Treating Behavior Problems in Cats (cont.)
Can You Use Medication Instead of Behavior Modification?
Behavioral medication alone isn't usually enough to resolve behavior problems. Medication serves to reduce the emotional part of a situation, but it doesn't resolve the behavioral component. Once medication gets your cat's emotional reactions under better control, behavior modification can be used to change her behavior. For instance, if your cat is afraid of another cat in your home, she might not use the litter box because of her fear. Medication can help your cat be less reactive to the other cat-but it won't help her learn to use the litter box again.
Which Medicines Are Best for What?
For the most part, four types of behavioral medicines are used to treat behavior problems in cats. These medicines are benzodiazepines (BZs), monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
The following table shows different cat behavior problems that have been successfully treated with a combination of medicine and behavior modification:
- Allergic Skin Disorders
- Bacterial Skin Diseases
- Bites and Infestations
- Diseases of Pigment
- Fungal Skin Diseases
- Medical Anatomy and Illustrations
- Noncancerous, Precancerous & Cancerous Tumors
- Oral Health Conditions
- Papules, Scales, Plaques and Eruptions
- Scalp, Hair and Nails
- Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)
- Vascular, Lymphatic and Systemic Conditions
- Viral Skin Diseases
- Additional Skin Conditions