Juni & Chloe are going on Prozac for a while

[sasvermont]

I just today, took Chloe to the vet for an examination and evaluation. We decided, after the blood work was completed, that they both will go on Prozac for a while, to try to clear the problem of them suddenly hating each other and fighting.

I haven't picked up the prescription yet, but it is going to be compounded to taste like tuna fish, and I will put it on their food. The vet said it might take a full month for it to kick in.

I think it will be around $100 per month for the two of them, since it is compounded. If the drug works, I may try without compounding to make it a bit cheaper. We shall see.

Chloe will need to go in for a dental cleaning in June.

The vet also told me to NOT feed them the grain-free food. The protein level in grain free food is often much higher than the other food and can disturb their kidneys. Juni's kidney numbers are inching up, so I will be putting them back on regular cat food as soon as this boatload runs out. I will mix the two and then switch completely, later.

Both cats had fairly good numbers, blood test wise. So there is no physical reason for them hating each other. I think it is mental. The breeder said age can bring on this behavior.

I would like to get this problem resolved before summer sets in. I hate having doors closed and air cannot circulate. I will sweat to death. I just don't like closed doors, period.

I will keep you guys posted on how the cats tolerate and react to the medication. I know there are a couple of other furry friends having this same problem with bad, bad behavior.

It never ends. Hundreds of dollars later, I may have peace in my house, again!

Ugh!

[Barbara]

I had no idea all this fighting was still going on i am so sorry to hear this. How old are they now? Well below ten both of them I'm sure. I'm a little worried about Juni's kidney levels. Filou, and then Tama, it really seems to be an Abyssinian thing. i hope the prozac does the trick. I wonder however whether there would be another option than heavy medication-but I'm sure you tried everything.
Orion tells me they should simply accept that sisters are a pain. He certainly thinks this of his sister

[sasvermont]

Hi Barb, We have kept them apart for almost two months now. They have both had thorough exams. The breeder has chimed in as well. If you heard them fighting you would not want to experience the event all that often! It is horrible to witness as well.

We are hoping that we can break the "horror" cycle by drugging them. It shouldn't modify their personalities anymore than a human. We hope it cuts the drama out of just seeing each other and they can resume their old relationship. Right now, all they can do is scream and fight. It is hard to believe, isn't it. It just happened one day. Once Chloe decided that Juni was "going to get her" it was all over. From that day on, they fight when they are in the same space. I know, they used to groom each other!

So, we are going to go this route. We will give it a few months on the Prozac. We are also going to change the diets back to grain dry food. My vet said that sometimes high protein diets can effect cats in strange ways.

Juni's kidney function numbers were normal in all categories except one and that one was not in the danger zone at all. It was a high normal. That is why we're going to switch their food back. Less protein.

So, I will pick up the prescription tomorrow and begin the battle to see what I can put it in so that they will eat it. Since they are all being fed in different rooms, keeping them apart for the meds will be easy.

I am happy that we are on the way to at least trying to fix this problem rather than just keeping all the cats apart.


Oh, they are eight and nine years old. Juni weighs 6.5 lbs. and Chloe weighs 8.5. and is the younger.

Ugh!

[Pinot's Mom]

So sorry you're having such a time with them. Did the grain free start first or the behavior? I just switched Pinot this year to grain free as well, but she doesn't have a sibling, so I can't really compare results.

[sasvermont]

So sorry you're having such a time with them. Did the grain free start first or the behavior? I just switched Pinot this year to grain free as well, but she doesn't have a sibling, so I can't really compare results.

The behavior started several weeks after switching to Blue Buffalo grain free. I had been giving them another grain free brand before that switch. I really don't think it had a connection, but we're going to switch back because of the strain on the kidneys. Abyssinian cats have kidney problems in their breed line, so I don't want to add insult to injury. Once I heard that one of her(Juni) kidney numbers was on the high side, I knew the food had to be changed.

I didn't think about the kidneys when I switched them to the Blue Buffalo. Oh well. It doesn't cause disease, it is however, high in proteins.

[Catty1]

Queen of Poop has/had a kitty who suddenly got nasty and attacked his littermate.

She got the Prozac compounded into an ear cream. That may be a less expensive option for you to consider.

Best of luck - and maybe even the food change will help.

[Freedom]

I haven't picked up the prescription yet, but it is going to be compounded to taste like tuna fish, and I will put it on their food. The vet said it might take a full month for it to kick in.

I think it will be around $100 per month for the two of them, since it is compounded. If the drug works, I may try without compounding to make it a bit cheaper. We shall see.

Oh wish I'd known this earlier. Check out Wedgewood Pharmacy online. They are a compounding pharmacy, my vet and I both use them. Pricing is much lower, the meds arrive in your mail about 3 days later. Here is the link:
http://www.wedgewoodpharmacy.com/

Do a search on that site for the med name, see if they have the tuna flavor (I'm sure they do!) and then phone the toll free number, speak to someone and explain you are checking pricing. You ARE going to find it much less than what you have spent today.

