Cat in need of Prozac

[JustMel]

I have a cat that is deaf. She gorgeous---under normal circumstances. She's solid white with blue eyes. Here's the problem; she is also an emo kitty. She pulls her fur out and scratches her neck until she has open sores the size of dimes. We've been to the vet. They told us it's allergies and to give her Benadryl liquid. We tried the pills and she coughs them back up and won't eat anything you hide them in. (dogs are easier when it comes to that). Do you know how hard it is to force a cat to take Benadryl twice a day when she doesn't want to take it? then there's the foaming thing cats do when you give them liquid meds. I think she needs kitty prozac. We've found that if we give her a bath once a week she doesn't scratch as often but it's an act of Congress to give her a bath. We all have scars--literally from bath time. She can't hear so she doesn't get the reassurance from tone of voice and when she's in a "mood" she won't let you get close enough to pet her to try and calm her. To give her the benadryl it takes all three of us. We have to wrap her in a towel to keep from getting more battle scars, one to hold the cat, one to hold her head and help force her mouth open and one to dispense the medicine. Ugh.

[Harmony]

I can sort of relate... My cat will dig at her neck every now and then. At one point she had a big gash in her neck... My mom actually wrapped gauze around her whole back paw so she couldn't dig at it. She could still scratch, but she didn't have the claws to actually break through her skin.

Mine is also deaf now. My biggest fear is she'll get out of the house and I won't be able to find her because she won't respond to my calling her name frantically. She's very loud now and easily startled... I feel so bad for her because if you walk up behind her she freaks out because she didn't know you were there... And it's hard to always try and approach from the front!!!

Heck, she's 21 years old and I'm still preparing myself for her death... Are we ever ready?

[Sequoia]

I friend of mine recommended these for difficult to pill cats:

Pill pockets
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

You put the medication inside and the cat enjoys it. She uses portions of one to pill her cat.

Prednisone shots work really well with cat allergies too; I'm surprised your vet didn't give your cat one.

If she's foaming up from the benedryl, it means her stomach is having real problems with it. If your vet won't help with this, find another vet.

I also seem to recall cat shampoos that help with skin allergies and some of them can be used without water.

Brushing also really helps and the cats love that. One of mine really has a problem with allergies too and will scratch herself raw. We find brushing on a daily basis controls it well.

[rara avis]

My cat is allergic to everything. Especially shots. She foams and gags up pills and liquid meds. She's had chin acne most of her life, too, which she'd scratch ruthlessly and cause bleeding, and her nose would get all scabby and sore looking, too.

I switched her food from Iam's a while back, because I read about their animal testing labs... I ended up keeping her on "Pet Promise" dry cat food. She seems to like it, though she eats more of it. It has Dr Weil's picture on it, so... bonus. I tell her it's Dr Weil flavored meat pellets.

The big thing, which I didn't expect, was that her skin has healed up. I don't know what vitamin or mineral she is or isn't getting from that food, but we're sticking with it. I have to go to a specific store to buy it, but it's worth it.

[JustMel]

I friend of mine recommended these for difficult to pill cats:

Pill pockets
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.)

You put the medication inside and the cat enjoys it. She uses portions of one to pill her cat.

Prednisone shots work really well with cat allergies too; I'm surprised your vet didn't give your cat one.

If she's foaming up from the benedryl, it means her stomach is having real problems with it. If your vet won't help with this, find another vet.

I also seem to recall cat shampoos that help with skin allergies and some of them can be used without water.

Brushing also really helps and the cats love that. One of mine really has a problem with allergies too and will scratch herself raw. We find brushing on a daily basis controls it well.

They tried the prednisone shots and she had a bad reaction. All of my cats foam when given liquid medication. You should have seen the black one when he had bubble gum and banana flavored antibiotics. ick. I'm going to get her declawed as much as I hate it, in case she gets out she'll have a double disadvantage.

I think I'll order some of the pill pockets as well and give them a try.

