can cats have OCD?

Question

(Obsessive Compulsive disorder)

we really don't know what it is, he just acts phsycotic(or however you spell it)
and thats one of the only other disorders that we can think of that it may be...

Answer 1

I never knew that but here you go:


The Daily Cat: Cat Culture: News
News Briefs for the Week of December 9, 2002
By Marcella Durand for The Daily Cat

New Study on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Cats...
He chews all the books, papers and cardboard he can find and he does it all the time. Or she chases her tail around and around but she doesn't quite seem to be having much fun. Or you've noticed that the hair on his legs is getting a little thin and that he seems to be doing an awful lot of grooming.

Sound familiar? Your cat may have an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a condition that can be mysterious to treat in cats. However, a new study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania may shed some light on the problem. In the study, 103 dogs and 23 cats with OCD were treated with a combination of behavior modification and medication, which resulted in a significant decrease in the intensity and frequency of OCD in most of the animals. However, owners shouldn't expect miracles. The study says while "the frequency and intensity of clinical signs in most dogs and cats may decrease by more than 50 percent" with "consistent behavior modification" and treatment with medication (clomipramine), "success appears to depend on client understanding and compliance and the reasonable expectation that OCD cannot be cured, but can be well controlled."

Interestingly, OCD in dogs did "not appear to be associated with lack of training, lack of household stimulation, or social confinement," says the study, but "in cats, OCD may be associated with environmental and social stress." Stress, for cats, can be due to a change in physical environment, such as a recent move, or to the pure unmitigated dullness of staying inside all day. So it's important to keep kitty mentally and physically stimulated (a cat tree by the window and regular interactive playtime is a good start).
http://www.catsplay.com/thedailycat/2002-12-09/news/2002-12-09.html
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Does your cat show these tendancies? Oh...I'm so sorry!

Answer 2

My 13 yr old Sylvie is a compulsive and obsessive groomer. It can cause problems for her as she does not throw up hairballs and a lot of the hair remains in her stomach, makes her not want to eat as much. She will barf up a hairball maybe once a year. And it is the size of a newborn kitten!

I decided to get a remedy from Jean Hovfe, DVM. She is a holistic vet and has something called Obsession Remedy. A bottle is $16.95 and shipping is free. I am in my third week of using it with her. Since she's done this for 13 years I figure that I will have to treat for a month or so. I will use up the bottle. Sylvie doesn't give me a hard time about it.

So if you have a behavior you might want to change it is always a good choice. The flower remedies are benign and can do no harm. To me that is better than using drugs -- also a lot more cost-effective.

They send you directions about how to use it. It doesn't have to go IN the cat. You can just shake the bottle really well and put it on the fur between their ears.

Answer 3

Most zoo animals will exhibit repetative behaviour (like walking round & round in circles for hours on end). Ols style zoos that have sterile environments seem to have this problem. prozac and presumably the opther s.s.r.i. family of drugs (e.g. zoloft, paxil, celebrex etc.) helps or ends that behaviour.
Perhaps your cat needs more toys or a companion, or more attention. If that doesn't work go to the vet.
good luck,
Dan.

Answer 4

I'm sure one of my cats has ocd