Psycho Kitty

[greengirl50]

I’m the person of a tortie with quite an attitude problem. She can swing from calmly purring to snarling and hissing in an instant. I know this is not uncommon with torties but I have to give this one meds every day. She has both ibd and hyperperethesia and is on steroids and gabapentin. I’ve been able to get both in liquid form thank heavens. She hates taking them but I manage. She’s had much illness and hospitalizations in her life (thank heaven she has insurance) but do any of you have any experience with this and how do you help your cats tolerate it better.

 

[Strawberry Purrs]

Some animals may become aggressive while on prednisone or prednisolone. Although cats are less likely to develop side effects than dogs, increased thirst, increased urination, increased appetite, weight gain, GI problems, and behavioral changes occur occasionally. Is she on either one?

 

[GoldyCat]

My cat absolutely hates the oral gabapentin. My vet ordered transdermal instead (has to be compounded). It's so much easier because you just rub it into the ear. You might ask about that. I don't know if prednisolone comes in a transdermal form. I've never had any issues giving that to my cats.

 

[FeebysOwner]

What foods/treats have you tried to mix with the meds to see if she will eat them on her own? Lickable treats (Churu, Squeeze Ups, Catit, Vitacraft, Tiki Cat Stix - just to name a few), baby food meat (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut), human canned tuna (of chicken) in water. I have had success with all of these by just mixing a little bit with meds to ensure my cat ingest it all before giving her a meal.

 

[GoldyCat]

I'm wondering if some of her attitude change might be caused by something triggering her hyperesthesia? The gabapentin should help that, but of course you have to get it into her first.

 

[greengirl50]

Some animals may become aggressive while on prednisone or prednisolone. Although cats are less likely to develop side effects than dogs, increased thirst, increased urination, increased appetite, weight gain, GI problems, and behavioral changes occur occasionally. Is she on either one?

No she is on budesonide which is less apt to cause aggression in cats. She has always been a handful. For some reason she is extremely fear aggressive. She was hand raised as an abandoned member of a whole litter and was perfectly sweet as a kitten. I think it started with all her medical problems. Getting her to the vet is a nightmare. I tried to calm her down after her meds this morning and she clawed me in the face. I’m just letting her be right now with her bowl of food. I just wish she wasn’t so afraid of everything! It’s sad to see her like this.