The vet wants to put my male cat on valium...?

Question

I have 3 cats, one male and two females. The male weighs 20 pounds while the girls each weigh 9 pounds. The male cat is very dominating, agressive and intense in whatever he does. I have an unending love for all 3 and plan on keeping all of them. He treats them bad, is mean to them, tries to hurt them. He is 3 years old, they are each 10 (siblings). Has anyone ever heard of such a thing as putting a cat on a drug like valium?

Answer 1

yes, happens often. i used to work in a vet's office, and they would prescribe valium to cats often.

often for seizures, or in extreme cases, aggressiveness.

you have to be careful because if it is not controlled properly your cat can go into withdrawls which is not a pretty site.

instead of copying and pastin the information, here is a link you can read about side effects, etc.

http://www.petplace.com/drug-library/diazepam-valium/page1.aspx

Answer 2

The vet wanted to put my cat on Valium a few years ago because he has "issues" like repeatedly licking and pulling the hair out on one side of his body. The vet tested him for a bunch of things and came to the conclusion that it's a mental health issue. My cat is terrible to pill and we were worried about the side effects, so we passed on the Valium and just deal with it the best we can.
If your male cat hasn't been fixed yet, I suggest going that route before trying the Valium. And you may have to accept that your boy is just a bully and try to keep him away from the girls as much as possible for their own safety. My little boy cat is a total bully at times and that's why he is an only cat.
Sounds like you are in a really tough situation. Good luck.

Answer 3

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Male cat spraying is a natural signal tom cats use to communicate and mark their territory but may also be a sign of stress. To be able to stop your cat from spraying, you need to understand why your cat is spraying and act accordingly. Put Vinegar Where You Don't Want Cats to Go ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Vinegar is a more conventional alternative to get rid of the cat spray smell. Unlike other detergents, vinegar has a powerful odor that cats don't like. Clean the sprayed area with vinegar and water and the smell of the vinegar will keep your cat away from that area (at least for a while). Comfort Your Cat ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If your cat's behavior is stress-related, you should find the source of stress. Cats are sensitive creatures and may stress over various reasons. Environmental changes, such as redecorating a room, or bringing a new pet into the home, can stress a cat. Try to comfort your cat and reassure him that he's still important for you and be patient until he gets used to the new situation. Stress Medication ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In case comforting your pet doesn't help getting rid of stress-related cat spraying, you will have to get medical help. Valium and Clomicalm are among the most common drugs used to calm your cat down and stop him from spraying. However, these drugs have a few side-effects and your cat may lose his personality, being less friendly and less energetic. Alternatively you can get behavioral therapy for your cat. Switch Back to Your Old Litter Brand ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A cat may spray even if you change the litter brand or the location of the litter box. Your cat disapproves and decides to urinate in a different place. Just switch back to your old litter brand and your pet should stop spraying around the house. Go for a Check-Up Cat spraying may be caused by lower urinary tract infections or cysts. If the cat is sick, he associates the location of the tray with the painful urination and avoids using the litter tray. Go to the vet and run some tests. Treating these infections should stop the cat from spraying.

Answer 4

Has he been neutered? That could be part of the problem. I had an older male who lived with six other cats and (half the neighborhood cats) and he went on Valium for spraying. He was neutered late in life and when he got overstressed he urinated on the furniture.
It could be worth a try but that is between you and the vet.

Answer 5

Based on my own experience, I wouldn't recommend Valium. A cat of mine died unexpectedly whilst on a course of Valium prescribed by the vet for a behavioural problem. (The cat had developed a strange fear of his own tail and had become extremely anxious). He was only 8, had been given a series of thorough health checks and the vet couldn't find anything physically wrong with him, so he suggested Valium. It did nothing to stop my cat's strange behaviour, except he was now attacking his own tail in slow motion. Unhappy that one week later there was no improvement, I took him back to the vet to ask for a referral to a specialist. They decided to keep him in overnight for observation but sadly he died of a seizure during the night. Maybe it was coincidence, I don't know, but the vet could not offer me any explanation for either the strange behaviour or the seizure. After that, I changed vet and vowed never to allow my pets to be prescribed it ever again.

I have since discovered, that there lots of alternative treatments such as Bach Flower Remedies, which many animal behaviourists and pet owners use with great success. In his book "Do Cats Need Shrinks" Dr. Peter Neville recommends the use of Vine to treat tyrant cats. Four drops a day added to either their drinking water or diluted with water and squirted into their mouths 3-4 times daily for 6 weeks can bring great results in calming their temper. They will usually be content to ignore the other cat, or at worst, they will hiss and walk away. The web article below explains more about how these treaments work and how to administer them.

http://www.critterchat.net/bach.htm

Feliway, either the spray or plug-in diffuser version, may help promote a calm atmosphere, as they emit pheromones that cats find soothing.

I don't know how long your male cat has been acting mean to the females, but if it hasn't always been that way, it might be down to his age. Around 2-4 years old, some cats begin challenging for social status in order to have more control over the territory. The web article below explains more about this and other forms of aggression, so hopefully you may find the answer to his behaviour there.

http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/aggression.html

This web link, has lots of articles about aggession in multi-cat households and ways to resolve it.

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/9352/behavior.html

Hope you find a solution.

Answer 6

Maybe get a second opinion. That is a drastic step. I have heard of Prozac being used. The side effect of Valium in cats in increased appetite.....and it sounds like he is heavy enough. There are other things to try first. Seek another opinion from another vet first.

Answer 7

Nothing against this vet of yours,but WHAT IS HE taking

currently? In all seriousness,this vet sounds like he/she needs

to be put down and out of practice 4 good after suggesting

that your cat be given valium..that's usually given to humans!

This cat weighs like a lab puppy,yes,but also I'd never heard

of valium...

Answer 8

Don't give him a valium. Valium for cat's should only be used on days like fourth of july where he will really freak out. Then again i would never put my cat on valium. If he does freak out all the time just make sure you act really calm around him. Beating up on the little girl cats is just his personality. Do your best to separate them but all in all .... DO NOT PUT HIM ON VALIUM!!!

hope i helped

Answer 9

To help calm him down. But before jumping to valium, ask about other treatments.

Answer 10

one of my males is on an antidepressant, not for aggression but due to repeated urinary tract infections. I guess it keeps his stress level down. He is not on valium, though. If he were, he would not be getting it because I need it myself.