One of my young adult cats, Pippin, has been extremely fearful of other cats for about a year. She’s two now and we raised her from a bottle baby with her brothers.
When she was one we had taken two cats from the neighborhood, dumped in the street, inside and naked arrangements for their neuter and adoption. Before they were adopted they began chasing and mounting her and she has been terrified of cats ever since.
Those two have gone to their now home now, but her fear behavior hasn’t stopped. Each time another cats approached her she runs and urinates on a pillow or blanket. It’s not spraying, as it’s never on a vertical surface, rather she seems to urinate in places that she sleeps so it smells even more like her.
Unfortunately, she began to mark (not on vertical surfaces) urine in the places she liked to sleep and has been created for several months. We had hoped the separation from the other cats in the house would reduce her fear, but when she comes out she still is anxious and runs, (and now the two youngest seem to think she is playing because they try to play with her).
We’ve been trying to find her a new situation but no one ever seems to be adopting adult cats, especially those that are fearful, and have urinated inappropriately, and the local humane society’s has said they would likely be unable to find her a home.
We don’t want to crate her for any longer; it’s not fair to her. We used to have an extra room (and I would love to have it back) but unfortunately a human is now residing in there.
I talked with my vet with the intention of asking about anti-anxiety medication until we can find her a new home, and she recommended just getting rid of her. She kept repeating it like she didn’t believe we were actually looking for a new home. We told her (again) we’ve been looking to rehome her but in the mean time would like to get her comfortable outside of a crate. She seemed dubious, and then reluctantly prescribed gabapentin for daily use (which I’ve never heard of used for anxiety before except for pre-vet/travel medicating).
The gabapentin, of course, relaxed her, but it’s a sedative and also made her very tired.
We called back about the lethargy and she prescribed Prozac, which makes more sense for long-term use, and then proceeded to tell us perhaps eight times in a row that it might not work and could result in a worse mood (I’ve taken it, I know all of this). At the same time she ordered a prescription for Xanax to be given every twelve hours daily until the Prozac worked, which she insisted would be four to six months (it’s really not that long to at least START working, if I remember correctly). She didn’t actually talk to us about any of these medications, and instead write the plan in the back and sent us to the lobby, and a technician to tell us what she prescribed and to deliver the medication.
Obviously the Prozac will take time to work, especially to reach its full effects, but I’m more concerned about the dose she wrote up. For a 9lb cat it seems that 5mg daily is a lot for a starting dose.
So far she has taken the medication twice, once yesterday and once today, with dinner. No change psychologically, and a hugely lowered appetite. I know the appetite loss is normal and is likely to be temporary, but of course I’m concerned.
Do any of you have experience with this kind of behavior and using Prozac to help resolve it? Also any ideas on getting her to eat would be appreciated. She has barely eaten since her first dose of Prozac.
When she was one we had taken two cats from the neighborhood, dumped in the street, inside and naked arrangements for their neuter and adoption. Before they were adopted they began chasing and mounting her and she has been terrified of cats ever since.
Those two have gone to their now home now, but her fear behavior hasn’t stopped. Each time another cats approached her she runs and urinates on a pillow or blanket. It’s not spraying, as it’s never on a vertical surface, rather she seems to urinate in places that she sleeps so it smells even more like her.
Unfortunately, she began to mark (not on vertical surfaces) urine in the places she liked to sleep and has been created for several months. We had hoped the separation from the other cats in the house would reduce her fear, but when she comes out she still is anxious and runs, (and now the two youngest seem to think she is playing because they try to play with her).
We’ve been trying to find her a new situation but no one ever seems to be adopting adult cats, especially those that are fearful, and have urinated inappropriately, and the local humane society’s has said they would likely be unable to find her a home.
We don’t want to crate her for any longer; it’s not fair to her. We used to have an extra room (and I would love to have it back) but unfortunately a human is now residing in there.
I talked with my vet with the intention of asking about anti-anxiety medication until we can find her a new home, and she recommended just getting rid of her. She kept repeating it like she didn’t believe we were actually looking for a new home. We told her (again) we’ve been looking to rehome her but in the mean time would like to get her comfortable outside of a crate. She seemed dubious, and then reluctantly prescribed gabapentin for daily use (which I’ve never heard of used for anxiety before except for pre-vet/travel medicating).
The gabapentin, of course, relaxed her, but it’s a sedative and also made her very tired.
We called back about the lethargy and she prescribed Prozac, which makes more sense for long-term use, and then proceeded to tell us perhaps eight times in a row that it might not work and could result in a worse mood (I’ve taken it, I know all of this). At the same time she ordered a prescription for Xanax to be given every twelve hours daily until the Prozac worked, which she insisted would be four to six months (it’s really not that long to at least START working, if I remember correctly). She didn’t actually talk to us about any of these medications, and instead write the plan in the back and sent us to the lobby, and a technician to tell us what she prescribed and to deliver the medication.
Obviously the Prozac will take time to work, especially to reach its full effects, but I’m more concerned about the dose she wrote up. For a 9lb cat it seems that 5mg daily is a lot for a starting dose.
So far she has taken the medication twice, once yesterday and once today, with dinner. No change psychologically, and a hugely lowered appetite. I know the appetite loss is normal and is likely to be temporary, but of course I’m concerned.
Do any of you have experience with this kind of behavior and using Prozac to help resolve it? Also any ideas on getting her to eat would be appreciated. She has barely eaten since her first dose of Prozac.
