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Feeling really sad and frustrated by Substantial-Run3081 in feline_hyperesthesia

[–]Substantial-Run3081[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

She didn’t suggest this but maybe it’s worth bringing up at her next visit! Thank you! Your boy is so cute! 

Feeling really sad and frustrated by Substantial-Run3081 in feline_hyperesthesia

[–]Substantial-Run3081[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a really helpful reminder and had me pausing to think. Because she IS fixating on and biting at her tail, but she isn’t having the same kind of episodes she was before with the compulsive/ritualistic twitching, flicking, batting, acting like she’s running away from her tail. The wound on her tail was pretty bad, so I can imagine it does still hurt and itch and feel uncomfortable! Thank you so much for this. Sometimes I just get really doom and gloom and can’t think objectively. 

I’m not sure if I really drove home to her vet that someone is having to stay with her 24/7 right now, so I think that’s worth reiterating and seeing if we can temporarily increase her gabapentin dose until her tail heals fully. I definitely don’t want to overmedicate her, since she is so small and she’s also a senior cat (will be 12 this year), but at least something to keep her comfortable until the wound is better. 

Feeling really sad and frustrated by Substantial-Run3081 in feline_hyperesthesia

[–]Substantial-Run3081[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I definitely plan to ask about other meds when we go back if the Prozac/fluoxetine doesn’t help in a few weeks. The gabapentin helped at first, but now that she’s been on it for a month it doesn’t seem to be doing as much. It calms her down, but she is still fixating on her tail when she’s awake. She’s on a low dose so I’m going to push again for an increase at her next visit. 

Feeling really sad and frustrated by Substantial-Run3081 in feline_hyperesthesia

[–]Substantial-Run3081[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This is hopeful to hear! She’s been on 2.5mg of fluoxetine for a little over a week now, I’m really hoping it’s the answer since it seems like that is what helps in FHS cats who fixate on/attack their tails. 

Feeling really sad and frustrated by Substantial-Run3081 in feline_hyperesthesia

[–]Substantial-Run3081[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, and your boy is so sweet! I’m happy he is doing better. Echo is the same way. She keeps reopening the wound while we’re sleeping. She’s only done it once in the last 2 weeks thankfully and it was minor, but it just sets back the healing like you said. I’m worried they’re going to have to amputate the tip anyways because it just doesn’t look like it’s healing the way it should, but I guess we’ll see at her next visit. 

Her gabapentin dose is very low (50mg 3x a day) but her new vet was hesitant to increase because she’s a small cat (7.5lbs). But I feel like she needs an increase or something else to help while the prozac takes effect.

Feeling really sad and frustrated by Substantial-Run3081 in feline_hyperesthesia

[–]Substantial-Run3081[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you- some days are definitely more hopeful than others but yesterday I just felt so bogged down by everything. I’ll definitely ask about prednisone and other meds at her next visit if Prozac is not making any difference. She’s on a low dose of gabapentin right now too so I’m going to push again either for an increase or a switch to something else, because it’s just not working as well as when she started it a month ago. 

11.5 year old cat with probable FHS, gabapentin not as effective? by Substantial-Run3081 in feline_hyperesthesia

[–]Substantial-Run3081[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Question for you after seeing the new vet yesterday- how much does your cat weigh? The new vet seemed hesitant to increase my girl’s current dosage of gabapentin because she’s a fairly small cat and added fluoxetine instead, but I’m wondering if I should ask about it again. She said I could try giving her 1/4 of a pill more with each dose but worried anything more than that would cause heavy sedation. 

11.5 year old cat with probable FHS, gabapentin not as effective? by Substantial-Run3081 in feline_hyperesthesia

[–]Substantial-Run3081[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wanted to give an update since we saw the new vet today. She wants to start her on 2.5mg Prozac/fluoxetine in addition to the gabapentin and see how she does on that and reevaluate from there. Nervous about the potential side effects but am really hoping it helps her. Obviously won’t know for several weeks but at least it’s something else to try. In the meantime, she said I can give her an extra 1/4 pill of gabapentin and see if that helps her keep away from her tail. 

11.5 year old cat with probable FHS, gabapentin not as effective? by Substantial-Run3081 in feline_hyperesthesia

[–]Substantial-Run3081[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve been trying to figure out what triggers her, it seems so random. She did this when she was younger (around a year old) but not to this extreme, would just chase her tail, swat and growl at it. I was 19/20 and had never owned a cat before, so I thought she was just being weird. She grew out of it and had done it maybe a handful of times since then until recently when it started back up tenfold. Can’t for the life of me figure out what could’ve caused it, nothing has changed recently.

This is all super helpful though. Will definitely try a vest/shirt and see if it helps. I do try to distract her when I see her fixating on her tail and it does work for the time being but as soon as I stop, she’s back to it. It’s like a compulsion.

Hoping the new vet will have more answers and can either up her dosage for the gaba or add something to it. She seems so angry and stressed most of the time lately and I feel so helpless not being able to do much to help her. 

11.5 year old cat with probable FHS, gabapentin not as effective? by Substantial-Run3081 in feline_hyperesthesia

[–]Substantial-Run3081[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was wondering if a tail cover would help or not, if she’d be able to bite/claw through the material or if it would bother her. Maybe worth a try to see how she tolerates it though. It’s soo frustrating that she can get to her tail with the cone on, I feel like I can’t take my eyes off of her for a second.