As detailed in the previous post, we had exhausted pretty much every option out there for resolving our peeing and spraying issues in four of our nine cats. Still, another option existed…DRUGS! In all my reading, I stumbled across Prozac (aka. fluoxetine) as the method of last resort for cats with inappropriate urination and spraying problems.
Notice
I am not a veterinarian. I am not giving you veterinary advice. Medications have risks and side effects, and only your veterinarian can determine if a medication is the right way forward for your cat. I am just sharing my story, and maybe, just maybe, it will give someone else with a multi-cat household hope. Every situation is unique. This is just my experience. Talk to your veterinarian and/or feline behaviorist.
Reaching the Decision
During all the cat drama, as I tried to find solutions, in the back of my mind Prozac echoed as a beacon of hope. In the darkest times, as I logged twelve pee and spray incidents in a single day covering every room downstairs, my mind whispered, “Prozac.” When I reviewed video footage to see that, yet again, Krishna had sprayed a radiator or a door or a chair, I breathed deeply and thought, “Prozac.” As I walked into the kitchen with a black light to make sure I wasn’t stepping in a puddle of urine, I reminded myself that Prozac was an option.
I gave the possible solutions time to work, but I also knew that the longer the cats continued the behavior the more likely it would become an ingrained habit. Plus, my mental health mattered too. Dealing with cat urine day in and day out wore me out. I was ready for something, anything to work, but I also was afraid the drugs wouldn’t work, and I’d be left without hope.
About five weeks into the cat drama, I picked up the phone and called my vet’s office. I explained that the situation was not improving, and I said I wanted to put the cats on Prozac. The decision was not easy. I really wanted something else to work. I felt like a failure as a cat parent.
After a consultation, my veterinarian recommended using a cream/gel for the ear since she could not get a capsule or tablet in the correct dose for a cat through her pharmacy. I had read that the cream/gel was not as effective as the tablet or liquid format. Fortunately, I had already identified that Chewy carries the fluoxetine tablets in a dose that could be split (10mg tablets that can be split for two 5mg doses), and my vet allowed me to order through Chewy. From the reviews on Chewy’s website, this particular form and dose is difficult to find. Chewy calls your veterinarian’s office to approve prescriptions. It’s a very easy process.
Treating the Cats
All four cats started fluoxetine (Prozac) on January 15, 2020. I read that the pill was bitter, so Graham and I wrapped the pill halves in pill pockets the night prior to administration. I found that tip in a forum. The time allows the pill to uptake some of the flavor of the pill pocket.
From day one, Krishna ravenously gobbled up his “treat.” Yoshi suspected that the treat was something unsavory, but he quickly started eating it. Until recently, Sookie licked the treat and lost interest, so I had to pop the treat in her mouth and make sure she swallowed it. Merlin acted the same way as Sookie. As of this writing, Sookie is beginning to eat the treat by her own choice. Merlin is almost there. I am sure we will have ups and downs giving this medication, but we are relieved that things are going well so far.
We feed the cats dinner around 6 p.m., and we administer the fluoxetine treats between 9:30 and 10 p.m. It is their routine now. After a few months, we hope to taper them off one by one and see what happens. If any of them need to remain on medication, we want them on the lowest possible effective dose.
Results
Nine days after starting treatment with fluoxetine, the peeing and spraying stopped. As of this writing, we have gone two full weeks without any incidents. We are amazed! We conduct the pee pee patrol every other day now, and I feel so much lighter knowing that our home is not being destroyed. Better than anything, I’m loving the changes in my cats.
Sookie – At first the fluoxetine made Sookie extra sleepy, and she kept to herself at night in another room. In the past couple of weeks, she has returned to our bed at night, and she even sleeps near Krishna. She seems more relaxed and content. She is more like the Sookie we knew before the cat drama started.
Krishna – Like Sookie, Krishna slept a lot more after he started on the medication. Now that he has adjusted to the meds, he is back to his old self with some noted changes. One big change is that he no longer drags clothes out of the laundry basket to hump in the middle of the night (yes, it was a weird scene!). He doesn’t cry at night anymore. He doesn’t eat his food as though he’ll never get to eat again (he used to eat very fast and regurgitate his food). He doesn’t stalk Sookie anymore. He’s not afraid of Radha anymore. He even shared food with Radha. He no longer drives me crazy while I’m trying to work. He doesn’t snuggle around my neck as much at night, but he still enjoys snuggling when I pick him up. He still sleeps in our bed every night.
Merlin – Merlin did not appear to be more sleepy after starting medication. He did start sleeping in another room (probably because I pilled him). I miss having him come in the bedroom and sleep by my side, but he is starting to visit the bedroom again. I have hope that he will be sleeping by my side again soon. Since the fall, Merlin had been chewing the hair on his sides, so he had bare patches. Our vet suspected demodex mites and treated him accordingly, but as soon as his hair would grow back, he’d chew it off. He probably indulged in obsessive grooming even if the condition started as mites. I do believe his hair is growing back now that he’s on fluoxetine, and I am curious to see if it continues.
Yoshi – Like Merlin, Yoshi did not appear more sleepy. Yoshi has stopped stalking Radha, and he even shared food with her. He has stopped being needy while I’m working. He still sleeps with us at night, but I don’t believe anything will make him stop nursing on fuzzy blankets (and I’m glad…it’s so cute!).
Altogether, I could not be more pleased with how fluoxetine has changed our lives. The anxiety levels in our home are so much lower for kitties and humans. We continue to do environmental enrichment for the cats with toys and perches and structured play, and we continue using the Feliway plug-ins, feeding schedule, etc. If you are having peeing/spraying issues with your cat and nothing else seems to work, talk to your veterinarian. A cat that is spraying/peeing inappropriately is not a happy cat, and a human dealing with cat pee is not a happy human. Cats are mysterious, but with some detective work, you can find solutions. Our situation is far from resolved, but we are heading in the right direction…at last.
Note: I was not paid to write about the products/services mentioned in this post.
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