Cat guardians whose kitties begin acting strangely often get frustrated and upset with their cat’s bizarre behavior. Being unable to communicate with them verbally makes it even more difficult to pin-point the problem.
Many years ago, Sir Hubble Pinkerton, our loving, even-tempered Oriental Shorthair kitty’s behavior started changing dramatically. We knew he was upset when he began pacing aimlessly around the house for hours, yowling incessantly and starting to ritualistically trot around our garden tub three times precisely before using the litter box in the bathroom.
He also started to compulsively lick himself, tearing out huge chunks of hair. He often left bloody sores on his sensitive skin. He began spraying which complicated these symptoms. It was high time to call our veterinarian.
After taking an extensive history and giving him a thorough examination, she diagnosed Sir Hubble with Obsessive, Compulsive Disorder (OCD). The next step was finding the right behavior-modifying medication with which to treat him appropriately.
I was at my wit’s end when Prozac and Buspar only exacerbated his symptoms. And while Sir Hubble is not depressed, as a last ditch effort our holistic veterinarian prescribed Amitriptyline, a tricyclic antidepressant to help relieve his obsessive behavior. The medication worked like a charm. Within two weeks his symptoms had diminished. Sir Hubble stopped mutilating himself, his episodes of spraying abated, and the litter box no longer a scary monster.
Amitriptyline is a generic drug. At $8.00 for 60 pills; the drug’s cost is extremely reasonable. And for years we have been getting it from our local pharmacy. However, last week when I realized we were down to 8 pills and no further refills available, I asked my vet to call the pharmacy.
The next day I contacted the pharmacy to make sure the prescription was ready. But you can bet your bottom dollar that I was fighting mad when she told me no request had been made. I called the clinic and the vet tech told me she would immediately call them once again.
When I rang up the pharmacy, the assistant suggested I call back in the late afternoon to make certain it was ready for pick-up. But when I called she told me the medication was already out for delivery. Out for delivery? Since I hadn’t asked for delivery I was mystified. She explained that the pharmacist was so apologetic about the delay in refilling the prescription, as a courtesy he was having it delivered at no charge.
Hours later the deliveryman arrived. He said I had to pay for it since the account was in “suspense”. In “suspense”? Additionally, they were charging me a whopping $15.98 plus $3.00 for delivery. Now I was fighting mad. The deliveryman told me to call the pharmacy to work this out but fortunately gave me the pills.
But I went ballistic when the assistant told me that Sir Hubble Pinkerton had no account, which is why it was in “suspense”. Stunned, I informed her that Sir Hubble has no money, that he cannot work. She asked me if he was disabled. Choking on my words, I informed her that Sir Hubble is a CAT!
And since the pharmacist was not in, I won’t know the outcome until sometime this week. But I sure ain’t gonna pay no $15.98 for the meds, nor for the delivery. Perhaps I should borrow some of Sir Hubble’s pills to chill out before I call the pharmacy again.
What do you think? Tell us in a comment.
Amytriptyline (Elavil) is a very old psychotropic but has many good uses. That Dr. H simply became sedated but Sir H was relieved of his symptoms tells me that Sir H is on the right med. Even though your vet was in this mix of errors, he diagnosed and prescribed correctly. Well, I guess we don’t need cat psychiatrists after all.
As soon as I choose a new vet, I will probably take Damon to be “analyzed”. I don’t know if his mania and hoarding is OCD or if he’s just simply a hyperactive thief. I’ve never had a cat like him.
Please keep us updated because, at least with humans, meds have to be changed because the ones they’re on stop working for them or they stop needing them at all.
This is very interesting to me.
SNAFU’D — Situation Normal: All (Fucked/Fouled/Francis) Up — I didn’t know what it stood but knew what it meant.
You’re in the US, aren’t you? I don’t think it can be as bad as the UK. There is a lot of what I call dysfunctionality in the civil service that makes running the country near impossible.
I don’t like it that modern Siamese cats and derivatives, of which there are many can tend to be “fragile” mentally and physically. That seems to be the case. The Siamese is a fine cat breed but it has been bred to a bit to much. That is my opinion.
Nice point about pricing. I have never heard of that. Could you explain that a bit more to international (non-USA) visitors? Thanks for commenting.
Sir Hubble Pinkerton’s behavioral changes echo those of our beloved Queen Simba of times past; she, too, had a lot of meezer genes, and she had been rescued off the means streets after what I can only imagine was a protracted time of very hard living. In her later years, she self-mutilated and yowled a lot. I always chalked it up to hardship and uncertainty as to the future.
Regarding the medicational debacle, I can only say that the story is all too familiar these days; and while I and many others with good qualifications can’t get work, total incompetents seem to not only get it, but keep it. These days, I always say I can run my own life very well; it’s only when there are matters involving other people that things get SNAFU’d.
Sounds like by the end of the day, you needed something to calm you down more than Hubble did!
Have you noticed the disparity in price of the same drug when dx for human vs. Animal? I’ve been floored at the higher costs of feline prednisone and antibiotics when it’s identical. Greer!
Dee- I am working on that idea. I find it fascinating how different cats react to medication. A couple of months ago I was in too much of a hurry to get ready to go out. I always give Sir Hubble his meds at breakfast time. For some strange reason, by accident I gave his pill to Dr. Hush Puppy. I immediately called the vet- and she assured me that one dose wouldn’t do much to upset him.
She was right! He didn’t get upset. 5 mg of amytriptaline caused him to sleep the entire day- so much for it taking time to work- in his case it was instantaneous. Thankfully there were no bad side-effects and he was bright-eyed and bushy tailed the next morning.. quite a difference from his brother’s reaction to the meds.