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Thread: Clomicalm?

  1. #1

    Clomicalm?

    Hello - I am new to this forum and wondered if anyone has used Clomicalm for cat separation anxiety? In fact, is "Clomicalm" the actual name of the med, or is it called "prozac"? We have tried prozac before but that did not work. We also tried Feliway, Rescue Remedy, all sorts of herbal things. Basically, we used to have 3 cats, and 2 have since passed away (old age). Our 9 yr old now gets stressed out when we leave for vacation. She is Ok for about 2 days, then she just gets absolutely stressed out and pee's and poo's outside the box anywhere (not medical issue). We keep her in a very large cage when we leave now. I'm thinking maybe Clomicalm will reduce her anxiety while we are gone. I realize we likely would have to get her on it for a time before we leave, and maybe just keep her on a low dose indefinitely if it works and no side effects.

    Thanks!

  2. #2
    Hi and welcome to Pet Talk! Yes, I have 4 of my cats on Clomicalm and have for years w/no side effects whatsoever. I originally started them on it for pee wars; I had two males who sprayed and then two others followed suit. I was just about to lose my mind when my vet recommended Clomicalm. They each get 5 mg. at bedtime; it doesn't drug them at all, just keeps them calm and best of all, no pee issues. It was originally made for dogs w/separation anxiety but vets are now recommending it for cats as well.

    I wouldn't be w/o it. I tried several other meds before Clomicalm. One of them worked for a little while but Clomicalm has never stopped working. My vet said that it might take up to 6-12 weeks before it started working but that hasn't been the case here. It started working almost immediately. I think that you'll be happy w/it; just give it some time just in case it does take a while b/c all cats are different.

    Good luck and please keep us posted. It's tough to go somewhere knowing that our furkids are stressing and missing us but Clomicalm solved the problem for me.
    Blessings,
    Mary



    "Time and unforeseen occurrence befall us all." Ecclesiastes 9:11

  3. #3
    Thanks so much for your reply. Our cat I think just needs something to take the edge off a little. Some of the other drugs we have tried in the past changed her personality too much, zoned her out. Getting another cat is out of the questions right now because she takes Proin for her bladder and also a special food since she develops crystals at the bat of an eye.

    I'll keep you posted!

  4. #4
    Mary - no constipation or change of personality for your cats on Clomicalm then? That's good. How do you administer the pill? Can you crush it in the food or do you have to use pill gun?

    Thanks,
    Mike

  5. #5
    Nope, no changes in personality whatsoever and no constipation either. No problems at all or I would've taken them off it. I have blood work done once a year just to be on the safe side but they've been on it for approximately 6 years now and all is well.

    My cats are easy to pill so I just tilt their heads back and pop the pill in but do whatever works for you. I buy the 20 mg. pills and cut them into quarters so that they're so small the cats barely notice when I pop a pill in. Just be sure not to miss a dose; that's key, and if you give it to them at bed time, they'll be calm and most likely will sleep through the night, no night time antics. As I said, it doesn't drug them, just prevents their nasty habits. Boo, my blackie, has a bad gag reflex so I give him a little dab of Cat Lax to coat his stomach a little and to help it go down smoothly and that works just fine. Specs, my Maine Coon, gets dosed morning and night b/c he's a big boy and he's more prone to act up. If you could see him, though, you'd never notice a difference. He's completely alert, active and a general pain in the patootie. LOL
    Blessings,
    Mary



    "Time and unforeseen occurrence befall us all." Ecclesiastes 9:11

  6. #6
    Great, thanks! Our cat only has problems when we leave for longer than say 3 days, so hopefully it will calm her separation anxiety while we are gone.

    I wonder if we can just dose her for the time we are gone, maybe start a few days before hand, and quit after we return? I guess we will figure that out on a trial and error basis. Do you know if it's ok to just stop the med? 5 mg seems like a pretty small dose.

  7. #7
    Yes, 5 mg. is a small dose but it's all that's needed for us. Your vet can tell you what dosage is appropriate and you may have to play w/the dosage for a while.

    As for starting and stopping, that hasn't worked for me. It's important not to miss a dose or the stressing and/or inappropriate behavior can start up again. If you only want to medicate your cats while you're away, perhaps talk to your vet about amitryptilene. A small dose of that also keeps them calm. I was dosing my cats for a different reason, inappropriate peeing, so that drug only worked for a little while.

