Five Signs Your Kitty Might Need Prozac

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Many domestic animals experience physical and mental illnesses the way humans do. The same applies to cats. Felines can suffer from mental illnesses that may require medical attention. In fact, veterinarians often prescribe Prozac for kittens that need it. Prozac is unapproved by the FDA for use on animals, but it’s often used by vets to help kittens. It can alleviate many symptoms of stress and anxiety, and it can also curb aggressiveness. Prozac may be prescribed for kittens for various purposes. If you suspect that your cat might benefit from the medication, then your cat must be exhibiting these five signs that suggest for the need of Prozac.

1. Fighting other pets

There’s a significant sign of distress when your otherwise gentle cat starts to fight with other pets in your household or just other pets in general. Much like other pets, cats need personalized attention and care. If your cat starts fighting outside of normal behavior and all of a sudden, it’s likely that your furry friend is experiencing unnecessary stress. Stress in a cat’s life can happen for various reasons. It can be caused by an unexpected change in the environment or even a pet addition. Even the smallest changes in the household can induce a large amount of stress. Your vet can prescribe Prozac to help your cat through the stressful situation or simply to assuage the behavior. Otherwise, your vet might also suggest a change in the environment to give your cat more opportunities for positive distractions and activities.

2. Excessive scratching and licking

Are you finding more cat hairs than usual all over your house? Has your cat been licking and scratching itself excessively? It’s known that cats clean their coats by licking and can often be found scratching as well. However, if your cat is doing this excessively to the point that it’s losing its own hair in the process, it’s likely that your cat is experiencing some type of anxiety. Cat anxiety can be exhibited in different ways, and this is probably one of the more subtle ways that cat shows signs of anxiousness. For whatever may be the cause of it, anxiety in cats is often debilitating. A Prozac prescription may be a good solution to ease the anxiety, which hopefully will help alleviate the excessive scratching and licking. It’s important to note that it’s better to catch this behavior early on before it becomes a habit. When that happens, it might be more difficult to break the habit more than anything—something that Prozac might not be able to help.

3. Overt anger and aggressiveness

Most cats naturally appear indifferent to anything going on about it. They prefer solitary company, sometimes from a distance. Their curiosities make them excellent observers and also innately not confrontational. There are times when cats will show aggressive behaviors. But if your cat is exhibiting unnatural aggressiveness and violent anger, it’s likely that there’s an underlying cause. Most of the time, anxiety might be to blame for aggressive behaviors in cats. But it can also be caused by fear or feelings of being threatened. Aggression may even have an underlying medical cause. Pain can definitely make your cat act out in anger, and Prozac might be able to help. Although it will ease the aggressive behavior, your vet might also address the underlying cause for the behavior. If it is medical in nature, easing the pain will hopefully alleviate the aggressiveness.

4. Peeing outside the litter box

Cats are generally easy to train. They are smart creatures that are able to care for themselves in most cases. Using the litter box is something that cats master fairly easily. Once mastered, it rarely becomes an issue for cat owners. When a cat starts to pee outside the litter box all of a sudden, it’s clearly exhibiting abnormal behavior that has underlying roots. It could very well be physical in nature. An injury might prevent your cat to reach its litter box in time, or it might simply not have the strength. However, peeing outside the litter box after training might also mean that your cat is marking its territory—a sure sign of aggression. Your cat might also simply wish to stop using the litter box altogether. A simple Prozac prescription might help correct this behavior, and for all its worth your veterinarian will definitely give it a try. Otherwise, your vet will likely encourage you to examine your household situation to see if there are other causes for the behavior. If it’s related to injury, you can simply offer your cat more assistance to the litter box. If it’s related to territorial aggression, make sure to make changes so your cat no longer feels threatened in its own home.

5. Depression

There are many ways your cat could exhibit signs of depression. Your cat may show disinterest in toys and/or activities it’s usually enamored with. It may show excessive reclusion or it may even resort to aggression. The better you know of your cat’s behavior, the better you’ll be able to spot depression when it happens. Prozac has long been known to help humans alleviate the symptoms of depression, and it could very well do so for cats as well. Cats that are depressed are likely to get further illness. It may refuse to eat or refuse any physical movement or activity. Your cat might even refuse your affections—something that’s truly difficult to see and experience. Once you begin to see such symptoms, it’s a sure sign for you to take your cat immediately to the veterinarian for examination. A Prozac prescription is likely to be had, but your vet might also prescribe more natural cures. More outdoor time is likely to be prescribed as well as other activities. Depression may come and go in your cat; make sure to keep a close eye on its symptoms.

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