Busprion and nausea

[ligwa]

We have tried so many things to get Jasper to stop marking. The latest being Busprion. He's been on it for five weeks. I started him out on half the dose just to make sure he was going to be able to tolerate it. In the past week or so I have noticed that Jasper's depth perception is off. He has fallen several times trying to jump on to the things he's always jumped up on. And then last night he started to open and close his mouth continuously. It scared me. I've never seen him do this before. I followed him around the house until it stopped. Then this morning it started again. Only this time he was "foaming at the mouth" while he was doing it. Then he began to walk backwards, all the time while this string of foam was hanging from his mouth.

I called the vet right away. They said that cats will do that if they are feeling nauseous. Well hell. I can't very well continue to give him the drug if it's making him sick. Truth be known, I don't believe it's doing anything anyway. He'll stop marking for a day or two then start right back up again. He's such a bundle of anxiety. I feel so bad for him. Now I'm wondering; what next? I'm telling you, I can't stand this much longer. He has sprayed every inch of this house at one time or another. I got through bottle after bottle of Natures Miracle or anything else that is on the market. I've tried many of them. Don't know that one is any better than another but I do soak and scrub with each.

I'm at my wits end with this cat. It seems like everything sets him off. I know for sure that the cats next door do. I set up the "scarecrow" in the front of the house last week. That keeps them off the front lawn and does help some but they have figured out a way in the back. It seems like such an endless and useless battle. It's just very depressing.

 

[Anne]

I'm sorry to hear this is so difficult. Have you tried consulting with a certified cat behaviorist? Sounds like you may just be at that point. Depending on where you are, I might be able to recommend someone. You can also contact Marilyn Krieger at the

http://thecatcoach.com/

I think she does email/phone consultations as well.

We usually try to help with advice here on the forum, but you mentioned you've tried many things, so maybe it's time to power up with a professional, one-on-one consultation.

 

[ligwa]

Thank you for your response. I would love to speak to a behaviorist. My vet tried to hook me up with one but it was going to cost $400. I just didn't have the money for it.

We never had this problem until we started keeping Jasper inside. We had no choice. He got hurt so badly by a cat that moved in next door. That cat is still there. And a lot of times in my yard. I do everything I can to keep the cats out of the yard but they are sneaky little creatures and always find a way in.

Just this morning (at 4 a.m, grr) the cat next door was outside my window. Jasper knew as soon as that first paw hit and decided it would be wise of him to mark the window. It's all territorial. And since he can't get out there to mark, this is his new territory. I have blocked his view from some windows but I can't very well black out the whole house. And with warm weather coming I'm sure it's bound to get worse.

Talking to my neighbor about letting her cats in at night hasn't helped at all. She will tell me they are in when they are on my back deck. No help there. I chase them away all the time.

I did not end up taking Jasper off the Busprion completely. I took the dose down by half. My vet didn't know just how to do it so I'm guessing. Plus, I was wondering if maybe half the dose would help without making him sick. Just at a loss. Sorry to ramble. This has been going on for a long time.

I am in the northeastern part of the US. I will check out the link you so kindly provided and see if maybe I can get a phone consult.

Again, I thank you. I don't want to give up on this cat at all but this is soooo hard.

 

[orientalslave]

Is your yard fenced in at all?  Could it be fenced in?  Could the fences be 6' high?  I'm wondering if it's possible to create a cat-proof back yard.

Also I suspect the cat that attacked your cat isn't neutered.  Well I know it has an owner, but personally if it's an entire male I'd be quite happy to trap it and get it neutered.  It's owner doesn't seem to give two ticks for what it's doing, and fighting is typical entire male behaviour.

I'm guessing your boy was like Rufus was - he marked quite a bit outside, so now he does it inside.

 

[ligwa]

My yard is mostly fenced in. They come down the driveway or right over the 6ft wood fence. We have a large outdoor enclosure that my cats can get to through a window. We just put a plastic carpet runner, turned upside down all along the top of the enclosure because the 3 cats next door would walk right on top of it. Drove my guy crazy.

I highly doubt the big cat (the one who is the problem) is neutered, although she swears he is. I have a hard time believing it because her other two cats, I know, are not.

I did go so far as to purchase a large Havahart trap and tried my best to "catch him". After repeated attempts, and at one point trapping a mommy skunk, I gave up. This has been going on a year now. It's pretty annoying when my cat starts running all over the house from window to window crying in the middle of the night. I don't even have to look anymore. I know it's the cat next door. The strange thing is (or maybe it's not strange at all) my guy only has a horrid response to that one. The one he got into the fight with. And yes I know that cat's fight sometimes, but this one came close to killing my guy. It took weeks for him to recover and cost a fortune in vet bills. They encountered each other one other time after that. The cat next door was supposed to be locked up in the house so I could let my guy out. He wasn't. So, no more outdoor time.

Yes, Jasper used to go around a half block radius and mark his little territory. Now that territory is my house. Ugh. I'm just really tired of all of it. It's very stressful. Every single day I am cleaning up kitty pee. It's gotten old.