Cats on Prozac?

kooms

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My cat Java is 18 1/2 years old. Suddenly a few months ago she started pooping outside the litterbox. Well, that was easy enough to clean up, I was grateful it was just poo. Then occasionally she would pee outside the box. It actually took me quite a while to figure out it was her, since I have two cats and she's always been the one with immaculate litterbox behavior. But I did catch her red-handed.

The 2 cats had always been happy using one box (which I was good at cleaning since my other kitty is very particular), and for several years it was a very high-sided box to prevent scatter. It worked great. I thought maybe Java was just having trouble getting in &out of it (although she was regularly managing to get up to the bathroom sink to drink out of the faucet or just keep me company when I was there). So I got a second, lower sided box. Seemed to improve things for a bit, but then she got worse again. The boxes were in a room with hardwood floors, and I was using puppy pee pads but sometimes she wouldn't use the pads and it was becoming a problem. So I moved everything to my back hallway, which is tiled.

At the moment she NEVER does anything in the box. I have two boxes set out in my hallway, and an assortment of pee pads. She's now good about using the pads, although sometimes she misses a bit and it creates a mess. I was lucky enough that when I went on vacation a good friend (who the cats love & he's good with them) was willing to deal with all this, but I feel like I'll never be able to go out of town again as long as this is the situation.

I did take her in for lab work and a urinalysis and everything was normal (even her kidney function was in normal range although she has had kidney disease for a few years).  I just started her on Prozac at the vet's suggestion (5 mg once a day). It's been less than a week, and she seems to be pretty spacey and has a very diminished appetite. She kind of looks at her food like she doesn't know what she's supposed to do with it. Her appetite was declining immediately before I started Prozac, but it's taken a big dip since it was started. 

She's a pretty slender cat at this point and has lost a fair amount of weight (even before all this started she'd lost some weight, she used to be a little chunky but not obese) and shouldn't lose any more. I'd like to know if people who have used the topical cream with their cats have ever had trouble with loss of appetite? I know it's a potential side effect of the medicine, but thought it might be different if applied topically. I'm at my wit's end dealing with the inappropriate urination behavior, but am worried that the Prozac (& it hasn't been long enough to know if it will work yet) will cause her to lose too much weight and become sickly.

Thanks for any input!
 

ermentrude

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I wrote a very long overview of my little man and prozac.  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/302479/charleston-the-anxious-kitty-seeking-input-on-litterbox-problems

Suffice it to say, it didn't go well - he was very spaced out and stopped eating.  Vet had me lower dose but no difference.  Then we stopped entirely.  After giving the prozac a chance to exit the system, vet started on zoloft and pepcid.  I give the pill with wet food now also, instead of morning when it was easier for me but he wasn't eating for a while so it had a chance to make his tummy upset.  Might want to talk to the vet about changing up when you give the pill or see if maybe an antacid at the same time might help - who knows.  Or maybe this isn't Java's antidepressant and your vet can suggest another.  
 

psychomama

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I have my cat Psycho ( named before meds ) on Fluoxetine which is the generic version for 6 years. He was so frightened of everything that the vet said the stress would actually kill him if we did nothing. He is very calm, likes people except the vet and has done well on it. He is 8 now. His ALT is a little elevated and has ranged from 101 to 158 over the last year. I get a liquid suspension in tuna flavor and give .2 ml daily by mouth as a treat. I don't know if there is any harmful long range effect but the alternative is not better. We did decrease his dosage last year and we boarded him for 2 days and he got a UTI from the stress so we went back up in his dosage and he has been fine, I hate to medicate him but the alternative is not any better. He is very lively and playful just calmer.
 

cocospop

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Hi,we put Buddy on fluxoetine three months ago ( 5 mg ) and it did help with his marking which had been so bad that we had to replace some of our flooring. However,he has been losing weight recently and we are concerned. Is there anyone else wih a similair problem?
 

ermentrude

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Hi,we put Buddy on fluxoetine three months ago ( 5 mg ) and it did help with his marking which had been so bad that we had to replace some of our flooring. However,he has been losing weight recently and we are concerned. Is there anyone else wih a similair problem?
Yes, prozac can have an effect on appetite.  From my limited research it is either that it has reduced stress eating which is good or it is not setting well and the tummy is upset.  I found this out because my kitty had a very bad "upset stomach" reaction.  Reading human experience can be helpful to try to put into kitty context since the kitties cannot speak.  What I read is that for some people prozac can make them feel dizzy and disorientated.  They'd be so incredibly hungry but the thought of eating or actually eating made them physically ill.  My kitty drooled and barely ate anything, he was miserable so after a few weeks he came off.  

