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- Jun 29, 2013
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Simon has spent the last roughly 3.5 weeks being treated with 1/4 of a pill of Fluoxetine once per day for some separation anxiety issues. It worked a little, but some of the problematic behavior still existed - which the vet warned me could happen. We were hoping that between the meds and several months of behavior modification, we could successfully manage the anxiety and eventually ween him off the Fluoxetine altogether (This was more something the vet was pushing; I was fine with him staying on the meds forever, if it meant he was more comfortable and less anxious)
Well, over the last couple of weeks, Simon developed fits of aggression. It was almost like he’d forget who I was - his eyes would widen and become laser focused on me, the ears would go back, and he would launch himself at me in fits of violence - but as soon as the incident passed, he would go back to being the sweetest cat you've seen. Most of the time, I was able to sort of dodge these attacks until I could get him into his crate, where he could calm down (As I've said in other posts, it's a large dog crate with his litterbox and water fountain, so it's not like I was keeping him in a tiny carrier long term). Our vet thought maybe the aggression was coming from the bladder crystals or Giardia - but no longer thinks that since we've now successfully treated both. Last night was his worst attack yet - he took large gouges out of my leg, and when I scruffed him to get him off of my leg, he latched onto my arm (and I mean latched; I had no idea he had that kind of strength in him, to be honest, as he's always been relatively gentle with me). In the process of getting his jaws to release my arm, he went after my face and managed to get a few swipes in before I was able to get him into the crate. None of these wounds required stitches thankfully, and I was careful to clean them up with peroxide, hibiclens soap (which is what they use before surgical procedures), neosporin and a few bandages until they have sufficiently scabbed over - but this terrified me. I had never seen him so aggressive and violent before. I called the vet as soon as the office opened this morning with every intention of having Simon euthanized today because I cannot and will not live in a state of fear in my own home, and know that most rescues/shelters will not adopt out cats with combination of separation anxiety and aggression issues. I hated the idea of putting a cat to sleep when he could be so sweet, but also can't run the risk of the next attack being even worse or even having him tear off after my nieces or nephews (I do try to keep them separated, but y'all have cats and know that if they're determined, there's no keeping them out of or away from something)
When the vet returned my call, as worried about the change in personality as I was (even stated that he had previously had to do the same thing with a cat of his own), I asked if this was something we needed to adjust the prozac for, perhaps change meds, or if this was the end of the line. The vet said that increasing the prozac likely wouldn't do anything, but that we needed to have Simon off of the SSRI for a couple of weeks before we switched him to a new one, just to give his system a chance to adjust. So, for now, we're going to try two weeks off of the medications to see how things go. If he stays relatively calm, we won't have to put him back on any meds - but if the separation anxiety flares again, we will likely have to try a different med.
Have any of y'all dealt with this increase in aggression/violence when putting your cats on medication? Any experience with anxiety meds other than the fluoxetine/prozac?
Well, over the last couple of weeks, Simon developed fits of aggression. It was almost like he’d forget who I was - his eyes would widen and become laser focused on me, the ears would go back, and he would launch himself at me in fits of violence - but as soon as the incident passed, he would go back to being the sweetest cat you've seen. Most of the time, I was able to sort of dodge these attacks until I could get him into his crate, where he could calm down (As I've said in other posts, it's a large dog crate with his litterbox and water fountain, so it's not like I was keeping him in a tiny carrier long term). Our vet thought maybe the aggression was coming from the bladder crystals or Giardia - but no longer thinks that since we've now successfully treated both. Last night was his worst attack yet - he took large gouges out of my leg, and when I scruffed him to get him off of my leg, he latched onto my arm (and I mean latched; I had no idea he had that kind of strength in him, to be honest, as he's always been relatively gentle with me). In the process of getting his jaws to release my arm, he went after my face and managed to get a few swipes in before I was able to get him into the crate. None of these wounds required stitches thankfully, and I was careful to clean them up with peroxide, hibiclens soap (which is what they use before surgical procedures), neosporin and a few bandages until they have sufficiently scabbed over - but this terrified me. I had never seen him so aggressive and violent before. I called the vet as soon as the office opened this morning with every intention of having Simon euthanized today because I cannot and will not live in a state of fear in my own home, and know that most rescues/shelters will not adopt out cats with combination of separation anxiety and aggression issues. I hated the idea of putting a cat to sleep when he could be so sweet, but also can't run the risk of the next attack being even worse or even having him tear off after my nieces or nephews (I do try to keep them separated, but y'all have cats and know that if they're determined, there's no keeping them out of or away from something)
When the vet returned my call, as worried about the change in personality as I was (even stated that he had previously had to do the same thing with a cat of his own), I asked if this was something we needed to adjust the prozac for, perhaps change meds, or if this was the end of the line. The vet said that increasing the prozac likely wouldn't do anything, but that we needed to have Simon off of the SSRI for a couple of weeks before we switched him to a new one, just to give his system a chance to adjust. So, for now, we're going to try two weeks off of the medications to see how things go. If he stays relatively calm, we won't have to put him back on any meds - but if the separation anxiety flares again, we will likely have to try a different med.
Have any of y'all dealt with this increase in aggression/violence when putting your cats on medication? Any experience with anxiety meds other than the fluoxetine/prozac?