.  It was an uncomfortable situation for everyone.  I don't think Diamond found being so driven to be a satisfying lifestyle, either.   Several people suggested that I rehome him, but that seemed like passing the problem to someone else.  And for all his other problems, Diamond is very devoted to me.  He had been through several living situations in his first six months.  I think it took a while before he believed he finally had a permanent home with me! 

My vet suggested Prozac.  I hate to drug kitties, but I wanted a happy house!  I decided to give it a try.  It made quite a difference.  I give him 1/2 of a ten mg. pill generic each day ($14 a month.)  He loves Pill Pockets!   Which is good, because I have to give him six pills a day for his HCM. 

He does not like to play the way he used to.  But he loves to be groomed now!  It is his favorite thing.  He used to be ambivalent about it   And the fights almost stopped.

At the vet's suggestion, I reduced the dose from 5 to 2.5 mg.  Within two days, fights started again.  I upped it to five mg. again and after a month, I am still having fights, though only once every week or so.  I'm hoping it will settle down again.  

I wish I had done this earlier.  I don't like giving a mood-altering drug to this cat, but it has made everyone happier. I have a happier relationship with Diamond, because he is happier.  And I don't think the situation was fair to the feline population, to be stared down, stalked or attacked so frequently  And Diamond seems more content, also.
 

cattilac

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Your cat Diamond sounds exactly like my boy Pinky as he has a cute Pink nose. Anyway he stares at the other cats in our family and they start running as they know how he is, and the run is on! He really attacks them and fur flies and his mouth is full of fur. I feel so sorry for the other cats and now his brother is spraying just like Pinky. I know it is from the stress of getting attacked by Pinky! Now I will have to put them both on Prozac which I can hardly afford as I have 13 cats that were rescued and adopted by me. I could not find homes for any of them. Our county is full of stray cats and dogs.
 

cattilac

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I am having a problem with paying exorbitant prices in our town for Prozac for my cat that sprays.nnow his brother is spraying too. I am going crazy. I can order from a vet in Canada that will give me 90 10mg tabs for 37.62. Is this reasonable. Right now I am paying $35.00 for liquid and will most likely have to put his brother on it also. Please help. Does anyone know of anywhere else I can get it cheaper? I need lots of advice. Thank-you!
 

barbarak

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I honestly think you could do better at Walmart, call and ask for the price on 10 mg. fluoxetine, which is the generic for Prozac and works just as well, it is what I use.  My vet is very reasonable and I get mine from him, but if that is not an option then definitely check Walmart before you order from Canada.  Your vet would have to write the rx but then you could take it wherever and have it filled, I know Walmart fills pet meds all the time around here.
 

cattilac

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. Hi, Everyone. I am back about my boy Pinky who has been spraying. I finally got my vet to write a prescription for tablet form of Prozac from Walmart. He only wants him on 5 mg. so because it only comes in 10 mg tablets, I must break them in half. He has been on them for about a week and he is still spraying but not attacking his siblings as much. Should he be on a higher dose? The prescription is for 15 pills which will last a month when breaking in half. I have ordered more from a place that I do not need a prescription. Any advice as I know one person on here says she gives her cat 10 mg but my vet did not like that suggestion that I made! Please help. Thank-you
 

barbarak

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Dosage depends on weight.  How much does Pinky weigh?I see you have him listed as "kitten" so perhaps that would be a lower dosage.  I have no idea why it's a tablet, as mine is a bluish-greenish capsule with powder inside so at this point I have no idea if we are even talking about the same drug.  WHAT EXACTLY DOES YOUR RX LABEL SAY?

Also, taken properly, 15 tablets broken in half should be MORE than a 30 day supply.  This is NOT a med that you cat should take every day for the rest of his life!!  If your vet is telling you to do that, I'm sorry but you need to think about switching vets.  This is a drug that will gradually build up to a therapeutic level in your cat's brain.  Standard dosage is every day for one week, then every other day for approx. 3-4 weeks, depending on results, then 2 times a week for 3 weeks, again depending on results, then you go to every 5 days, then every 6 days, etc.  At some point you will stop and see what happens.  If your cat reverts to bad behavior, he would need to stay on a maintenance dosage but NOT anywhere near every day.

