Is It Normal For My Cat To Hide After Starting Anxiety Medication? (Vet Answered)
This question has been answered by a vet
Small Animal Veterinarian
Dr. Karyn is a small animal veterinarian originally from Australia, now based in the UK. She holds degrees in Veterinary Science (2010) and Zoology. When not helping pets, she tends to her 5 cats and garden!
The Question
I went to the vet with my cat, he has high anxiety and was exhibiting symptoms similar to his last anxiety attack. He got put on medication and since then he has been hiding in my bedroom's closet. He usually sticks to me like glue, eg. sleeps in my office on his beam bag, sleeps on the pillow next to me and sleeps in the living room. Is it normal that he's suddenly hiding all day, only coming out for food, water and the litter box?
Quick Info about Henry
Hi Ilya,
Thank you for writing in. Gosh, it sounds like poor Henry really struggles with anxiety!
With any new medication, particularly those that affect behavior, it is quite common to see some side effects and changes as they adapt. This can take 4-6 weeks until a 'steady state' has been reached, so I wouldn't want to change any doses or medications before that time unless you were seeing any really worrying side effects, like severe lethargy, inappetence, or behaviors that could cause him harm.
My advice at this stage would be to keep an eye on him, but give him space and allow him to come out when he feels ready. Sometimes our efforts to comfort or reassure our cats can cause them to retreat, and what we really need to do is show them that they have control over where they go and who they interact with.
Make sure he has plenty of little hiding places, shelves, and boxes around the place so he knows he can hide if he needs to.
You could also look into some pheromone or herbal products to help create a more calming environment. There are a lot of different ones out there, so even if you've tried one, it could be worth trying another. Some are specifically designed for multi-cat households, some are based on pheromones, whereas others are based on more calming herbs. So even if you have tried one, I would suggest having a bit of a look and maybe trying a few more before you give up on that entirely.
I'm personally a fan of Pet Remedy, which is actually a UK-based product, but you can get it from Chewy here: https://chewy.sjv.io/GbQRmE. It's based on a combination of calming herbal ingredients rather than pheromones. I have also been hearing good things about the new Feliway Optimum, which is first on the list here: https://www.catster.com/cat-health-care/best-cat-pheromone-diffusers/
I wouldn't recommend combining different pheromone-based products, but you could try a combination of pheromones + herbal products.
If things still aren't settling down after a few weeks, I would definitely talk to your regular vet about what other options you could try.
All the best,
Dr Karyn