Mirataz (mirtazapine)

[GranolaLouise]

My cat has been on Miritaz since Jan 13th.. She has gained weight and is eating.
Tomorrow I am going to see if she has an appetite w/o administering the medication.

Question: How long has your kitty been taking Mirataz or Mirtazapine?
I have another 2 weeks before I go to the vet for bloods, etc., but would like some Mom and Dad personal experience.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Feeby has been on Mirataz for over a year (11/2021). She gets 1/2 dose every other day - although I have played with the dose and frequency over time to find what suits her needs best. Given her ailments, it is highly unlikely she will ever be at a point of not needing it. She gained weight at first, and since then her weight has remained stable.

A lot depends on why your cat is on Mirataz as to whether it might be appropriate to discontinue it. It may be a matter of what I did, by experimenting with the dosage/frequency to determine what works best for your cat.

 

[GranolaLouise]

Thanks FeebysMom. it is the ckd which I posted a lot about when I first joined the forum. Since then she is doing oh so much better now that she is eating and drinking. I finally found ways to get that bland Renal food into her. Her fur is full and the coloring is coming out more. But the fatter she is getting, the more she sleeps. I don't especially like that, though.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Trust me, I know the back and forth on the weight. I gave it up a while ago, when Feeby's weight stabilized. But, before that every little fluctuation (I weigh her weekly) would send me reeling - was she getting too much to eat, was she getting not enough, and on and on and on. Ideally, I don't want her to weigh what she does (almost 13 pounds), but I will take that over when she dropped to just over 10 pounds. It seems that with her, there is no middle ground, for whatever reason. So, I will take the higher weight over the lower weight. She may need it down the road...

I think you are right in needing to experiment with the Mirataz to find a happy medium. It doesn't hurt to cut back and see what happens.

 

[Twylasmom]

Twyla (who has CKD and is hyperthyroid) has been on Mirataz since September 2022. She usually only needs a half dose every 4 to 5 days to keep her appetite stable, though sometimes she needs it more frequently. I anticipate she will be on it for the rest of her life. There is nothing wrong with experimenting with the dose, especially if your cat is eating well.

 

[GranolaLouise]

She did have an appetite...for the normal cat food high on phos. It took the Meritaz to give her an appetite for a renal diet. I swear she will eat even cardboard as long as she is on it. Only time she won't eat while on it is during the house renovation hammering and drilling...which even takes my appetite away.

 

[mrw5641]

FeebysOwner GranolaLouise Twylasmom my vet prescribed miratz and I was wondering if you have multiple cats?
I was reading the label and it said to keep pet away from people and animals for 2 hours.

 

[GranolaLouise]

FeebysOwner GranolaLouise Twylasmom my vet prescribed miratz and I was wondering if you have multiple cats?
I was reading the label and it said to keep pet away from people and animals for 2 hours.

I have only 1 cat. I believe it is in case some of the medication gets on ones skin . It has gotten on mine when at first she struggled with administering it and I did notice I was ravenous.

I skipped a day and she ate just the same the next day. But then she was not as hungry and I had to give it to her today. I will skip tomorrow.

 

[Twylasmom]

FeebysOwner GranolaLouise Twylasmom my vet prescribed miratz and I was wondering if you have multiple cats?
I was reading the label and it said to keep pet away from people and animals for 2 hours.

I have two cats and they like to groom each other! I just keep an eye on them for about 90 minutes. Separating them doesn’t work very well as both do NOT like closed doors, but might work for you.

 

[FeebysOwner]

FeebysOwner GranolaLouise Twylasmom my vet prescribed miratz and I was wondering if you have multiple cats? I was reading the label and it said to keep pet away from people and animals for 2 hours.

I use the fingertips cut off from cheap plastic gloves to administer it to my cat. Don't worry about it beyond that. I am not accustomed to massaging my cat's inner ears (or licking them ). I suspect the reason for keeping other cats away is because they could lick the ear of the cat who is getting the med. I can't imagine it tastes all that great, so not sure if a cat would want to try it. So, watching over them as noted above is probably sufficient.

 

[LTMommy]

My cat has been on since late August 2022. Due to something that may be going on with one of his kidneys, I generally only give it about every 3 days, sometimes slightly longer inbetween if his appetite seems ok and sometimes every other day if his appetite seems to be in a slump. He gets the transdermal ointment, full dose each time I give it.

 

[GranolaLouise]

I use the fingertips cut off from cheap plastic gloves to administer it to my cat. Don't worry about it beyond that. I am not accustomed to massaging my cat's inner ears (or licking them ). I suspect the reason for keeping other cats away is because they could lick the ear of the cat who is getting the med. I can't imagine it tastes all that great, so not sure if a cat would want to try it. So, watching over them as noted above is probably sufficient.

I cut off the fingers of the gloves too! She sees the blue finger and makes her ears collapse!

 

[daftcat75]

Mirataz/mirtazapine is an anti-depressant with an off-label use for appetite stimulation. But its primary mode of action makes it dangerous to abruptly discontinue it. What the vets recommend is slowly weaning her off it. If you usually give her the full inch ribbon, then maybe give her 3/4 of an inch for a week. Give her at least a week at each new step down. So it could take a month or it could take longer to get her off it completely. But better too slow than too quickly.

 

[GranolaLouise]

Makes sense. Thank you for the guidance.

 

[catlove615]

I've used MIrataz on two cats who were very ill, and I'm certain from experience with many cats that using Mirataz extended their lives by several years. My current cat gets Mirataz every three to seven days (half dose), and that keeps her appetite going. My vet has not been able to determine why she has an appetite problem. Her lab work looks good. There are times when she'll go 7 days without a slowdown in appetite. Other times 3 days. I just let her appetite tell me when she needs it.

 

[GranolaLouise]

It is confusing seeing the use is for only 14 days. I have not been giving her a lot..perhaps 1/4 of the dose all along. I would hate to see her appetite if I gave her the full dose! I give in the morning and it stimulates her appetite around mid day and she eats like there is no tomorrow and LOUDLY lets me know when she wants more.

 

[louisstools]

My vet has not been able to determine why she has an appetite problem. Her lab work looks good.

Same boat with my 10 year old girl. I've spent a lot of money and time on all the diagnostics and they've all been clean. We have one special Texas A&M GI panel we're waiting on.

But just no appetite when she used to be always hungry. We've just started taking it two days ago and it's working like a miracle...she's just getting 1/4 inch. Probably a rest of her life thing.

 

[Kris107]

I gave my cat Mirataz for 3 years until she passed. She had asthma which made her appetite poor. Could have also been some other issues too. Dosing varied over the years but towards the end it was every day.

 

[GranolaLouise]

Well my cat has been on Mirtazapine 1/2 Dose daily one year next month.
I read that Feeby has been on it for some time and another poster stated that kitty was on it for 3 years before passing.
In another thread someone posted that long term use can cause liver damage!
question..how long now has your cat been on Miramax or Mirtazapine, and is/was there liver damage?

 

[FeebysOwner]

how long now has your cat been on Miramax or Mirtazapine, and is/was there liver damage?

Feeby has been on Mirataz (~1/2 dose every 2-3 days) just over 2 years - there has been no negative impact on her liver values to date (knock on wood).