[Sequoia]

JustMel, declawing involved amputation of the end digits of her paws and if done wrong can bring a life time of pain.

I have heard of these rubber tips they put on the tips of cat's claws so they can't claw anymore. More humane.

There's no need to disadvantage your cat to get her to come back inside. If she's accustomed to being inside, she will soon return on her own unless she's panicked and lost.

[Cthulhu]

We've found that if we give her a bath once a week she doesn't scratch as often but it's an act of Congress to give her a bath. We all have scars--literally from bath time.

You have my sympathy.

I have scars from three puncture wounds related to bathing a cat. They're barely visible anymore, but they're still there. The first two are on my left hand. Those came from when the cat sunk her teeth all the way up to her gums right into the fleshy area between my thumb and index finger.

The third scar came the next day, when my doctor jabbed the world's biggest needle into my right butt cheek to pump me full of antibiotics to fight off the infection that was working it's way up my arm.

[HackerX]

We used to wash our cat wearing welding gloves that came over your elbows.

Is there a skin/topical treatment available?

I doubt the pill option will ever work. All dogs and cats I've had have never taken a pill without physically inserting it into their throat.

[jikin]

I've never had a problem with foaming cats. The trick is not to force their mouth open and just squirt it in. Pull up their lips at the very corner of their mouth and push the syringe between the back molars and point it to the back of the throat. If you do it correctly the liquid will slid down without ever touching the tongue, which is normally what causes the foaming.

You can also do this with just one person to minimize the stress on the cat. You can still wrap her, if need be. Make it so you are behind her. That way when she tries to back up away from the meds she is backing into you, which gives you more control. Normally I'll either sit Indian style on the floor with the cat trapped by my legs or I'll place the cat on a table with one arm encircling it.

[JustMel]

I've never had a problem with foaming cats. The trick is not to force their mouth open and just squirt it in. Pull up their lips at the very corner of their mouth and push the syringe between the back molars and point it to the back of the throat. If you do it correctly the liquid will slid down without ever touching the tongue, which is normally what causes the foaming.

You can also do this with just one person to minimize the stress on the cat. You can still wrap her, if need be. Make it so you are behind her. That way when she tries to back up away from the meds she is backing into you, which gives you more control. Normally I'll either sit Indian style on the floor with the cat trapped by my legs or I'll place the cat on a table with one arm encircling it.

I've done all that. I know how to "properly" give her the medicine but one person can't hold her. We've tried. Even at the vet it took the vet, a tech and myself to hold her. She won't let you get the syringe anywhere near her mouth period. Let alone in the corner.

[jikin]

Have you tried mixing it in with some stinky canned food, or possibly baby food? It doesn't always work, but some cats get so excited about the food that they don't realize it tates a bit off.

As it sounds like you've tried just about everything else, you may want to go with Rara's advice and try another food. Chicken and corn ingredients are the most common offenders. A lot of vets suggest looking for foods where venison and rice are the main sources. There are also foods that are specifically for allergy prone cats, but they tend to be a bit more costly.

[doublejava]

I agree on the food switching. My dog had this issue with scratching as well, and I was also advised by a vet (which I think was bad advice) to use Benadryl. It didn't help significantly. When I switched to a better food (why didn't the vet recommend that?), the scratching practically stopped athough she does seem to have some seasonal allergies still but not nearly as bad. Sometimes Google offers more effective solutions than the local vet.

[Amphorian]

Diet is important. When my cats were eatting the Wal-mart brand food they were puking all over the place. My mom still gets it for them, but they insist on eatting the dog food of all things. xD

[SagaLore]

Crush pill into powder, mix it with wet food.

Have you gotten new carpet in the last few years? You may have to step up your vacuuming routine, a lot of newer carpet has that stain guard stuff which some pets find irritating.