Also, has your vet done everything to be sure there is no PHYSICAL cause for the spraying?  My son's cat recently began spraying and they took him to the vet (NOT my vet because that was "not convenient for them") and she first said bladder infection and gave an rx, which didn't help.  Then she finally did a urine sample and gave a different rx, but he still sprayed.  Then he wasn't urinating and she told them he was constipated and gave him an enema.  Long story short, after 35 days he stopped urinating completely ans THEN she checked and he had so many crystals in his urinary tract it was blocked shut and his kidneys were shutting down.  THEN they ran him to my vet who tried surgery but it was too late , he had kidney failure and died on the operating table.  So it was very sad and could have been avoided........and the poor cat had been spraying because he was sick and in pain.  So no, the vet does not always know everything and they are not always as thorough as they should be.  Your cat can't speak for himself (except sometimes by spraying!!) and so you need to advocate for him.  There should have been urine samples, blood work and possibly an x-ray to be sure nothing is really wrong, like infection, crystals, diabetes, etc.   Because if the Prozac is the correct pill at the right dosage, it should have worked after one week of use.  Either 5 mg. is not enough to build up to therapeutic levels, or there is something else wrong.  Please don't risk your cat's health and life, get a 2nd opinion!
 

cattilac

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Barbara, my cat is pretty big. He weighs at least 12 pounds. The vet gave him a checkup and said he seemed healthy. He said having so many cats with males and females it is very common for territorial spraying which I knew was true. I asked him about Prozac and he said he would give me a prescription but that it did not work for all cats. The bottle says, Fluoxetine which is generic for Prozac. 10MG tab Teva QTY 15 Take one-half Tablet by mouth once daily. They made it tablet so I could break it in half. I did order my own 10 mg. tabs through a pharmacy that you can order from without a prescription. That way I can do what you are doing. It sounds like what your vet is doing works. I don't know how many cats you have but I know I can't keep putting up with this spraying! My husband has just about had it! I am weary of cleaning and I do have 13 rescued and adopted cats so I already have plenty to do. Most of the cats are out in a sunroom where they can go outdoors into a protected cat yard. I keep 4 cats inside that are more timid but they do not spray and are all female and get along pretty good. But I do like to have the others come in and visit once in a while. Our sunroom is very nice and they spray out there and I am cleaning and scrubbing up pee all the time. I must say the Pinky Boy is not attacking the other cats as much since starting the meds. What is your advice? Thank-you in advance!
 

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Just wanted to remind everyone that veterinarians often prescribe dosages for reasons we may not be aware of here. It could be weight, it could be age, it could be an underlying health condition. Sometimes it's about the vet's experience with the drug and sometimes it's about adjusting a drug gradually. 

It can be dangerous to change dosages according to online recommendations which is why we don't allow recommending medical treatments, and specifically not dosages. If you're not happy with the dosage your veterinarian recommends, talk to him/her about it. Still unhappy? It's time to think about finding a vet that you do trust. 

To clarify, this isn't about any specific post that's currently in the thread, just a general reminder for us all.  
 

grzina

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I have a 12 year old cat that suddenly became anxious and bothered by something. I suspect it was an outside cat visitor that came several times in the middle of the night and bothered both of my indoor cats. He was anxious, nervous and then started pooping outside the litter box and urine marking. He was put on Prozac. It has not even been 2 weeks and he has not marked or pooped outside the box. Not even once. He was also over grooming and itching constantly to the point of making scabs. His vet gave him a steroid shot and the itching stopped immediately. So, will the Prozac help with the itching/over grooming? My vet has said the steroid shot lasts two weeks and he doesn't like to give it to them long term due to side effects. Also with the Prozac, he was started on .5 ml for two weeks then that goes up to 1 ml after that. What is the reason for that? I have a follow up with the vet next week but I appreciate hearing from other folks with the same experience.
 

cattilac

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My cat has been on Prozac for sometime. I got help from another cat site reader. It has helped me so much. She was a God send to me as the stress my cat was causing me had me crazy! I would like for you to contact me for moral support. I hope this site allows this as it is very important for cat rescuers to get together and support one another. I love this site but feel they should allow more freedom for their fans to help one another. Look me up on Facebook...
Vendetta Holman Dressel. Hang in there!
 

