It is imperative that you approach your upset cat with extreme caution. Approach the cat cautiously, preferably wearing long sleeves and pants. Have a towel handy in case you need to catch your cat.
Speak quietly and in a lower pitched voice. Singing can soothe or relax your cat, much like talking quietly. Singing anything from an upbeat song to a slow melody can work. Just don’t sing loudly, harshly, or anything with rapidly changing pitches. Play something softly on the TV.
Let the cat climb to a higher place to allow it to feel safe and able to see what is going on. If possible, stroke the cat’s face by running your thumb lightly up from the bridge of the cat’s nose.
To move the cat to a room it can be alone in, wrap the cat in a towel snuggly with only its head sticking out, much like a burrito. Then you can place it in a quiet room, like a bedroom, along with access to a litter box, until it is calm once more.
If it is a problem that is likely to recur (such as trips in the car, company, thunderstorms) you can take some steps to help your cat better cope with the situation.
Scientists have managed to synthesize these chemicals which come in various forms such as collars, sprays, wipes, and plug-in diffusers.
Body wraps (thunder shirts or anxiety wraps) are another non-medication calming aids. These cloth and Velcro wraps wrap around the cat’s body and exert gentle pressure on pressure points which aid in calming cats. The principle is similar to swaddling an infant or wrapping the cat into a towel. Not every cat will respond positively to having to wear a wrap or to the pheromones or blends. You may have a period of trial and error to see what response your kitty has to these products.
Not all cats react the same to the same medication, so most veterinarians will suggest an initial trial with a medication while at home to gauge your cat’s reaction to the sedative. Keep in mind, some sedatives need to be given an hour or so prior to travel or anticipated stressful event so the cat doesn’t override the medication effects due to a buildup of anticipation anxiety.
Benzodiazepines. Examples are alprazolam, midazolam, and lorazepam. These are the most widely used sedatives in cats. They work almost immediately to reduce fear and anxiety in cats working on the same part of the brain as alcohol does in humans. Note: NEVER give alcohol to a cat. SARI’s. Trazodone is an example of this type of sedative. It works quickly to relieve anxiety. Clonidine and gabapentin. These have sedative and antianxiety effects in animals including cats. Chlorpheniramine and Benadryl are allergy and cold medications which have been used for cat sedation. Phenobarbital is another sedative used in cats.
These medications include: Amitriptyline (an antidepressant that helps animals with anxiety), Buspirone Hydrochloride (helpful with phobias, such as a fear of people in uniform or a fear of thunderstorms), Clomipramine (Clomicalm), and Fluoxetine (Reconcile, Prozac). In order for these drugs to work effectively, they need to “build up” in the cat’s body, so it may take up to 6 weeks to find out if they work on the cat. Also, they should not be stopped abruptly or adverse effects might occur. The best remedy is to slowly taper down the medication to give the body a chance to adjust to the medication decrease.
