Prozac & urinary retention? Advice needed FLUTD kitty

[JungleBookBros]

Hello! My cat Baloo, male age 8, has been experiencing FLUTD for the last 2.5 months. Blood in the urine. We tried gabapentin & prazosin first along with prescription urinary food (calm care from royal canine). But as soon as he would be off the gabapentin the blood in the urine and straining would return. Throughout testing we’ve only found crystals once and that’s make my vet believe this is FLUTD caused by anxiety.

I started him on liquid Prozac (fluoxetine) five days ago. He was prescribed 1mL/day. And at night I’m weaning him off gabapentin (50mg at night from 200mg a day prior). It seemed like 1mL was a lot so I cut the dose in half a couple days ago.

The blood in the urine has not returned. His behavior seems calm after he gets over the initial anxiety from the medication being administered via syringe.

However, he’s only been peeing once a day since starting the Prozac. It’s a very large amount of urine at a time. He seems to understand he wants to pee (walks over to the litter box) but isn’t straining to go in the litter box.

It hasn’t been 24 hours yet since the last time he’s gone but it’s getting close. Any advice? Is this normal in the beginning of him adjusting to the prozac? Should I lower the dose again?

Mostly worried about potentially blocking or holding to long causes liver issue. Thank you in advanc!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I am not aware of prozac causing urinary retention. If I were you, I would give the Vet a call and a) discuss the fact that you have lowered the dose, and b) discuss the urinary retention. I did read that in pill form the normal dose is 2mg to 5 mg for cats, but not sure if that would convert to milliliters the same. Anyway, if you are stressing our your furry friend by giving him the liquid form, you can get it in other versions, even compounded into tasty treats, or a flavored pill that you can wrap in a treat.

Are you feeding wet food or dry. Even if you are feeding wet, I would add extra water to his food. If feeding dry, I would try to ensure he is drinking lots of fluids. And stress is a big factor in FLUTD. Is there anything causing him undo stress? Other cats, babies construction?

Here are a couple of threads you might find interesting.

Urinary Issues/ Prozac Suggested by Vet

Hello, so my 4 year old girl cat has been having ongoing urinary issues for like 4 months. She’s been peeing in the litter box 24/7 in small increments, sometimes peeing blood, and crying out a lot as well as excessive grooming down there. I’ve taken her to the vet more times that I can count...

thecatsite.com

Stress in Cats - The Ultimate Guide - TheCatSite

Discover the ultimate guide to understanding and managing stress in cats. Learn about the common causes, signs, and effective strategies.

thecatsite.com

 

[stephanietx]

We recently had a cat on Prozac, not related to urinary issues, but litterbox avoidance when defecating. He was on the pill form. I did not notice any increased urine retention.

 

[white shadow]

Hi J JungleBookBros - (you wouldn't also have a "Mowgli" in the house, possibly? ) and a very warm welcome to the forum !

Under "Adverse Effects", Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook has this to say about fluoxetine/Prozac:

"Cats may exhibit behavior changes (anxiety, irritibility, sleep disturbances) anorexia, and changes in elimination patterns*." ​

*The VCA Animal Hospital site changes that to "changes in...bathroom use"​

Cats.com offers a very thorough coverage that I'd recommend you read, as it speaks of "a very narrow margin of safety" and cautions against discontinuing Prozac abruptly, instead "weaning the kitty slowly off...", to which Plumb's adds "over 6-8 weeks". All of that's here.

Hope that helps!

Oh, your first post here comes with a "kitty tax"............................usually payable before the second!
.

 

[JungleBookBros]

Hi J JungleBookBros - (you wouldn't also have a "Mowgli" in the house, possibly? ) and a very warm welcome to the forum !

Under "Adverse Effects", Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook has this to say about fluoxetine/Prozac:

"Cats may exhibit behavior changes (anxiety, irritibility, sleep disturbances) anorexia, and changes in elimination patterns*." ​

*The VCA Animal Hospital site changes that to "changes in...bathroom use"​

Cats.com offers a very thorough coverage that I'd recommend you read, as it speaks of "a very narrow margin of safety" and cautions against discontinuing Prozac abruptly, instead "weaning the kitty slowly off...", to which Plumb's adds "over 6-8 weeks". All of that's here.