[azelismia]

One of the things our vet taught us was to put the cat on a tall slick surface while giving htem a pill. Like they do at the vets office.

it puts them off balance. we use our island in the kitchen it does help. barring that...

you can get a pharmacy to liquify the benedryl into a fish oil and give it to her orally in a needleless syringe. I found this to be far more effective when Bonnie had cancer for getting her her daily meds. Before she got cancer she also did have ALL of the problems your mentioning. it was a flea allergy with her according to the vet but we didn't have ANY fleas in the house.. but we did get her on prozac for awhile. it did help.. you might push your doc for some. it could just be she is super stressed.





azelismia added to this post, 1 minutes and 45 seconds later...

I've done all that. I know how to "properly" give her the medicine but one person can't hold her. We've tried. Even at the vet it took the vet, a tech and myself to hold her. She won't let you get the syringe anywhere near her mouth period. Let alone in the corner.


have you tried looking for another vet? this sounds incompetent. My vet specialises in cats and never had issues like this even with my bad behaviour kitties.





azelismia added to this post, 3 minutes and 52 seconds later...

JustMel, declawing involved amputation of the end digits of her paws and if done wrong can bring a life time of pain.

I have heard of these rubber tips they put on the tips of cat's claws so they can't claw anymore. More humane.

There's no need to disadvantage your cat to get her to come back inside. If she's accustomed to being inside, she will soon return on her own unless she's panicked and lost.


yes declawing is a very bad idea. Just trimming their claws works too. Even if done right declawing can be a lifetime of pain for the kitty. it's not a humane option.

[SagaLore]

yes declawing is a very bad idea. Just trimming their claws works too. Even if done right declawing can be a lifetime of pain for the kitty. it's not a humane option.

Sometimes declawing is the only humane option.

I had a cat and a pug. Cat learned to use the doggie door and became an outside cat (she still came in for food). Then I had to move into a very small place that was too close to a major road. Without a lot of space, and a lack of outside access, she would try to sharpen her claws on random stuff. Also, her and the pug spent a lot more time together, and we didn't want her to accidentally scratch the pug's eyes while playing. By this time she was already about 3 years old.

So her options were:

- Stay outside, probably get ran over
- Given away, probably get put down
- Remove claws

Procedure was quick, she healed quick, and has had no problems.

I think removing a pet's reproductive hormones is more invasive than removing the last joint of the paws - but most people agree its for their own good, as a pet, and for society in general. Given my scenario I thought declawing was equally as humane.

I've never had anybody tell me their declawed cat experienced pain with their paws... I'll have to look that up...

[azelismia]

Sometimes declawing is the only humane option.

I had a cat and a pug. Cat learned to use the doggie door and became an outside cat (she still came in for food). Then I had to move into a very small place that was too close to a major road. Without a lot of space, and a lack of outside access, she would try to sharpen her claws on random stuff. Also, her and the pug spent a lot more time together, and we didn't want her to accidentally scratch the pug's eyes while playing. By this time she was already about 3 years old.

So her options were:

- Stay outside, probably get ran over
- Given away, probably get put down
- Remove claws

Procedure was quick, she healed quick, and has had no problems.

I think removing a pet's reproductive hormones is more invasive than removing the last joint of the paws - but most people agree its for their own good, as a pet, and for society in general. Given my scenario I thought declawing was equally as humane.

I've never had anybody tell me their declawed cat experienced pain with their paws... I'll have to look that up...

what about the options of putting caps on her claws or actually maintaining her claws by clipping them regularly. Grooming your cat instead of maiming her.

no excuse. that wasn't the humane option at all. it was the lazy option.

[NoStoneUnturned]

what about the options of putting caps on her claws or actually maintaining her claws by clipping them regularly. Grooming your cat instead of maiming her.

no excuse. that wasn't the humane option at all. it was the lazy option.

When you cut a cat's claws, they will work to make them sharp again by scratching things. Therefore, I really don't see how merely clipping them is a solve-all solution.



at the same time, I don't think declawing is a solution. If one has a cat they should generally deal with what the cat needs. Scratching things is one of their needs.

