Have you ever noticed that your cat has urinated elsewhere in the house rather than its litter box? If this has happened more than once, then chances are that your cat has a urinating problem. Many expert vets link this problem to having a behavioral problem, and medicine like Prozac is usually prescribed for behavioral problems. But is it actually effective to give Prozac for your cats’ urinating problem?
In this article, we will answer all your questions in regards to giving Prozac to cats’ urinating, as well as other information you should know before you give your cat this medication for its problem.
Reasons Your Cat Urinating Inappropriately
If you have a small kitten who is inappropriately urinating while being trained, it is a genuine case and should probably be fine when your kitten learns to use a litter box.
But when it comes to adult cats, the reasons for urination may differ. Most of these are natural factors and not much in control of your cat, but others are somewhat variable.
Hormonal problems
Hormonal problems occur internally, so your cat won’t visibly show any symptoms of this problem. But if it is constantly leaking urine in different areas, then that is a sign of hormonal imbalance.
This is very well a sign that you should take your pet to the vet to get checked.
Urine marking from stress
If you just shifted houses or took your cat to a new location, chances are it is scared of the environment. This causes it to become anxious and stressed, and in turn urinate in unusual areas (especially if it can’t find a litter box).
Cats usually take some time to get used to new places and should be back to normal soon, but if this habit does not cease, then you may be prescribed Prozac to fix this problem.
Litter box aversion
Sometimes, the litter box isn’t set in a proper and comfortable location for the cat.
This causes the cat to avoid going to the litter box, and it may urinate around the house. To fix this, ask your vet about the optimal location for a litter box and place it there.
Other medical problems
While the above subheadings pretty much sum up the reasons your cat urinates in unusual places, and can its odor is worrisome. We cannot rule out other medical issues your cat has, if any.
Sometimes, if your cat has underlying kidney problems, then it may not be able to control its bladder.
Quite often, medical issues themselves induce anxiety and stress in your cat, so their urine might leak before they get a chance to get to the litter box.
If this is the case, take your cat to the vet before you give it Prozac.
Prozac for cats urinating
As you saw above, if you see your cat urinating around the house and suspect a problem, then it may require treatment using Prozac.
Not all types of behaviors will require medication, some require training and habit rectifications, as mentioned in the above heading.
Moving on, Prozac is a brand of medication that constitutes an antidepressant called fluoxetine. Fluoxetine causes changes in the cats’ behavior over time, and your cat should stop urinating after a few weeks of taking the medication.
Prozac needs to be given in a proper dosage based on your cat and its characteristics because an overdose only causes more harm than good.
Just like Prozac given to cats for aggression, when giving it to cure its urinating problem treat it as an antibiotic and complete its course.
If you leave the medicine abruptly, it will not give the desired results and your cat may start urinating again.
Side effects of Prozac on your cat
As we know, Prozac directly affects the behavioral characteristics of cats, which means it is directly associated with the brain’s functionality.
This is why it is vital to know what after-effects it can cause, to make sure your cat stays healthy and safe.
Prozac is just another medication, and even though we recommend that your cat take it as strictly as an antibiotic, the side effects are not very common except in severe cases.
In minor cases, Prozac can cause nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite. Sometimes even diarrhea but it is nothing to worry about in most cases.
However, some of the major side effects that Prozac can cause in your cat are constant shivering, muscle stiffness, fast heartbeat, sweating, and rashes on its skin, etc.
Many cats were not able to sleep deeply after taking a dose of Prozac, so this can also count as a side effect.
Nevertheless, if you see any signs of the major symptoms in your cat after taking Prozac to stop urination, do not hesitate to contact a vet immediately.
Precautionary Measures When Using Prozac for Urination
Feeding your cat Prozac is the easy part, it’s the precautions that should be taken care of properly.
Firstly, make sure you know the right way of giving Prozac to your cat. The medicine itself comes in many different forms, like a liquid, tablet, and syrup form to make it easy for ingestion.
Hide the Prozac in some food (if it is a tablet, otherwise just mix it) and feed it to your cat.
This is the sneaky method, but sometimes cats get nauseous and some even vomit the food out, in which case, you can try giving it before or after the cat has had dinner.
Next up, you need to double-check that you give the right dosage. Too much can mess with the brain functions, and even cause more urination in your cat than before.
Inappropriate dosage can also be the cause of many other diseases like kidney failure, hypothermia, and hypersensitivity.
Hence, any signs of these problems or irregular behavior patterns, take your cat to the vet immediately.
Overdose of Prozac during urination problem of cat
Overdose of Prozac is actually dependent on many things. Factors such as the age of the cat, breed of cat, and its health over the past few years.
Giving a less dosage may not be harmful, because you can always give an increased dosage later on.
However, the more dosage you give than what is recommended, the more the chances of urination amplifying.
Besides that, you may see the major symptoms of excess dosage we mentioned above, so it’s better to steer clear of them altogether.
Conclusion
In conclusion, should you give your cat Prozac for urinating outside the litter box?
Yes, after consultation with your vet you can give your cat a proper dose of Prozac because it helps reduce cats’ urination problems.
Make sure that you use it for the prescribed amount of time and don’t leave it abruptly during the course, otherwise, it will cause further complications in your feline friend.
before going to the vet though, you can figure out why your cat is urinating inappropriately as we have mentioned above.
Lastly, do remember that Prozac can have side effects on your cat, which, Even though I’m not too common, can become serious if not taken care of.
Finally, if you find any of the side effects we have mentioned above in your cat, then your safest bet will be to take your cat to the vet as soon as possible.