I'd talk to your vet and see if they have any advice.  If the weight loss is minor and Buddy is otherwise eating and engaged, then it might just be eliminating some stress eating.  If he's lost a lot or acting zoned out, it might be time to try something different.  My little man is on Zoloft now for 6 months.  I cannot be positive, but I think he's happier - he plays and he doesn't go outside the box. 
 
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kooms

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Follow-up to my original post of last September. At the time I had just started my 18 yr old cat Java on Prozac for litterbox issues (both peeing and pooping). Her appetite, which had been diminishing, seemed to take a nosedive on the Prozac. Not long after starting the Prozac though (but after my post here) she suddenly went downhill fast and we discovered that she had an abdominal mass, internal bleeding, and lung nodules. I put her to sleep a few days later. I'm mentioning this  so folks will know it's likely the Prozac had nothing to do with her appetite issues. 

I may be putting a second cat on Prozac. He's almost 17 and has been peeing outside the box (specifically on the sofa, which I have covered with a shower curtain liner) for over a month now. It seems to be a delayed reaction to my adopting another, younger (3-4yr old) cat last fall. At first the senior, Satchmo, established his boundaries and things basically seemed ok. After a few months, the young cat (Mowgli) decided he wanted nothing more than to play with Satchmo, who wanted no part of it. Then Satchmo started living on the living room furniture - traveling from chair to table to sofa without going on the floor so that Mowgli couldn't pounce on him. There were a few incidents of inappropriate peeing (not spraying), and I moved a iitterbox next to the chair he was spending time in. But he still wouldn't use it. Mowgli isn't bugging him very much these days - he spends most of his time in another room - but I guess the pattern is established. I've tried various tips suggested to me, including feeding him on the sofa & leaving the bowl there (worked for 5 days). I do have two Feliway atomizers in the room. I then tried using Rescue Remedy (on ears) which worked for about a week. So definitely some behavioral component. He was checked out medically & pronounced healthy. I did notice he's arthritic, so got a special low-entry litterbox, which I have seen him use with success.

I started Satchmo on amitriptyline a few days ago, and had 2 days of 100% litterbox usage (with the new low-entry box). But then this afternoon there was pee on the sofa again when I got home. Plus I don't like the way he acts on the amitriptyline- very disoriented, uncoordinated, in a daze. Tonight I tried giving half the dose, which seemed better but he was still a little woozy. I'm going to give it another week to see if the side effects get better and if the inappropriate peeing stops. But from the stories I've read it sounds like Prozac (fluoxetine) is generally more effective and with fewer side effects. Only problem being I understand it's very bitter, and my cat is impossible to pill (I fear the transdermal would be too expensive); Good to hear another poster said she managed to give it ground up in some butter. That might work.

I'm also curious as to what kind of behavior modification I might try - I don't know anything about it and wonder what I might be able to do in order to improve the cat dynamics. Thanks for any input.
 

psychomama

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I get Fluoxetine compounded into a liquid tuna flavor and Psycho loves it. It s his tuna treat. Cost is $12.50 plus overnight shipping because it has to be refrigerated. I get it from BCP in Houston, Tx. He s been getting it for 6 years.
 

littlea

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I put both my cats on Prozac 6 weeks ago. It has helped tremendously with no negative side effects that I have noticed. My boy was very aggressive towards my girl and she began to show stress by urinating out of the litter box (even though I had been keeping them apart 95% of the time). I tried everything. Truly everything and nothing was working, Prozac was a tough decision but I was willing to try and I'm happy to say it's gone well. No more inappropriate urination out of the box!  She seems more confident and relaxed. My boy is able to be in the same room with her (with supervision) and I am able to redirect his behavior now when I can see he is getting the hunter mindset and is about to pounce. Before, he would never be able to refocus and be calm. It's not perfect, but it's a big improvement. 
 

psychomama

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Psycho is on Prozac for anxiety. He also looses his appetite when extremely anxious. We just moved and he seemed fine but 2 days in he was off his food. Mirtz to the rescue. 1 dose usually gets him eating again. When I give the Mirtazapine I do not give the Prozac that day or the day after as they are both serotonin uptake drugs and don t want to cause serotonin syndrome. This seems to work fine.
 