[Sequoia]

They actually claw things to dull their claws as the continue to grow and get sharper if they don't. I have a variety of places my cats can claw as they are indoor cats. It doesn't take a lot of space or money to do so. A scrap piece of wood covered in scrap uphostery fabric or rug rement nailed to a vertical surface. A scratching post big enough not to tip over and climb. A cardbard scratch box with catnip. And barriers where you want your cats not to scratch to encourage them to use what you do want them to. At this point, barriers are not needed for my group.

[azelismia]

They actually claw things to dull their claws as the continue to grow and get sharper if they don't. I have a variety of places my cats can claw as they are indoor cats. It doesn't take a lot of space or money to do so. A scrap piece of wood covered in scrap uphostery fabric or rug rement nailed to a vertical surface. A scratching post big enough not to tip over and climb. A cardbard scratch box with catnip. And barriers where you want your cats not to scratch to encourage them to use what you do want them to. At this point, barriers are not needed for my group.


yup we have a couple scratching posts. they use that. I keep catnip around the posts to really make that area attractive. they like having something they own. they don't scratch anything else. We clip their claws weekly. it's a routine. we don't have a problem with them hurting each other or anything else.

[SagaLore]

what about the options of putting caps on her claws or actually maintaining her claws by clipping them regularly. Grooming your cat instead of maiming her.

no excuse. that wasn't the humane option at all. it was the lazy option.

Does your cat still have all his/her reproductive organs?

[azelismia]

Does your cat still have all his/her reproductive organs?


altering a animal in that way is not the same as cutting off fingers and toes for no reason other than you're too lazy to clip their claws.

population control is necessary to reduce suffering. cutting fingers and toes off doesn't have any purpose other than convenience for someone too lazy to pick up claw clippers. It also leaves the cat defenseless should they end up in trouble.

Have you ever had a bone taken out of your body? I have.. it continues to hurt.

how would you like to have the tips of all your fingers cut off because your finger nails were inconvenient?

[SagaLore]

altering a animal in that way is not the same as cutting off fingers and toes for no reason other than you're too lazy to clip their claws.

I agree, its not the same. Cutting out a male cat's testicles, or a female cat's uterus and ovaries, is worse than snipping off the first portion of the last bone which grows the claw. Both operations require pain meds while they heal. Declawed cats don't even know their claws (and first portion of bone) are missing, but cats who are "fixed" do end up gaining weight and having hormone deficiencies. Owners who do it are too lazy to watch after their pets and prevent them from randomly hooking up with other animals.

I'm pointing out the hypocrisy.

[azelismia]

I agree, its not the same. Cutting out a male cat's testicles, or a female cat's uterus and ovaries, is worse than snipping off the first portion of the last bone which grows the claw. Both operations require pain meds while they heal. Declawed cats don't even know their claws (and first portion of bone) are missing, but cats who are "fixed" do end up gaining weight and having hormone deficiencies. Owners who do it are too lazy to watch after their pets and prevent them from randomly hooking up with other animals.

I'm pointing out the hypocrisy.


where is your medical back up for standard neutering procedures being worse than declawing?

and what do you mean cats don't even know their bone is missing? where do you get that? also please provide proof of these hormone deficiencies present with neutering.

have you ever had a bone out? Have you ever had surgery?


this is a very feeble attempt at defending declawing. what is this logical fallacy known as? I can't remember off hand. trying to prove that something is ok by saying something else is worse is hardly a solid argument though.

[JustMel]

One of the things our vet taught us was to put the cat on a tall slick surface while giving htem a pill. Like they do at the vets office.

it puts them off balance. we use our island in the kitchen it does help. barring that...

have you tried looking for another vet? this sounds incompetent. My vet specialises in cats and never had issues like this even with my bad behaviour kitties.

I will try the counter option. The vet is competent and has taken care of all my animals for years. She's also the same vet the Sheriff's Office and local Police Departments use. We believe part of the problem is her being deaf and abused. We adopted her from the shelter and when we got her from the shelter she had healing cigarette burns and a dislocated hip that finally healed.

We have multiple scratch posts and cat trees throughout the house and they are all good about using them. We rarely have one that scratches on furniture.

