Seperation anxiety in cats

Re: Seperation anxiety in cats

Mark Hedberg — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 08:48:17 GMT

[quote user="Fuzzyduck"]

My cat is 4kg so lowest dose we calculated was 0.5mg, he had half a 0.5mg tablet my plan was to see how he reacted and give him the other half if neccessary, im glad i never gave him the full dose.

I was warned how unpredictable the drug was in cats.

[/quote]

true, in cats i prefer amityptilline, but a lower xanax dose (half a 0.25) might be a thought...panicking cat feels drowsy for no good reason. (my mother takes xanax at 0.25mg, so if its enough for my mother, might be too much for a cat! :)

Re: Seperation anxiety in cats

Fuzzyduck — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 23:53:34 GMT

My cat is 4kg so lowest dose we calculated was 0.5mg, he had half a 0.5mg tablet my plan was to see how he reacted and give him the other half if neccessary, im glad i never gave him the full dose.

I was warned how unpredictable the drug was in cats.

Re: Seperation anxiety in cats

Mark Hedberg — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 22:54:49 GMT

One note about xanax - the dose in cats is: 0.125-0.25 mg/kg p.o. q12h. What dose was prescribed for him?

Re: Seperation anxiety in cats

Fuzzyduck — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 22:19:34 GMT

If you are going to try Xanax i would def advise test it before you need it on a day where you can spend the whole day with him if necc.

I used low dose Xanax on my fairly normal cat as we had a very long car journey and he gets stressed in the car, i was advised to try it beforehand and im so glad i did as it sent him completely loopy, he was chewing/eating everything in sight! Including the side of the sofa, suitcase, xmas decos, i had to physically pull things out of his mouth! He wouldnt settle, he was totally hyperactive, i tried to shut him in one room to calm and confine him so i could keep an eye on him but he went mad digging his way out of the room! It took about 5 hours for these effects to wear off then he fell asleep!!

Im so glad i was told to test it before as if we had given him that and done the journey right off god knows what would have happened!!

Re: Seperation anxiety in cats

funkyfish — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 21:22:44 GMT

If it's a cognative dysfunction problem- one of the first signs is sleep/wake cycle disterbance.then feed hills j/d- has the antioxidants etc the brain needs. Also selgian is better for generalised anxiety and brain ageing as it helps to prevent further neuron damage. The good thing with it is I don't think you need to wean on/off it. Although off licence for cats the company has some cat data.

Re: Seperation anxiety in cats

bonny10 — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 18:46:13 GMT

[quote user="kerrywilliams2007"]

this sounds familiar

[/quote]

Haha yes Kerry its me! Trying to sort salem out, im at my witts end!

Re: Seperation anxiety in cats

kerrywilliams2007 — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 16:18:12 GMT

this sounds familiar

Re: Seperation anxiety in cats

Emma Gerrard Dip AVN (SA) DipHe CVN BSc (Hons) CVN RVN KSQP RAM — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 12:47:53 GMT

I havent has experience of these, but what about Aktivate Cat. I have used this in my senior health checks, It has worked well in some cats, showing simillar signs to your cat.

Re: Seperation anxiety in cats

bonny10 — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:06:42 GMT

He has had his blood test and is not hyperthyroid!

Still unsettled at night, constantly getting up and howling for attention- he does settle eventually but its distressing to listen to.

Zylkene hasn't had any effect, im now looking into serg-8 and clomicalm. Has anyone got experience of using theses for behavioural issues?

Re: Seperation anxiety in cats

bonny10 — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:20:47 GMT

Thanks for everyones input.

I am going to get his T4 tested at the end of the month (need to wait until i get paid) and see what that shows.

He hasn't been too bad over the last few days, a few disturbed hours in the night but much better when i leave him in the morning.

Im sure even if he is hyperthyroid there is some sort of seperation issue also so i may give xanax a try if he doesn't settle.

Feel bad waiting a few weeks to blood sample him but iv had him 18 months already so guess 2 weeks isnt going to differ much and he seems well in himself.

Il keep you updated and let you know the results when i have them.

Re: Seperation anxiety in cats

funkyfish — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:04:29 GMT

Hi a low dose of Alprazolam (Xanax) could help him cope for days you have to leave him. He wont learn that u leaving is ok , but it may help him not pani about it. You need to desensitise him to you leavin him etc. Feel free to pm me or email for more info Vanessa@vetnurse.co.uk

Re: Seperation anxiety in cats

Anonymous — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 03:15:33 GMT

Definately check for hperthyroidism. It sounds like the classic behaviour signs.

Weight loss? Tachycardia? Increased appetite?

You could also think about (if it is behaviour) has there been any changes that would suddenly make him anxious. You said he was always clingy, so whats happened thats chagned his behaviour?

If it is behavioural, feliway or zyklene will do anything unless you treat the underlying cause (the stressor), and also try to get him less reliant on you. This would involve encouraging him to bond with other people, encouraging him to partake in other activities without you etc, so life isn't just about you. As an indoor, geriatric cat the balance of every day activities can easily become unbalanced, as there is more time to fill due to less activity/stimulation.

Let us know what the results show!

Re: Seperation anxiety in cats

Steph Worsley — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:20:55 GMT

I would agree get his thyroid checked, both mum and dad's cats were diagnosed prior to turning 8 and I had one cat who showed similar signs to yours no other clinical signs, in fact she was rather round not a skinny hypert4 cat. She would wander round crying and showing real senility problems, I managed to catch Sarah Heath following a CPD evening and she suggested first checking bloods including T4 and I was bowled over when she came back hypert4!!

Re: Seperation anxiety in cats

bonny10 — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:04:59 GMT

Now you mention it i think he could be hyperthyroid.

Can't feel a goitre but he does have some symptoms to fit- he has always drank and ate alot and has intermittant d+. He did have bloods done a few months back (not t4) to check his renal function and all came back in normal range so i just put his symptoms down to old age.

I guess il get him tested on monday :)

Re: Seperation anxiety in cats

Gillian Mostyn — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:41:05 GMT

take his resting HR and RR and see if it is a bit high...might give you a clue? Can you feel for a goitre?

Older cats do seem to sometimes get senility issues which can lead to increased anxiety, and there are medications that can help, but I'd say that probably half of the older cats with behavioural problems I see turn out to have an overactive thyroid!

Another option may be chronic pain from dental issues or osteoarthritis?

Re: Seperation anxiety in cats

bonny10 — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:07:44 GMT

Not sure on age as have no history on him. He is going grey so i would say an older cat plus his teeth look aged so more geriatric than adult i reckon.

I did think about hyperthyroidism but because he has always been clingy put it down to seperation.

Re: Seperation anxiety in cats

Gillian Mostyn — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:57:10 GMT

How old?

Any chance he could be hyperthyroid?