Cats can suffer from anxiety disorders just as people and dogs can. Cats can experience generalized anxiety disorders or more specific anxiety issues caused by things such as thunder or separation distress when their pet parents are not at home.
The first step to relieving your cat’s anxiety is to talk to your vet, and then you can discuss if there’s a need for cat anxiety medications, changes in their daily routine or home environment, or behavior modification. Here’s a list of the different types of medications and how they work to help with your cat’s behavioral concerns.
Talk With Your Veterinarian About Your Cat’s Anxiety
What can you do to help your cat with anxiety? First, your kitty needs to be examined by your veterinarian to make sure there are no underlying medical problems. Your veterinarian can discuss some medication options or refer you to an expert in the field—a board-certified veterinary behaviorist.
No matter the direction you take, using anti-anxiety medication is just one part of the treatment plan. The other part of helping your anxious cat involves management and behavior modification.
How Cat Anxiety Medications Work
Cat anxiety can manifest itself in a variety of ways, so there are both long-term and short-term anti-anxiety medications available.
Long-Term Anxiety Medications for Cats
Some cat anxiety medications are long-term maintenance medications, meaning they can take four to six weeks to take full effect. They also are meant to be taken daily.
If the medication is helping, the cat should be kept on it for a minimum of two to three months. Once your cat’s behavior is stable, they can be gradually weaned off the medication.
Some cats benefit from staying on anti-anxiety medications for six to 12 months—or longer. These cats should get a yearly examination, blood work, and a behavior reevaluation to ensure that they are still on the best treatment plan for their needs.
Short-Term Anxiety Medications for Cats
Other anti-anxiety medications are short-term; they take effect in a shorter period of time and only last a few hours. They are intended to be used for certain situations where your cat experiences increased levels of anxiety and stress, such as during car rides. These medications typically do not require your cat to be weaned off them if they’re not used consistently.
Types of Cat Anxiety Medications
Keep in mind that the use of all human medications to treat cats with anxiety disorders is off-label. The term off- or extra- label use means that a medication can be used in a way or in a particular species that are not specified on the medication label. Off- or extra- label use of a medication can only be done by a veterinarian who has direct and personal knowledge of your cat and when there are no other appropriate medications for a particular cat’s circumstances.
Often, these medications are in tablets that are too large for cats, so they may need to be compounded by a specialty pharmacy into a flavored chewable tablet, capsule, flavored liquid or transdermal medication.
Here is a list of the most commonly prescribed cat anti-anxiety medications and their potential side effects.
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Fluoxetine
Indications:
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Generalized anxiety (moderate to severe anxiety)
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Aggression directed toward people or other animals
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Compulsive behavior
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Urine spraying
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Inappropriate urination
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Panic disorder
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Fearful behavior
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Overgrooming
Fluoxetine is classified as a selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). It blocks the receptors in the brain from taking up and removing serotonin, allowing for a higher serotonin level.
Serotonin helps adjust mood and behavior. Increased amounts of serotonin in the brain can help decrease anxiety and reduce reactivity and impulsive behavior.
This medication takes four to six weeks to take effect and must be given once daily.
Some potential side effects include:
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Vomiting
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Diarrhea
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Constipation
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Agitation
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Sedation
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Lethargy
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Decreased appetite
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Urine holding
Most of the side effects improve after the first two weeks. If your cat’s appetite is affected, this medication should be discontinued and replaced by an alternative.
Paroxetine
Indications:
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Generalized anxiety (moderate to severe anxiety)
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Aggression directed toward people or other cats
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Compulsive behavior
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Urine spraying
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Inappropriate urination
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Fearful behavior
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Overgrooming
Paroxetine is another SSRI that increases the amount of serotonin in the brain. It’s a good alternative for cats that become agitated or have a decreased appetite on fluoxetine, and it’s less sedating compared to fluoxetine.
This medication takes four to six weeks to take effect. It must be given once daily and should not be abruptly discontinued. This medication should be used with caution in cats with heart disease.
Some potential side effects include:
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Sedation
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Lethargy
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Constipation
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Vomiting
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Diarrhea
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Difficulty urinating
Sertraline
Indications:
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Generalized anxiety (mild to moderate anxiety)
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Inappropriate elimination
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Fearful behavior
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Urine spraying
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Impulse or compulsion issues
Sertraline is classified as a selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). It blocks the receptors in the brain from taking up and removing serotonin, allowing for an increased level. Serotonin helps adjust mood and behavior. Increased amounts of serotonin in the brain can help decrease anxiety and reduce reactivity and impulsive behavior.
This SSRI takes four to six weeks to take full effect. It must be given once daily and should not be abruptly discontinued.