Hope that helps!

Oh, your first post here comes with a "kitty tax"............................usually payable before the second!
.

Thank you! I’ll check this out

 

[JungleBookBros]

I am not aware of prozac causing urinary retention. If I were you, I would give the Vet a call and a) discuss the fact that you have lowered the dose, and b) discuss the urinary retention. I did read that in pill form the normal dose is 2mg to 5 mg for cats, but not sure if that would convert to milliliters the same. Anyway, if you are stressing our your furry friend by giving him the liquid form, you can get it in other versions, even compounded into tasty treats, or a flavored pill that you can wrap in a treat.

Are you feeding wet food or dry. Even if you are feeding wet, I would add extra water to his food. If feeding dry, I would try to ensure he is drinking lots of fluids. And stress is a big factor in FLUTD. Is there anything causing him undo stress? Other cats, babies construction?

Here are a couple of threads you might find interesting.

http://[URL]https://thecatsite.com/threads/urinary-issues-prozac-suggested-by-vet.456274/

[/URL]

http://[URL]https://thecatsite.com/c/stress-in-cats/

[/URL]

Hi! Yes, I feed him a majority wet food diet in addition to prescription dry food. I add water to his wet food as well. I feed him the wet food 2-3 times a day as directed by my vet. And the more wet food he eats, the better the bloody urine did get prior to Prozac.

As far as stress is concerned, he lives a very simple and healthy lifestyle. It’s just me and him and one other cat in the home. He gets along with my other cat soooo well, they love each other. There’s been no changes in visitors, diet, etc. So I’m not sure where the stress is coming from but he’s always been a timid shy cat. He’s a previous street cat (4 yr ago now).

I plan on calling his vet Monday, was looking to get some advice prior. I did see in FB groups urinary retention mentioned on Prozac, but that’s it’s not common.

 

[JungleBookBros]

Hello! My cat Baloo, male age 8, has been experiencing FLUTD for the last 2.5 months. Blood in the urine. We tried gabapentin & prazosin first along with prescription urinary food (calm care from royal canine). But as soon as he would be off the gabapentin the blood in the urine and straining would return. Throughout testing we’ve only found crystals once and that’s make my vet believe this is FLUTD caused by anxiety.

I started him on liquid Prozac (fluoxetine) five days ago. He was prescribed 1mL/day. And at night I’m weaning him off gabapentin (50mg at night from 200mg a day prior). It seemed like 1mL was a lot so I cut the dose in half a couple days ago.

The blood in the urine has not returned. His behavior seems calm after he gets over the initial anxiety from the medication being administered via syringe.

However, he’s only been peeing once a day since starting the Prozac. It’s a very large amount of urine at a time. He seems to understand he wants to pee (walks over to the litter box) but isn’t straining to go in the litter box.

It hasn’t been 24 hours yet since the last time he’s gone but it’s getting close. Any advice? Is this normal in the beginning of him adjusting to the prozac? Should I lower the dose again?

Mostly worried about potentially blocking or holding to long causes liver issue. Thank you in advanc!

Update: he did pee but he waited a whole 24 hours. I’m still going to contact his vet Monday! But I’m hoping lowering his dose will allow him to feel less stressed but also allow him to pee more frequently. I’ll continue to update for anyone else looking for info on this subject!

 

[Attiboy8]

Update: he did pee but he waited a whole 24 hours. I’m still going to contact his vet Monday! But I’m hoping lowering his dose will allow him to feel less stressed but also allow him to pee more frequently. I’ll continue to update for anyone else looking for info on this subject!

Hello- any more updates? What did the vet say in the end, and did your cat adjust to the Prozac in the end and have normal urine patterns again?

I ask because my cat is on day 5 of fluoxetine and I am experiencing the same problems with him rarely urinating. He seems completely fine otherwise- still ring and playing, but it is a concern.