Pet owners: Ever had a cat or dog on an anti-depressant?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I can’t believe we’re even considering this.

My cat, Emmy, has been peeing in the mud room lately. She’s peeing in the exact same spot, and we’re going to get it with Nature’s Miracle tonight to get the smell, but Emmy has NEVER peed anywhere other than her litterbox. We’ve tried to clean out her box more often, change the litter more often, etc, but she’s still doing it.

She also bites her tail raw - to the point that she bleeds. And then it itches, so she bites it more, and then it bleeds and itches more, etc., etc…

So I took her to a new vet today (our old vet died two months ago). The office was great - I really liked them. They immediately took her out and started loving on her, including the vet, which I’ve really never seen a vet do before (she didn’t know what to make of the attention, but she seemed to like it). We pretty much all agreed that the culprit was the birth of our new baby two months ago and she’s reacting to that - even though she DOES love the baby, she’ll snuggle with us, and we’re trying to give her extra attention.

They’re keeping her until I pick her up tonight to rule out anything physical, so if we find nothing, the vet would like to start her on an anti-depressant. I understand her reasoning, but I don’t want it to affect her snuggliness. She’s a sweet, lovable cat, and I would hate to see that change.

So, if you’ve had a pet on anti-depressants, has it changed their personality immensely? If it just calms her down a little and helps with her anxiety, I’ll be okay, I just don’t want her personality to change.

E.

2

Have you considered something like Feliway? My sister used it pretty successfuly with her stressed out male cat.

3

One of my cats acted very depressed for a day or two after coming home from being neutered. I’m told that it’s very common.

4

My dog, Bean, is getting very, uhm . . . bitchy in her old age. She’s been growling at everyone in the family, and startles very easily. She didn’t want to play anymore and she was getting very aggressive with the younger dogs. She also has very intense storm anxiety.

I took her to the vet and we decided that she needed some sort of medication. It took us a long time to find one which was right for her. Some of the medications made her mood problems worse and others seemed to do nothing for her. We’ve found one now which seems to be working, but it will take a while before we’re really sure. (Just like in humans, it sometimes takes weeks to see how a dog or cat will react to a medication.)

It seems like I’m getting my old dog back. She’s playful again. I hadn’t seen her play with a toy in such a long time that it was actually a surprise the other day when she picked up her rope toy and started swinging it around. She no longer barks and growls when any sudden movement happens, and she just seems happier.

If you notice dramatic personality changes in your cat, try something different. Maybe the dosage is too high or too low. Maybe that medicine just isn’t the right one. (There are a surprising number of pet medications out there. I had no idea there were so many different kinds.)

Your vet’s office sounds like a good one. Keep them informed about what’s going on with your cat. I suggest you keep a small diary of how your cat seems to be feeling every day. Make note of the times you see strange behavior. By looking at the diary, your vet may be able to spot patterns.

5

That’s a great idea - I’ll start that. The vet’s office is fantastic - I’ve never seen an office of people more excited to see animals, even if it IS an animal hospital. Emmy relaxed almost immediately when they started loving on her. They’re right around the corner from my house, which is why we decided to give them a try, but I wish we’d gone to them when we first moved in.

I managed to get a urine sample from her last night (we locked her in our bedroom with us, and in the middle of the night, she used the ‘litterbox’ we had for her), so if they rule out anything physical, we’ll be able to figure out if we want to try her on the medication - I can’t remember the name of it, but it starts with an a. Amitriptyphan or something like that? I would just hate to lose my lovable little girl, even if it’s just for a couple of days.

They also gave me a HUGE printout to read on urinary marking in cats, so we’ll try some of those techniques, too. freckafree, I may order that stuff, too. We’ll see if the Nature’s Miracle helps with the smell first.

E.

6

A friend had her neurotic cat on BuSpar. It worked wonders. Before, the cat was miserable and made the household miserable too. After, she was still not an outgoing/loving cat, but she was pleasant and seemed more content. She stopped the offensive behaviors (chewing on herself, throwing up). I would be surprised if it stopped your cat from being snuggly.

7

My dog is kind of neurotic. When I went off to college the first time, she was so upset she’d get sick. This would happen after every time I came home for a visit, then left.

The vet suggested Elavil to help with her anxiety. It’s pretty effective. She’s still our wonderful, loving dog, but a bit calmer. And she still loves attention.

8

They were probably recommending amitriptyline. I don’t know anyone who has used it on a cat, but a friend of mine who was having litterbox problems with her cat had BuSpar prescribed for her, which, along with some behavior modication techniques, worked.

9

Not me personally, but a fellow A*Vista’s parents’ dog was on the same antidepressant as my dad a few years ago. Her parents said it helped the dog’s anxiety disorder.

10

My dog’s on Prozac. He’s a border collie/great pyreneas mix, and he’s terribly agoraphobic. About three years ago, he started balking when we’d take him for a walk. Not every time, at first, but occasionally he’d put his head down, lock his legs, and just refuse to go outside. I thought it was some sort of enviromental noise. They were earthquake-proofing a nearby freeway overpass, and had big pile-drivers working all night. I assumed the loud thumping was freaking him out. Except that he’d do it sometimes when the drivers weren’t working, and kept doing it after the road work was finished. And he started getting worse, too. It got to the point where he simply would not go for a walk at all, and spent most of the day cowering in the (windowless) shower stall in the bathroom. He was constantly terrified, and it was absolutely heartbreaking to watch. Finally took him to a vet, who recommended Prozac. Same stuff they give to humans. The difference in him is astounding. He’s happy again, he romps and plays, he’s not afraid of people, he gets pouty if he doesn’t get his evening walk. He’s the dog he was when he first came home from the pound.

So, yeah, I have a dog on antidepressents. Millions of people in Africa can’t get the medicine they need to treat their HIV, but my dog has all the Prozac he needs. I can’t say I don’t feel wierd about that, but it was that or have my dog put down. It would have been inhumane to let him keep suffering like he was. My only regret about medicating my dog is that I didn’t do it a lot sooner.

11

That’s what I keep thinking about Emmy. It just feels weird to put my cat on an anti-depressant.

The test results came back and it’s nothing physical, like we thought. So we have a bunch of handouts on dealing with behavioral marking, and if things don’t get better soon, we’ll talk about medication. I’m glad there’s nothing physically wrong with her, but still…now it means we still have to figure out what to do.

E.