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.
It’s the drug comapanies and what pharmacies add.
The vets are clueless.
To further explain, a 2 week supply of Cipro for myself would be free because of my insurance. The 2 week supply for a cat in their dosage would be around $50.00. MY 2 week supply, converted to a cat dosage, would last for months.
Wow. That sounds strange. So are veterinarians ripping off clients or is it the drug companies who are ripping off pet owners? I suppose it is the drug companies.
That is very true here in the States.
Believe it or not, there are some GP’s that will write scripts for us (antibiotics like Cipro or Prednisone)knowing we are using them for our pets.
I don’t recommend going that route unless you are very good at conversion. But, it saves a lot of money.
Yes, some of the purebreds tend to be very neurotic from what I hear. I always rescue, generally from the streets, so no purebreds here except for our mostly recently adopted, who came to us from an elderly couple who had health issues and could no longer care for him as he should be cared for. That’s our Mainey man.
Yeah, we’re in CATifornia >^^< and I like to say that, from my studies of world history, this place is looking and acting a lot like the old Soviet Union in terms of the bureaucracy and ability of people within it to take something quite logical and simple and *(#= it up beyond all recognition.
Good point Dee. Would you know if there is there a time limit for how long a cat can take Amitriptyline? Some of these drugs are addictive and have to be time limited.