I tried the brushing thing but she hates it and I got a nasty bite mark for my trouble. The other cats like it but she doesn't.

I don't like the idea of declawing but I'm running out of options. She will not allow herself to be held to clip her nails. She became so freaked out at the vet by them trimming her nails that the vet tech had to let her go and call for the vet to help. They ended up having to tranq her because she was in the corner hissing and swiping at people and wouldn't even let me get near her. I suspect a lot of her behavior issues are from whatever happened to her prior to us getting her.

[Sequoia]

I will try the counter option. The vet is competent and has taken care of all my animals for years. She's also the same vet the Sheriff's Office and local Police Departments use. We believe part of the problem is her being deaf and abused. We adopted her from the shelter and when we got her from the shelter she had healing cigarette burns and a dislocated hip that finally healed.

We have multiple scratch posts and cat trees throughout the house and they are all good about using them. We rarely have one that scratches on furniture.

I tried the brushing thing but she hates it and I got a nasty bite mark for my trouble. The other cats like it but she doesn't.

I don't like the idea of declawing but I'm running out of options. She will not allow herself to be held to clip her nails. She became so freaked out at the vet by them trimming her nails that the vet tech had to let her go and call for the vet to help. They ended up having to tranq her because she was in the corner hissing and swiping at people and wouldn't even let me get near her. I suspect a lot of her behavior issues are from whatever happened to her prior to us getting her.

That explains the extreme behavior. How long have you had her? Try the rubber claw tips; it'd be kinder. Some of her skin problems are probably stress related. She's going to need to be treated very gently and lovingly if she is to trust anyone again given the abuse she suffered and it may take years for her to respond. She should eventually though.

When you do give her her medicine, calm her down both before and after you do before you let her go; since she can't hear, touch will have to work. She'll also pick up your intent through body language as you do.

[azelismia]

That explains the extreme behavior. How long have you had her? Try the rubber claw tips; it'd be kinder. Some of her skin problems are probably stress related. She's going to need to be treated very gently and lovingly if she is to trust anyone again given the abuse she suffered and it may take years for her to respond. She should eventually though.

When you do give her her medicine, calm her down both before and after you do before you let her go; since she can't hear, touch will have to work. She'll also pick up your intent through body language as you do.


ditto. push for the prozac. that might really help. Poor kitty. people who treat their pets like that should be shot.

[SagaLore]

where is your medical back up for standard neutering procedures being worse than declawing?

Where is yours?

[JustMel]

I've had her for almost two years. (Aug or Sept will be two years) she was so neglected when we got her that it was pitiful. Her ears were full of mites and always dirty and icky. We had to take her and have them flushed a couple of times and then had to clean then at home for weeks. Now they're healthy and pink and she rarely scratches her ears now, at least no more than the other cats.

When we do have to hold her for something we always start out by loving on her and petting her and we do so after the medicine too for at least a few minutes but she's just so hard to control when she's pissed off. I'm going to take her back to the vet next week and push for medication. If that doesn't work then I'll try the tips before a final decision on declawing.

[azelismia]

I've had her for almost two years. (Aug or Sept will be two years) she was so neglected when we got her that it was pitiful. Her ears were full of mites and always dirty and icky. We had to take her and have them flushed a couple of times and then had to clean then at home for weeks. Now they're healthy and pink and she rarely scratches her ears now, at least no more than the other cats.

When we do have to hold her for something we always start out by loving on her and petting her and we do so after the medicine too for at least a few minutes but she's just so hard to control when she's pissed off. I'm going to take her back to the vet next week and push for medication. If that doesn't work then I'll try the tips before a final decision on declawing.


with her history prozac really should be a no brainer...

[Sequoia]

There is one more idea....an apothecary at a pharmecist can make any medicine taste good to a cat; for liquid benedryl, they can make some that perhaps she'll lick up willingly.

For anything in pill form, I hope the pill pockets work. They do for my friend who must pill her cat daily.