kooms

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I get Fluoxetine compounded into a liquid tuna flavor and Psycho loves it. It s his tuna treat. Cost is $12.50 plus overnight shipping because it has to be refrigerated. I get it from BCP in Houston, Tx. He s been getting it for 6 years.
that's certainly not expensive. how long does it last you for?
 

tobilei

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Kooms I am sorry for the loss of your oldest baby :(

I don't have much to contribute to this thread but I'm reading with interest. I have a 2 year old Maine Coon who is very up and down with his (non blood related) sister. He's making her skittish and nervous and timid. Sometimes he loves her to bits and will groom her (and groom her and groom her until she gets upset about it) and he's happy to play with her but other times he charges at her yowling or swipes at her or growls at her (or us if he's in a real mood). He'll occasionally guard the litter box or a room and not let her in or out.

We think it's a mix of territorial aggression, anxiety and redirected aggression.

We tried medicating him with Clomicalm/anafranil but it killed his appetite (and he's already underweight), made him drool and nauseas and a zombie. He was marginally better on a half dose but at that dose it wasn't very effective. So we're looking at either amtriptalyine or prozac if we can't get it under control.
 

kooms

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The Prozac lasts about 2- 3 months.
wow, that's great. do you give it to your kitty daily? when I bought it for Java last fall, it was so expensive (pill form) that I ended up joining a prescription plan at Walgreens ($20 a year) so I could get it at a reasonable price. I'll definitely keep this in mind. Is the pharmacy you mentioned a mail-order one I suppose?
 

psychomama

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Yes daily although sometimes I skip a day. Your vet will need to call in the Rx and you can pick the flavor your cat would enjoy. The shelf life for the tuna is 6 months the chicken is less. You will need to keep it refrigerated. BCP is 1-800-481-1729. They also have a web site. I hope this will help.
 

barbarak

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My cat (actually my son's cat, he got booted out by the daughter-in-law for spraying!) has always been very high-strung.  He was okay at my house for awhile, then I found a newborn kitten and brought it in and saved it.  Well, that put him (Bumpy) right over the edge!  I tried everything but the spraying just got worse.  When we then replaced our kitchen floor he went ballistic and on an almost-constant spraying binge.  I went to our vet, almost hysterical, I just couldn't take it anymore.  He suggested that we try Prozac (actually, the generic, fluoxetine).  IT IS A MIRACLE!  From Day 1 he stopped spraying!!  He's been on it for almost two months now, weaned down to a maintenance dose of only twice per week.  These are small, 10 mg. gel capsules with powder inside.  I dip it in mineral oil and pop it into the back of his mouth and hold it shut til he swallows, not hard at all.  I guess most owners could use the pill pockets but my cat is diabetic and can't have the carbs.  My vet swears that the prozac is safe for a diabetic cat, and may actually help as lower stress can mean lower blood sugar.  The only side effect I saw was mild diarrhea a couple of times in the beginning.  My cat is now a joy to have around, and he gets along better with the other animals, even plays with the kitten!

It bothers me a bit that your vet did not even know about using Prozac for cats!!  This is actually very common and I think any decent vet would know it.  As long as physical problems have been ruled out, there is no reason to pay $200 for a behavior course!!  Just find a vet who will check out your cat and prescribe the fluoxetine.  I pay about $7 for a one month supply, right from my vet, very reasonable.  This has truly saved my sanity and I woould pay far, far more it needed!!
 

barbarak

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Cats with kidney disease should not be on Prozac!!  Seriously, kidney or liver disease are just about the only reasons you CAN'T use it, so please check with your vet and find out why he thought it was okay to prescribe it.
 

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What is Mertz? My boy Pinky was just put on Prozac liquid for spaying on anything and everything. He also attacks all of my other cats. He has been on it only 3 days. Quite expensive as it is around $35.00 a month. I give 1/2 ml. A day.
 

barbarak

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Why are you using liquid Prozac?  My vet gives me pills (generic fluoxetine) about $7 for a bottle.  I think they lasted me a month when he took every other day.  He is now 2x a week so they will last longer.  If your vet doesn't have this generic, he should be able to write an rx that you can fill at Walmart.  They are a small gel capsule and not hard to make your cat swallow.  Or you could use pill pockets.  (I can't because my cat is diabetic and can't have carbs, but YOU could use them.)  How are you using the liquid?  Because if you squirt on his food and he doesn't eat all of it, then what?  He didn't get a full dose and that is very important, but you have no idea how much he did ingest and so you're kinda stuck.  And I can't imagine that making him swallow a liquid would be any easier than making him swallow a pill.  I just feel the pill is more of a "sure thing", you know he got the full dose all at once.  Regular dosing is very important as you need to get him built up to a therapeutic level in his brain and then maintain that level or it doesn't work as well.