[Queen of Poop]

The ear cream did not work for Diego. Neither did the liquid format. Now I get it in a chewable treat format, comes in different flavors too. This I mush up with some similar flavored "treat type" cat food and he eats it all down. I alternate with Fancy Feast and Whiskas wet. The vet calls it the McDonalds of kitty food, but has ok'd me using it for this purpose. I really don't care what it takes to get him to take the meds, so long as he's getting them and we have a peaceful household and Miss Cali, the white girl has no red bite marks on her sweet head.

[Cataholic]

The ear cream (trans dermal) does not work.

The compounded formula is difficult to correctly dose.

Have you tried pill pockets? I have two cats on prozac, and I place a 1/2 tab (5 mg) in each pill pocket and the cats eat it up without any trouble.

My sister in law's cats won't eat the pill pockets. She can easily pill her cats.

Some cats will eat a pat of creme cheese. Or, cubed. Maybe a small piece of chicken with it in there?

Kroger sells a month's supply of prozac for $4.00. Its cheap.

I noticed a difference nearly immediately- like 24 hours immediate- despite the vet's comments otherwise. Anecdotally, there are many people that notice an immediate change. I had those knock down drag out fights, and major peeing, and the fights stopped instantly. The peeing is moving in the right direction, with probably 90% success rate.

Good luck!

[sasvermont]

Well, Juni ate her meds with food and Chloe would not touch it. So I am going to continue giving it to Juni only. I will talk to the vet about getting just the pills and save myself the compounding expense. I hope that once I get in the habit of feeding Juni each afternoon, she will not notice the change and take it in pill form, if I smash it up.

This only day number two. Wish us luck.

[phesina]

Many prayers and good wishes are being sent that you'll come up with a satisfactory solution here. God bless you.

[sasvermont]

The ear cream (trans dermal) does not work.

The compounded formula is difficult to correctly dose.

Have you tried pill pockets? I have two cats on prozac, and I place a 1/2 tab (5 mg) in each pill pocket and the cats eat it up without any trouble.

My sister in law's cats won't eat the pill pockets. She can easily pill her cats.

Some cats will eat a pat of creme cheese. Or, cubed. Maybe a small piece of chicken with it in there?

Kroger sells a month's supply of prozac for $4.00. Its cheap.

I noticed a difference nearly immediately- like 24 hours immediate- despite the vet's comments otherwise. Anecdotally, there are many people that notice an immediate change. I had those knock down drag out fights, and major peeing, and the fights stopped instantly. The peeing is moving in the right direction, with probably 90% success rate.

Good luck!

I have a problem with the pill concept. My vet wants to give them a dosage of 1 MG each, and pills come in 10 mg. How in the world can we cut the pill in 10 pieces for the pill pocket. I guess the difference in your cats' dosages and my cats' dosages has to do with their weight. But lets say my cat weighs in at 7 lbs. does that mean your cat weights 35 lbs? and can tolerate 5 mg! Wow, bid difference. I wonder if my vet has it right?

Also, my vet called the compounding guy to complain about how much they charged me. The guy said he would reconsider, since he charged me $45 for one cat's supply for a month and will do a three month supply for both cats for $79.00. There isn't much competition around here for compounding, so I don't have much of a choice. I will call the compounding place mentioned in an earlier post, to see if I can get it cheaper. $79 for three months isn't too bad, but Chloe doesn't seem to like it in her food. I will try it again. I bought pill pockets and they both ate the pockets in a second, so I am hopeful the pills will work. Now we have the dosage problem. Anyone have a suggestion as to how we can measure a un-crushed or crushed 10 mg. pill?

Juni seems to be less active having been on the liquid med for over a week now. I feel sorry for her being cooped up in one bedroom, by herself. I do let her do a run through the house from time to time, but I want it back the old way - doors open all the time.

C A T S !!!

[emily_the_spoiled]

The 10MG is the dose Oliver has been stabilized on for a number of years. He is a big guys but not 35 lbs I tried to decrease the dose over the years and it just was not worth the pain and suffering it caused for everyone else in the house, so he is staying on 10mg.

It sounds like your vet is titrating the dose to find out what will work for the guys. But 1mg every day sounds very low. We started at 5 mg and worked our way up (I used a vet who has a behavioral practice). Here is a link for you to read about what is available (there is a liquid) and the dosing for animals.

http://www.petplace.com/drug-library...zac/page1.aspx

[Karen]

Sas, another compounding pharmacy to try would be local to me, Johnson Drug. Because they are in NEw England, maybe it would ease the shipping costs a bit? Worth checking it out, in any case. http://www.naturalcompounder.com/ They've been in business long time, and are trustworthy, as far as I can tell!