Ovaban as stress reliever?

vibiana

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My oldest cat, Thisbe, hates all my other cats. She also hates everyone in the world except me, and me she only tolerates grudgingly.

She's a beautiful black and white Manx and everybody that sees her wants to pet her, but she lashes out, snarling.

I'll admit her behavior is partly my fault. She was an "only kitty" for eight months before I rescued Cushie, and since then I've rescued two more. I live in a 900 sq ft, 2 bdrm apartment and it does get a little crowded for them, I'm sure.

I just bought my first home -- a 1000-sq-ft townhouse -- so even though it's not much more room, it WILL be more -- and with an upstairs for them to retreat to.

Yesterday at the vet, Thisbe went so ballistic that they couldn't even weigh or examine her. They wrapped her in a towel, gave her the vaxes and put her back in the cage. When I got there she was still so agitated that she even growled and snarled at me. I had to pet her for a few minutes to calm her down enough to take her out of the cage, and even then she was still snarling and growling.

This morning I gave her the first of the pills that the doctor prescribed -- Ovaban. It was a nightmarish experience for both of us. I tried putting the pill in peanut butter. She wouldn't eat it. So I wiped it off and put it with some sliced cheese. She ate the cheese but not the pill. Finally I had to grab her and force it down her, which turned her so savage that I hardly recognized her.

I have to give her these pills every day for seven days, then 1/2 a pill every other day for seven more days, then 1/2 a pill each week after that. Now I'm reading on the Internet about how they cause diabetes, etc. Thisbe is already about 10 years old and I feel terribly guilty about having made her life so unhappy with the other cats, but they were just as worthy of rescue as she was. Even when she was the only cat, she had petting-induced aggressiveness, so perhaps her personality is just radically different. She WILL come and sit on my lap or cuddle up to me in bed sometimes if the other cats are far enough away that she feels comfortable to.

Right now I have her isolated in my spare bedroom -- I figured after the hell of taking the pill this morning, she deserved a little retreat time. Please, someone, talk to me and tell me I'm not doing the wrong thing! I love this little girl and I am so upset!
 

sharky

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Your doing the right thing.,.. I am just unsure why the vet didnt try something gentler first like feliway
 
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vibiana

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Originally Posted by sharky

Your doing the right thing.,.. I am just unsure why the vet didnt try something gentler first like feliway
I have some Feliway but I've sprayed it all over and it doesn't seem to help. The problem is, she has been confrontational with the other three cats from the moment they came to the household, and she is declawed while the other ones aren't. (I got her that way; I would never declaw a cat).

So since she started off on a bad foot with them, they tend to back her down and "guard" her. I try to intervene when I'm there, but I'm sure she spends a lot of days hiding under beds, etc.
 

sharky

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Kandie is also a front declaw and had /has the same issues ... Time worked here but maybe meds will work
 

stephanietx

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Have you tried Bach's Rescue Remedy? I wanted to try that before I put my cat on any type of kitty prozac. I've had such wonderful success with it. It's a liquid and you can give it to your cat in canned food or in their water bowl. Someone here also rubbed it on their cat's ears and had success.

Here's some information about it. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...pc=1&N=0&Nty=1 I should mention that this is made for humans, but is safe for cats if used appropriately. I'm not sure I'd ever try the spray on my cat!!

I intially ordered mine from Drs Foster & Smith, but I'm going to call the health food store around the corner and see if they carry it.

Stephanie
 
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vibiana

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She did a little better the last few days because I stopped trying to give her the whole pill ... I crush it up in sardines or deviled ham. The problem there is she won't eat all of it ... so today I shut her into the spare bedroom with the sardines and her water and litter ... that way she HAS to eat it.


I feel mean and terrible, but the medication DOES help calm her down ... I want to make sure she gets all of it down.
 

sharky

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I am so glad the meds seem to work ... Here are some vibes for easier pill taking
 

tru

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You could have been describing my Moniques behavior!
She is also front declawed and was adopted that way. Today I told my SO that she might be happier in a home with no other cats and he said, "she would just wake up, find a mirror and start growling and swatting at that!"


As your Thisbe does, she will come lay on me in bed if there are no other cats around and when I use the bathroom, she will often come in and give me kisses on the cheek or forhead. She does have her very sweet moments.

I seriously do wonder at times if I should try to find her a no pet home for her own happiness. I love her as I do all my furbabies and I don't want them to be miserable just by living here.

I think it's a tough call to make, but in my case deserves some serious thought. I just recently bought some Richard's Organics Pet Calm to try. I assume it's pretty much the same as the Rescue Remedy and worth a try.

Times like these I wish she could spit out in plain English what would make her the happiest.
 

lillyanne

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My heart goes out to you! A year ago June 1st my cat Oliver and I had to move due to a divorce, little did I know the home we moved into was infested with fleas inside and out. I've spent hundreds of dollars trying to rid the property of fleas but the problem persists. I try to keep him in, but we both go crazy at the end of three days. Besides I don't think it's healthy for cats to be in doors their whole life. The vet put Oliver on Ovaban back in March and it seemed to work, he stopped itching right away. Then in July, after much contemplation, I adopted a female kitten from our local humane society. It was something I had been wanting to do for quite some time, but Oliver didn't agree. Just as you have you described your cats behavior, Oliver has also become mad and aggressive. We used to be close but now he hates me, and the new addition, Nina. It's breaking my heart and I'm torn as to what to do. Like you said, other cats deserve to be rescued as well. Unfortunately cats don't have the ability to understand our rational . As for Oliver itching problem, he's still itching even after being on the Ovaban a second time. After everything I've read about Ovaban, I will not allow him to have it again because it's only a temporary fix and does more harm in the long run. It's hard to tell, but I've wondered if it hasn't contributed to his aggressive behavior. Or perhaps he would be this way due to territorial issues with Nina. I've since changed vets and am now seeing a natural path doctor. He's recommending a pheromone that is placed in the home. It's suppose to bring a calming effect to the animals. We'll see.

So, administering the pill. This is what I did and it worked great. I got a pill crusher from the pharmacy. It's a little round unit that cuts, holds, and crushes pills. Simply put the pill in and twist the cap. Then mix the crushed pill in with her favorite food. Oliver never noticed the pill and lapped up his food as always. 

Good luck!
 

mrsgreenjeens

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Hi!  And Welcome to TCS.  I'm glad you've taken Oliver off the Ovaban and are now looking into other solutions.  Best of luck integrating Nina into your household, and glad you found a way to pill Oliver, in case you need to do it again sometime.

Just wanted to let you know that the thread you posted on here is over 5 years old, so you may  never hear back from the original poster
  

Feel free to start up a thread of you own if you have any question as you go along.
 
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