I have no idea what Mertz is, sorry!
 

cattilac

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. Well my friend said I should try this vet that is extremely good with cats as he loves cats and has lots himself. I usually go to an older old time vet that is very reasonably priced but does not do blood work nor X-rays. In other words if it is a real emergency I don't go to him. With 13 adopted cats I try to take care of everything by researching lots. But this whole spraying and attacking has me ready to have a mental breakdown. Now this evening I caught his sibling brother spraying the wall! Oh my! Well anyway this new vet said he wanted me to take the prescription to a compounding pharmacy that he uses. He said pilling the cat would bring more stress to him. Actually I use a syringe the pharmacy gave me and it is just 1/2 ml and is sweet so he does not mind too much. I have tried the pill pockets and my cats do not like them. Figures! This is way too expensive for me at about $30.00 a month. What would you suggest please. It is stressful cause my hubby never wanted one cat and now I have 13! It is hard enough caring for 13 let alone having them spray and attack! At least I do have a kitty yard and sunroom they go in but don't like urine all over out in my sunroom either! Thank-you for any advice.
 

barbarak

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My cat is also very easily stressed but the pills are still working.  Now I have a fairly large cat (12-13 lbs) and he took the pills once a day for a week, then every two days for about 6 weeks, now is only twice a week.  This is 10 mg. fluoxetine, same as what people take.  (My stepdaughter is on the exact same pill, LOL!)  I've researched this because I just do, even though I trust my vet i still want to check.  This is really something of a miracle drug to stop spraying and aggressive behavior but it MUST be dosed and administered properly.  Just like with people, it needs to build up to what is a called a "therapeutic level" and then maintained there.  My vet gives it to his own cat so he's had plenty of experience and got it right the first time with mine.  I know what you mean about nervous breakdown because YES, my cat was spraying all over 3x or more on a daily basis.  I felt that I had no life except cleaning up cat pee!  But from DAY ONE on the generic Prozac he stopped.  It's been over two months and he has sprayed ONCE which was when I brought a small dog to live here, he got in my large plant and peed, but that was it, just once.  Life is good again!  All I can tell you is I sit on the floor with my cat in front of me, open his mouth and pop the pill in.  (I roll it in mineral oil first so it goes down easier, makes it really slippery.)  Then I put my hand under his chin to hold his mouth shut and pet him and rub his throat until I feel him swallow.  But it's important to get the pill pretty far back so it goes down and doesn't dissolve in his mouth.  I wasn't so good in the beginning and wasted a couple pills but it's pretty easily now, and as I said only twice a week.  If your vet truly knows what he's doing, he will have started you daily and then gradually weaned down to less often.  Your cat should NOT have to take it every day forever! But I'm not familiar with the liquid and I don't know how many mg. are in 1/2 ml.  These are questions you need to ask your vet.  And explain that you can't afford this liquid and want to try the pills.  I do understand about the stress but apparently the effects of the Prozac overcomes the small stress of taking a pill.  A lot of vets seem to bee prescribing the "special Prozac" in liquid or pill form that is made for cats, but it's so expensive and doesn't work any better than the human generic.  I think maybe the vet drug reps push it on them??  And some vets just don't seem to understand that we are not rich!!  (How in the world are you managing to afford 13 cats?!  Vet bills for even the most basic needs must be astronomical!)  My cat is also diabetic and my vet was so good about that, he gave me an rx and sent me to Walmart because their brand of insulin and syringes are 1/4 what I would pay for the name brand at any other pharmacy.  I never would have known if he didn't tell me.  He took my cat from death's door with diabetes and now Bumpy cat is doing so well, people can't believe that he is diabetic.  And then as I said, the Prozac saved my sanity as I don't know how much more of the spraying I could take.  Plus now he is (mostly) nice to our younger cat, they even play together and life is just so much more pleasant..  So please don't give up over the cost!!  Either try the generic pills, or else ask you vet how long he will have the cat on a daily dose, and if he says always question why he is not weaning him down to less frequent.  If he tells you because it's a really low dose, then probably he isn't giving him enough.  The levels need to get built up quickly so you see results.  Sorry I am starting to ramble, but it worries me when I think some vets are not prescribing properly!  Anyway, let me know how this works out!
 
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