Depo-medrol after effects on an itchy kitty?

ladytimedramon

TCS Member
Thread starter
Super Cat
Joined
Apr 29, 2020
Messages
808
Purraise
772
Hello.

In the ongoing saga of Delilah and her itching, when I was at the vet he gave her a shot of depo-medrol. While it seems to have helped her being so itchy, it seems to have affected her behavior. She almost seems to be mopey.

The first day or so I figured she'd be sore and cranky. But now, no zoomies. No playing with her favorite toy. She isn't even really sitting in the cat tree watching squirrels and birds. Instead she has been going to sit in the hallway. Earlier I saw her just sitting in my bedroom doorway. She gave me a pitiful mew. When I went to put her eardrops in she barely put up her usual fight. She is coming into my lap on the recliner, but it's like a constant "pet me pet me scratch me rub me pet me".

Can this be from the shot? Or is the itch bothering her so much she doesn't want to move?

Also I decided to go with the prescription food (Royal Canin, because it's not duck) instead of the limited ingredient, mostly because she had been eating duck and quail 2 weeks before all this mess got worse. I'm also changing her litter. At the shelter they used an inexpensive industrial purchase clay litter. My friends, when I adopted, all recommended Fresh Step. In case something in that is bothering her too, I'm going to pick up some unscented Dr. Elseys.

Overall though, right now I'm less worried about the itch than this lack of playing and lack of interest in her usual activities. Right now she was sitting on my bed while I write this in another room. Usually by now she would have come to see where I was.
 

abyeb

Charlie's Purrson
Veteran
Joined
Feb 18, 2017
Messages
7,565
Purraise
9,599
Depo-medrol (Methylprednisolone acetate) does come with some potential side effects including nausea, headache, and dizziness, among other things (see this article: Drugs & Medications), so it's possible that her behavioral changes are due from not feeling well because of those side effects. That being said, there could be something else going on, so I would recommend calling your vet to see what they think.
 
Top