mocha bee

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Thank you I did not know they make an ear salve.  Our Delilah is a rescue and is 4.  She is so afraid of everything, although she will come and sit near me and gets on the bed at night but the slightest  move has her running under the bed. My vet is putting her on Fluoxetin but I cannot pick her up to give her a pill and the liquid added to her food doesn't work because she wont eat it. I will try the ear salve.
 

psychomama

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Psycho has been on Fluoxetine for 7 years. He was the same way so frightened. He s now a real social butterfly. I have the meds compounded to a liquid tuna flavor and he takes it like a treat. Meds in food is a no no and from what I ve read the ear salve does not work very well. He takes the smalles ml.13 and your sure she is getting the proper dose. I have it compounded from a company in TX and they send it to me. My vet just has to call in the prescription.
 

mocha bee

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Thank you for the info. according to my vet she is taking ( or not taking) the right amount for her size. She is a big fluffy tortie.  I got the tuna flavor in a liquid but as I said she did not eat her food when I put it in and even after I dumped it out and gave her new food she would not eat it for almost a day. Is the tuna flavor that you are using in a treat or still the liquid ?
 

psychomama

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It's a liquid I put in a syringe and just give it to him in the syringe. I hold him by the nape of the neck stick it in the side of his mouth and slowly release the liquid. It may take you a few tries to get the hang of it but I think it s the best way to administer it. Your Vet can probably show you first how to do it.
 

mocha bee

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again thank you for trying to help me.  The trouble with Delilah is that I can not pick her up.  She runs as soon as you bend down, she will however come if I call, I don't want to try and grab her everytime she needs her med or we will be back at square 1, which is under the bed all day or somewhere else (she is a very clever hider. When we first got her we nicked named her Houdini.

I saw on one or two of the suggestions for scaredy cats that Wisker City calm down works for some cats. you add it to the water bowl so I think I will now try that.
 

mocha bee

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As I said before Thank you for helping.  I will post if anything else works.
 

lalagimp

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initially we had an issue without outside cats spraying our exterior doors
so we ended up getting motion activated sprinklers to get the outside cats away.
Then the behavior just sort of sticked. Stewart was spraying and then he got Tom to start spraying.
I put out more litter boxes. I tried calming collars. I put Feliway out. We even got Scat Mats for in front of the doors and the closet doors. We put Scccat cans out in the kitchen which is motion activated compressed air, so they would stop marking in front of the oven. Someone even decided to get up on the counter and spray the window blinds as well as my toaster. It was pretty bad. We always cleaned up with Nature's Miracle.

And we moved and Tommy started marking like crazy. First time I caught him doing it was the wall behind the litter box as he was trying to mark his litter box so we started getting plastic storage totes that were his height and cutting them into litter boxes. Still spraying. 
Between him and Stew, they were getting the bathroom door, the bed, the dresser, the closet until we put the scat mats back out, the kitchen, the dining room, the couches, the bookshelf.
The bookshelf was the last straw. Tom made his dad so upset when he sprayed the books.
We put up a double height baby gate to block off the living room where the books were.

I even ended up trying Bach's Rescue Remedy Pet and Tom built a tolerance to it.

I took him to the vet for a complete work up and there was nothing wrong with him between his blood, urine, and examination.
So we started Prozac.
He quit within 48 hrs.

Stewart kept spraying. He figured out how to douse my bathroom and not just the bathroom door, and I was cleaning it up at least twice a day in different places.
I told his dad I was done. You clean it up.
Turns out it makes his allergies nuts to clean it up so he agreed to take him to the vet.
Complete work up. Nothing wrong with him.
So we started Prozac
He quit within 48 hrs.

The boys are still bright and alert and playful. The only real side effects were the first day. And now Tommy isn't pent up with anxiety, and Stewart doesn't believe he has to be feral and ward the house in urine. Stewart gets his in capsules where his dad puts the meds in his food. Tommy has caplets that I break up and put into Greenie Pill Pockets.
 
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