Juni & Chloe are going on Prozac for a while

[mrspunkysmom]

SasVermont,

Sorry to hear the kitties are still fighting. Hope the kitty prozac works. I've been thinking a requesting some to stop the peeing on my counter.

Please take care when changing the dry food. Blue buffalo is no longer under PetSmart's control, or so I heard. I know that mine started throwing up on it. I try to stay away from corn and wheat.

Hope the kidney troubles improve.

[emily_the_spoiled]

It has now been a couple of weeks. Have you started to see any effect of the Prozac yet?

[sasvermont]

A complete fail.

First of all, after two full weeks of Juni taking the pill pockets, she suddenly decided she wouldn't eat the pockets anymore. I tried putting the liquid medication in tuna and clam juice. Nope. Chloe never did really like the pill pockets after a couple of days. So, after a month of off and on taking the meds, I let them at each other and left the house. When I came home, Chloe was hiding in a bedroom under a bed and Juni was in her room, sleeping. Things in the kitchen were knocked over (their favorite fighting spot) so I assume there was a fight or two. Chloe was upset. Since that time, I've kept them in their own rooms, allowing one to roam the house while the other is confined. That is how we started out and that seems to be the way it's going to be.

I have a vet appointment this coming Saturday and will discuss the problem with my vet. She may have another idea up her sleeve.

They seem to like being apart. Even when the have the opportunity to have the whole house to roam, they end up sleeping in their own room! I guess it's like a hotel to them. I'm not happy, but I have gotten used to it.

So a big FAIL. If my problem was with Lucy, my barn cat, it would be easy to pill her. These two Abyssinians are horrible to pill. I can't even catch them, that's how bad it is. They wiggle out of my arms, scratch, bite, kick, scream. Really. You MAY be able to pill them the first time you catch them, but from that point on, they will run from you when you go near them. They have always been that way. It has to be on their terms. Right now Juni is on my lap as I type. She would not be here if I had a pill in my hand. I can just about get flea treatment on them each month.

FAIL. FAIL. FAIL.

[Karen]

So sorry it did not work out, but at least you tried. And as long as they each have their own separate place to be, maybe peace will continue. It's too bad, really, but you have done the best you can, and more than many would have done.

[emily_the_spoiled]

Sorry that things didn't work out. The only other thing I can think of is trying amitriptyline (Elavil). Some animals react well to that, but it does cause drowsiness as a site effect.

[Edwina's Secretary]

Edwina is impossible to pill and don't even think of squirting something in her mouth. She is now on a maintenance drug and the vet ordered it compounded so I rub it on the inside of her ear and it is transdermal.

She does not look forward to her twice a day ear rubs but she tolerates it.

Could you ask your vet if that is possible?

[Barbara]

These two Abyssinians are horrible to pill. I can't even catch them, that's how bad it is. They wiggle out of my arms, scratch, bite, kick, scream. Really. You MAY be able to pill them the first time you catch them, but from that point on, they will run from you when you go near them. They have always been that way. It has to be on their terms. Right now Juni is on my lap as I type. She would not be here if I had a pill in my hand. I can just about get flea treatment on them each month.

First- I am so sorry it didn't work out. And about the pilling- you are so right. Filou was impossible to pill and I am so glad I did not have to try with Orion yet. Once in a while these days (he is a little allergic) I see a bit of fuzz in his eye- it is impossible to get it out although it does not hurt and the little boy is ready to picked up. But once my fingers approach the eye, the wiggling and scratching and kicking starts.
Plus: Abys are so dainty - you are always afraid you could break something and they take advantage of that
However, I hope you find a solution.

[sasvermont]

I will talk with the vet about the cream form. If I do it, I will ask that they kick up the value of the drug, as these two are high strung and difficult at best, to treat.

Yes, Barbara, they are dainty. Chloe is bigger than Juni but they are equally squirmy to handle. They were ok at the vets this past time, but every now and then the vet gets the towel out to wrap one in it before they begin the procedure.

I will keep you posted!

[Cataholic]

I throw these ideas out there for consideration.

I have heard that the transdermal application, at least as to prozac, does not work.

Multi food stations and litterboxes (more than we humans might think we need) seem critical.

I did notice some relief with the calming collars.

[sasvermont]

Thanks for info, Cat, I shall investigate the collars. I did put a liquid that was for disfusers, on a collar and then on the cat and all I got was a cat with sores on her neck! I looked at the bottle and it said not to put it near the cat's skin! LOL! S t u p i d g i r l !


I think maybe another medication, transdermally, might work. Something more potent!

I will keep you folks informed. Thanks for the help. I know I seem like an idiot in that I cannot catch my cats to give them the pills. You have to see them in action to appreciate them!