    Also, have you tried Feliway? There is a plug-in that you can try and Catty1 has had great success w/spraying just a little tiny bit on her cats' stretchy collars to keep them from stressing. She swears by it. Once again, I had no success w/it. I tried the plug-ins and my cats peed on it. LOL However, your situation is due mainly to separation anxiety so it may work for you. Perhaps PM Catty1 and see what she says. I'm sure she'll be happy to help.
    Blessings,
    Mary



    "Time and unforeseen occurrence befall us all." Ecclesiastes 9:11

  8. #8
    We tried the Feliway spray and plug-ins as well, no help. Here's hoping the clomicalm works!

    Thanks again.

  9. #9
    Well, my cat has been on the clomicalm for 6 days now. There are a couple side effects I am a bit concerned about. She is pretty sedated - I assume that will go away once she gets used to the med? Also, she seems a bit constipated - will that go away? She weighs 10 pounds on we have her on 5 mg/day dose. We open the capsule and mix it with tuna juice. Once capsule mixed with 5 ml of tuna juice - she gets 1 ml per day which apparently equates to 5 mg/day. I wonder if I should lesson the dose a little, or just wait it out and see if the side effects go away?

    thanks

  10. #10
    Five mg. may be too much for her. Shave a little off, perhaps in half, and see how she does w/that. I've got all mine on 5 mg. at night. They aren't sedated but just calmer; it does help them sleep. Are you administering it at night? That may also be part of the problem. I do have one that takes 5 mg. morning and night b/c he's a particularly tricky character but he isn't sedated in the least. Each cat is different, just like humans, so you may have to play w/the dosage for a while before you get it right. Don't give up. And keep the faythe.

    I just thought of something else. The Clomicalm that I get is in tablet form. When they swallow it, it probably takes longer to get into their system. Yours is a powder that goes down w/food and it may react more quickly. I don't know that for sure, not being a pharmacist or a vet, but it might be the case. Are you able to get the tablets instead of the capsules?
    Blessings,
    Mary



    "Time and unforeseen occurrence befall us all." Ecclesiastes 9:11

  11. #11
    Just capsules for now, however, maybe in future I can get tablets.

    We noticed she has some trouble passing urine in the box, as she keeps 'trying' but nothing comes out for awhile. Also, number 2 has not happened as much as normal. I think I will cut dose down a bit. She is on it for 'separation anxiety', and we are leaving for 5 days beginning Friday. She just needs something to cut the edge off a little while we are gone. I think a lower dose may do the trick!

    thanks!

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by mbr64 View Post
    Just capsules for now, however, maybe in future I can get tablets.

    We noticed she has some trouble passing urine in the box, as she keeps 'trying' but nothing comes out for awhile. Also, number 2 has not happened as much as normal. I think I will cut dose down a bit. She is on it for 'separation anxiety', and we are leaving for 5 days beginning Friday. She just needs something to cut the edge off a little while we are gone. I think a lower dose may do the trick!

    thanks!
    If she's having trouble passing urine, then stop the Clomicalm and call your vet ASAP. She may be having a reaction to it or it may have nothing to do w/it at all but it sounds as though she's developing a bladder infection. That's very painful and she'll continue to strain until she passes blood if she does have a bladder infection. Don't put off calling your vet. Time is of the essence.
    Blessings,
    Mary



    "Time and unforeseen occurrence befall us all." Ecclesiastes 9:11

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Medusa View Post
    If she's having trouble passing urine, then stop the Clomicalm and call your vet ASAP. She may be having a reaction to it or it may have nothing to do w/it at all but it sounds as though she's developing a bladder infection. That's very painful and she'll continue to strain until she passes blood if she does have a bladder infection. Don't put off calling your vet. Time is of the essence.
    Hi - spoke to VET. She does pee and poo, just retains it much longer. We cut med in half and will see if that works better. The vet suggested switching to a low dose of zoloft, they have had good success with that and no side effects at all. In the past we tried prozac and elavil with no help. Do you have experience with zoloft?

    BTW - we have become 'experts' on bladder infections with this cat, so no worries there. The only food she can eat is dissolution gravy otherwise she develops stones and gets infection etc. Unfortunately Royal Canin has stopped that food, now we must switch to Urinary SO gravy - that better work!

    thanks,
    mike

  14. #14
    Nope, haven't tried Zoloft. They were on Buspar and Elavil to no avail. I'm glad you're keeping an eye on the bladder thing. Good luck w/the Zoloft and keep us posted. If you're going to medicate her only for a few days, Ametryptilene is probably the way to go. You can't miss a dose w/Clomicalm or it stops working so unless your cat sitter can dose her, it might be best to leave it alone. Good luck w/whatever you decide.
    Blessings,
    Mary



    "Time and unforeseen occurrence befall us all." Ecclesiastes 9:11

  15. #15
    The sitter will dose her (she works at the vet clinic). Are your cats all males that are on the clomicalm?

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