I just gave my cat an antidepressant

So it turns out Lyra cat, Drama Queen of the Universe actually was pretty darn ill. She tested positive for salmonella, probably from eating a bird a few days before, and had a serious gut infection. But after four days at the vet, IV-treatment, blood samples, ultrasound, two different antibiotics, force feeding and a whopping bill, she started eating again and ould come home. A bit subdued, but much better.

Yesterday I gave her the second dose of a pill meant to stimulate her appetite. Out of curiosity I googled it, and it turns out it's used as a antidepressant for humans. Whatever the reason - this morning we were woken up by a VERY talkative, companycraving, hungry and curious cat wondering WHERE WE WERE AND WOULD WE PLEASE GET UP SOON!:D

And she can't go out loose for the next six weeks! Time to try walking her in a harness, I guess.

Oh man! I didn't even know cats could get salmonella! So glad she's feeling better ... hope the housebound weeks aren't too hard on all of you.

Sorry to hear that she, and you, had such an "adventure". I am very glad to read that she is getting back to normal :) I suggest getting a bunch of new cat-toys for her enforced stay inside.

That's a good idea. At the moment she's glued to the kitchen window "kekk-kekking" at all the birds she can't hunt. Maybe a Roomba would be fun ;-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of2HU3LGdbo

I'm glad your cat is on the mend. Whenever my little guy tries to stick his head in my coffee mug (our table manners are pretty loose when it's just the two of us), I try to tell him the last thing I need is a caffeinated kitty.

Glad your kitty is on the mend!

Oh poor kitty! Glad to hear she is getting all better. And good luck with harness walking. If she takes to it, it can be really fun for both of you. Have a story about walking my cat but will save it for later. My what an unusual looking dog you are walking...

Short trips with the harness are the best way to go at first, perhaps 10 minutes at a time, working up gradually. You'll have to keep your eye on her at all times and be alert for any signs that she's panicking and overwhelmed, but the walks will get longer over time. We've become known around the neighbourhood as "That eccentric couple that walks their cat everywhere", but with busy roads all around us, there's no way we'd let ours wander around on her own. I don't know if we'll be able to walk the new one yet, I suppose when he sees that Taffy gets to go places he'll get the idea quickly enough.
With a dog, you get to decide where to go. With a cat it's more of a collaborative effort. The cat decides the general direction of travel, but you get veto power over things like other people's flower beds.
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Thanks for the tips, nuliajuk, I think I'll go pick up a harness today as it breaks my heart to see her moping at the window all day. I know that once she starts getting really bored she'll start to rush us at the door too. Nothing like a really determined cat.

We had a neighbor once who walked their cat every single day, and every single day the cat rolled around and hid under bushes, it was hysterical.

Ours will sometimes roll in the dust while wearing her harness, and sometimes in mysterious substances that we'd prefer not to think about at the base of the communal mailbox. We've learned not to let her get too far into bushes.
It's really kind of time consuming. She has to sniff every bush, nibble at every blade of grass. Once in a while she'll get a wild look in her eye and sprint up the nearest tree, then we have to make sure she doesn't go too far up or get the leash tangled in branches. On the whole, though, it's worth the patience required as she gets to get outside and do cat things without us worrying about her.

Poor, silly kitty.
I hope no more 'dietary indiscretions' for her!

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Originally Posted by lph

That's a good idea. At the moment she's glued to the kitchen window "kekk-kekking" at all the birds she can't hunt. Maybe a Roomba would be fun ;-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of2HU3LGdbo

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That video opened more questions than it answered! Who thinks of these things? Somebody has way too much time on their hands.

Oh yeah, so whoever told me that walking a cat is not like walking a dog was telling the truth. Not that I expected it to be, I had expected it to be the cat walking me, but I hadn't considered that where a cat wants to go is very often not a place I can follow. Her way of getting fresh air is to stand outside for two minutes and just stare, then prowl the perimeter of her territory, then go sit under the steps for another minute or two. Then venture out into the cul-de-sac, and promptly dive under the neighbours fence and into their garden. When picked out of there, complaining loudly, she'll find a very large snowy tree to crawl under and sulk beneath for another minute or two, then attempt to dash through another neighbours garden. Sigh... At least she did get some fresh air!

When my cat was much younger and was forced to become an indoor cat in an 800 square foot condo, he was often agitated and bullied my 100lb rotti (he was so mellow and submissive he didn't stand a chance). I hated it, but I had to put him on meds- it was for OCD in humans, and I even got the prescription filled at the pharmacy (much to the pharmacists' amusement). I stopped after a couple of years and he's now a mellow senior.

When I took my rotti out for his morning/evening pee, the cat followed us outside. After the dog died, the cat was out of sorts from his routine being disrupted, so for the first while I took him out for walks around the courtyard. Kids love him and think it hilarious that he'll go for a walk.

I used to have not one, but two cats who would follow along behind when I walked the dog. They stayed close and meowed loudly so everyone would know there were two diva cats out for a stroll. The neighbors all thought the sight was hysterical.

I walk my 3 dachshunds every evening and my two cats almost always try to come with us. Some nights I'll let them walk about a block, then walk back home and put them inside the house so they won't follow us. Most regular walkers (and bike riders) know her by name.

One evening, I was crossing the street to a nearby park (about 3/4's of a mile from home). Much to my surprise, a skinny calico cat charged ahead of us into the park. My youngest cat had managed to follow us without being detected. She really, really wanted to visit the ducks in the pond.

This same cat also visits the outdoor patio of a nearby restaurant. About once a month, the restaurant manager calls and asks me to come get my cat.....She would definitely go crazy if she had to stay inside for a few weeks.

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Originally Posted by grouch2

My youngest cat had managed to follow us without being detected. She really, really wanted to visit the ducks in the pond.

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Aww :-)

Our cat has taken reasonably well to a leash and harness, but being walked when it suits us is not to her way of thinking. Even if it's three times a day. When she wants to go out she tells us, loudly, and if we refuse she continues her vigorous efforts to dismantle the three large boxes of firewood that are stacked in front of her cat flap. Apparently she can lift quite large pieces of firewood.

Bad news is that the first stool sample, two weeks after infection, was still positive for salmonella. She has to deliver three negative samples with two weeks between each, to be allowed out loose again. But it's sort of interesting to trail her around outside and see the cat things she does up close. Windy weather is incredible exciting, then she can sit for minutes just watching and smelling. Scritchy noises in dead leaves make her go ten kinds of crazy.

Wouldn't having a cat on a leash be preferable to letting them roam, anyway? There is a much Less chance of them being hit by cars, eaten by predators, getting into mystery items, and doing frivolous hunting.