Some potential side effects include:
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Sedation
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Lethargy
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Agitation
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Decreased appetite
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Vomiting
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Diarrhea
However, this medication is less likely to cause side effects compared to the other SSRIs.
Clomipramine
Indications:
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Generalized anxiety (moderate to severe anxiety)
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Aggression directed toward people, cats, or other animals
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Compulsive behavior
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Urine spraying
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Inappropriate urination
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Panic disorder
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Fearful behavior
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Separation anxiety
Clompiramine is a tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) that modulates serotonin and norepinephrine receptors to reduce anxiety and aggressive behavior.
This medication takes four to six weeks to take effect. It must be given once daily and should not be abruptly discontinued.
Some potential side effects include:
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Vomiting
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Diarrhea
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Agitation
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Sedation
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Lethargy
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Dry mouth
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Decreased appetite
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Urine holding
This medication should be used with caution in cats with heart disease or epilepsy.
Buspirone
Indications:
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Generalized anxiety (mild to moderate anxiety)
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Fearful behavior
Buspirone is classified as an azapirone, which works on the serotonin and dopamine receptors in the brain. This medication takes four to six weeks to take effect. It must be given once daily and should not be abruptly discontinued.
Some potential side effects include:
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Vomiting
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Diarrhea
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Agitation
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Sedation
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Increased affection towards the pet parent and increased confidence
In addition, some cats that are picked on by other cats in the household may appear more confident and defend themselves instead of running away.
Alprazolam
Indications:
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Anxiety
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Phobias
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Panic disorder
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Fear
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Urine spraying
This medication is classified as a benzodiazepine and is thought to work by promoting gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) activity in the brain. GABA inhibits the effects of excitatory nerve signals in the brain, resulting in a calming effect on your pet.
This short-acting medication takes effect in 30 minutes. It can be given every eight to 12 hours. Tolerance and dependency may occur if this medication is given daily. If a cat has been on this medication for a prolonged period, it shouldn’t be abruptly stopped.
Alprazolam must be used with caution in cats with aggressive behavior. It may reduce the cat’s inhibition, which might lead them to display more aggressive behavior.
Some potential side effects include:
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Lethargy
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Sedation
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Loss of motor coordination
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Increased appetite
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Excitement
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Aggressive behavior
Lorazepam
Indications:
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Anxiety
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Phobias
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Panic disorder
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Fear
This is a benzodiazepine, which work by promoting gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) activity in the brain. GABA inhibits the effects of excitatory nerve signals in the brain, resulting in a calming effect on your pet.
Lorazepam is a short-acting medication that takes effect in 30 minutes and can be given every 12 hours. Tolerance and dependency may occur if this medication is given daily. As with alprazolam, cats should be slowly weaned off when stopping the medication.
Some potential side effects include:
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Lethargy
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Sedation
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Loss of motor coordination
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Increased appetite
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Paradoxical excitement
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Disinhibition of aggressive behavior
This medication must be used with caution in cats with aggressive behavior.
Oxazepam
Indications:
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Anxiety
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Phobias
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Panic disorder
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Fear
Oxazepam is is a benzodiazepine, which work by promoting gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) activity in the brain. GABA inhibits the effects of excitatory nerve signals in the brain, resulting in a calming effect on your pet.
Oxazepam is a short-acting medication that takes effect in 30 minutes. This medication can be given every 24 hours.
Tolerance and dependency may occur if this medication is given daily. Slow weaning off the medication is needed if the cat has been on this medication for a prolonged period.
This medication must be used with caution in cats with aggressive behavior.
Some potential side effects include:
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Lethargy
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Sedation
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Loss of motor coordination
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Increased appetite
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Paradoxical excitement
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Disinhibition of aggressive behavior
Trazodone
Indications:
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Anxiety
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Aggression
Trazadone works by increasing serotonin levels in an animal’s central nervous system. Serotonin is a chemical messenger that works in the brain to regulate behavior and other bodily functions. It’s a short-acting medication that takes effect in 60–90 minutes and lasts about eight to 12 hours.
Some potential side effects include:
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Lethargy
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Sedation
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Vomiting
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Diarrhea
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Agitation
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Drooling
Gabapentin
Indications:
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Anxiety related to pain
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Aggression related to pain
Gabapentin is classified as an anticonvulsant and works to reduce the exaggerated pain response felt in cats suffering from long-term pain caused by arthritis, nerve pain, cancer, etc. It works on calcium ion channels in the brain to reduce excitement. Avoid the use of human oral solution because it contains xylitol, which is toxic to cats.
This is a short-acting medication that takes effect in 60–90 minutes and lasts about eight to 12 hours.
Some potential side effects include:
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Lethargy
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Sedation
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Vomiting
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Loss of coordination
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Agitation
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Drooling
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