My Cat is on Prozac…
Not any more !! But this is just a great story , so I’m leaving it up. Phoenix has been off the Prozac for awhile now, and I am happy to say he is finally, a semi-well adjusted cat…well, as well adjusted as any cat can be! I think…
No, I’m not kidding… Phoenix came into my life in February of 2010. I adopted him from the MSPCA after I had to put my cat Sam down suddenly. I didn’t want another cat, but my remaining cat, Oscar was not eating and laying around like a miserable mop. The Vet I was using at the time suggested that bringing in a new cat might help Oscar get over Sam as they were such buddies. Well, I went to the MSPCA just to “look” …. There were a lot of cats looking for good homes, but no one was really grabbing my attention. I passed by this one crate, and as I looked in all I could see were these big golden eyes peering out back at me. I opened the crate and out pounced Phoenix into my arms love at first sight… He was absolutely beautiful sold black with the most amazing eyes. My first impression was he looked like a mini panther. His tag said he had lived with another cat and a dog, so I figured there will be a period of adjustment, but at least he has lived with other animals. I filled out the adoption paperwork paid the fees and the next day I picked him up.
The introduction of Phoenix to Oscar is still going on almost a year and a half later… Oscar just hates him, and really it’s understandable. Phoenix, is a bully! I didn’t realize if male cats are not neutered as kittens they can develop dominance issues, Phoenix was a year old before he ended up at the shelter and was neutered. For the first few months, I lived under the delusion that there would continue to be some hissing and spitting, but they would eventually work it out. I bought Feliway collars and a diffuser, they supposedly release a pheromone that calms cats down. The pheromones did nothing for Oscar, and they made Phoenix horny, although they assure me he really is fixed. I tried a few homeopathic remedies and treats nothing was working. I’ll be honest, for Oscars sake, I thought about returning Phoenix to the shelter more than once. The trouble was I was sure they would put him down, and I didn’t want that on my conscience. I decided to aim for coexistence, hence the Prozac… It took awhile, but it has made a huge difference in his aggression. He’s still a weird little dude, but hey, he’s a cat.
As for Oscar, I think Oscar has adjusted as much as possible. I wouldn’t say they coexist exactly, but it’s way better than it was. As for me, I’m completely attached to Phoenix. He is the most interactive cat I have ever owned. He wants to be in the middle of whatever you are doing, and will take a swing at you if try to move him out of your way. He walks across the keyboard if you have been online too long. He gives the best kitty head butts ever! He loves to sprawl himself across my shoulders and groom my hair. He steals food, loves potato chips! I’ve found him in the cabinet more than once getting into open bags of them. Yes, he knows how to open cabinets… I can’t keep toilet paper on the roll, because he unrolls it into a giant blob on the floor and then sheds it. He has a very distinct and loud meow. The house I currently live in is surrounded by trees, so there are a lot of squirrels and birds. Phoenix loves to sit in the windows and scream at them… What can I say he has a certain kind of “charm”. We’ll see what the next year and a half brings. God help me…
Phoenix
Oscar
Sam
I had to put my cat on prozac too. He is 9 almost 10. I’ve had him as a little baby, but he now suffers from some time of neurological disorder and began spraying everything, especially clothes left on the ground. I actually watched him do it one day against the fence outside and although he was neutered from a younger age. I just had to for all our sakes. He’s always been high strung, but nothing like this. I debated and debated and finally gave in once I realized if I let it continue I would have to replace all the carpets in the house.
How long has he been on it? We ended up weening Phoenix off Prozac recently as it didn’t make much sense to keep him on it …their relationship is a good as it is going to get at this point. I will say it did make a huge difference to get him over the hump…Hope everything works out with you cat. It takes about 6 weeks to build up in their system
Just wanted to know how long it took your cats to adjust to the Prozac and what the side effects were. We had a problem with our male Bengal all of a sudden start peeing in places other than the box and exhausted all natural options as well. The vet suggested Prozac and he’s been on it for a few days now but won’t go up the stairs, won’t go on the scratching posts, nothing. He sits in the middle of the floor and just stares or goes back to the same spot on the couch and just sleeps….We lowered his dosage as suggested by the vet but just want to see what your experience was with initial use?
Hi,
Sorry you are having trouble. Phoenix is actually off the Prozac now, not because of an issues, I just felt he had mellowed out as much as he was going to, and that the cats were coexisting as much as they ever would. I never noticed any on the side effects you mentioned, but he was on it because of his hyperactive / aggressive behaviors not for inappropriate urination. To be honest it took about 6 weeks before I noticed him calming down ever so slightly…. If your cat is reacting that strongly it may not be the right medication for him. Phoenix weights about 8 pounds and I believe the dosage was 2.5mg per day. Sorry I could not be of more help, but again either the dosage is too high or it is not the right mediation for him. Best of luck.