My sleepless cat on prednisone

[paintsflowers]

Can anyone tell me what the scaling down dosage is for prednisone.
Annie is being treated for possible lymphoma and is receiving 10 mg per day for two weeks.
The vet wants to keep her on this dosage but since she isn't sleeping well I feel that I am only prolonging the inevitable. It also takes two people to give her the pills. One to hold her and I pop them in. I am running out of people at this point,, so I need to know how you taper the pred.
She never had the biopsy but her intestines were thickened and lymph nodes swollen and she had lost 3 lbs.
After two weeks of pred, she has gained a lb. But at what cost? She doesn't act like her old self. Eats, uses the litter box, sits like a sphinx, doesn't sleep well. Like waiting for the 2nd shoe to drop.

[patches712]

My cat is on pred 5mg. twice a day for possible neuro problems. She does not sleep and meows alot I also have not seen her go to the bathroom she walks to the litter box than walks away

[cat628]

My 17 year old cat has been diagnosed with lymphoma and thickening of the intestine walls...

Our vet prescribed prednisone to make him more comfortable. Although his only noticeable problem was weight loss and lots of excess sleeping. But our vet insisted he was in pain and that we should start a course of the drug.  

We gave him his liquid dose... about 2 hours after we gave it to him, we noticed his labored breathing, then it just went downhill from there...it was quite awful.. he totally freaked out, he couldn't walk, he was stumbling, peeing where he stood... extreme panting...and making snoring type sounds while breathing...  then he did some weird convulsion thing like he was trying to get something out of his throat... I know he wasn't trying to vomit because he ate just before so something would have come up... finally he collapsed in my arms (I was on the floor) breathing horribly, tongue hanging out... he started to calm down a bit and I just held him. We called the emergency service but they were no help at all.. He was in an awkward position... he was drooling pretty bad too...after about 30 minutes like this he eventually closed his mouth... then soon after he walked away and laid on his side breathing still very labored, eyes almost vapid...staring into nothing. I thought he was dying.  But his breathing got a little better. And after a couple hours his body position became more cat-like...(paws folded and tail by his side). But he can't sleep at all... he keeps nodding off and waking up like some form of apnea...  Its almost 4 am and I'm just hoping he gets through this night!

Just be aware your cat or dog could have a BAD reaction to prednisone.....

[Feline_Lover]

Sorry, my post to paintsflowers was meant for you:

Good luck with you kitty.

[Feline_Lover]

Hi, my fiancee and i have a cat with lymphoma. She started taking prednisone for a week and a half. Aas each day passed we noticed her breathing was a bit off. She began to breath much heavier to the point where she was breathing through her mouth. We took her to the emergency room where they ran a battery of tests. It turned out that she had existing heart disease (dilated cardiomyopathy). Apparently the prednisone we've been giving her  only exacerbated her pre-existing heart condition (that went unnoticed by her vet) to the point where it almost killed her. She had fluid in her heart that we aspirated. She is currently on heart meds and Leukeran for the lymphoma. When we gave our vet the news he was shocked. He says that this type of reaction from prednisone was very rare. I would seriously suggest bringing your cat for a second opinion and not take anything for granted. We were lucky because my fiancee really knows our cat and takes notice to every change in her habits. If not we may have lost her too soon.

[Ghilly]

Please accept my most sincere condolences on the loss of your precious little one.  This poem is in memory of your kitty.

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glint on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you wake in the morning hush,
I am the swift, uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft starlight at night.

Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there, I did not die!
Mary Frye (1932)

Ghilly

[Whatnot]

I came to this list because my cat is starting his second week of 10mg/day prednisone, and he is also becoming strangely sphinx-like. He isn't sleeping. He was put on prednisone because he may have lymphoma (he has been suffering from bad diarrhea for over a year). We didn't want to put him through a biopsy, so we decided to just watch over him and make sure he's comfortable.

At first I tried many many herbal remedies with absolutely no improvement, so when my cat was down to 7.1 pounds (had once been 10), I decided to try the pred for a month to see how it goes.

The pred (given as a liquid and also as a treat...I live right near a pet pharmacy that can put the medicine in a more yummy form for an animal) has made a HUGE improvement in the diarrhea category, and he's gained over a pound, but he does seem "different," more subdued. He will come to us and relax on our bellies, but I haven't seen him actually sleep in a couple of days (I'm hoping he slept last night, but I have no idea).

He's always been an extremely nervous cat, and I read above that maybe pred can make a cat MORE nervous??? Oh, and I don't know if I'm being overly protective (yes, I DO know that I am!), but he seems to be breathing kind of heavily. Not really panting or anything, but when he's sitting or lying down on me, I can really notice his breathing.

Any thoughts of what I should do?

[NewLeaf]

I am so very sorry to hear about your kitty.

It is hard, very hard to lose your friend and companion. It is hard to watch them decline and suffer and it is equally hard to put them to sleep.

My heart goes out to you. Know that you did everything you possibly could and one day may you remember her with a happy heart.

Take care.

[paintsflowers]

With much sadness, I put my precious kitty to sleep this morning. I found her at 5:00am by the water bowl. She must have been drinking all night and slept right by it. She definitely was not herself.  The only change in her two weeks ago when she started the pred was eating and drinking alot. She stopped purring a long time ago. didn't even meow before all the meds. When I took her to the new Vet, she was so thin and had lost 3 lbs. I believe that the pred did not have the effect on her that we expected. She was even like a zombie before the tramadol.
I loved her so much and hugged and kissed her as she went to sleep. Didn't want to wait like I did with my other cat and see her go downhill like he did.

My heart is broken, can't stop crying, but want to thank you for your kind words which brought much comfort to me. Don't know if I can ever get another kitty. It hurts too much right now.

I buried her in the backyard by a memorial tree planted for my husband.

[NewLeaf]

Good morning.  Does your kitty cry? If not, maybe it's the tramadol that is making her so subdued and not eating. Cats don't do well with drugs that may affect how they feel i.e., dopy, druged out. They seem to need all their facuties about them at all times and if that is changed because of drugs they can have some bizare reactions.

I believe when you first posted, you said she still was happy and purred and ate. Prednisone shouldn't change that at all, only make her more animated and happy. I can only think that her not wanting to do anything could possibly be the tramadol.  So, does she cry and act like she is in pain, if not, try not giving her the tramadol for a day or so and see what happens.

[paintsflowers]

Don't know what I would do without your input. I've been crying all day knowing that the inevitable is arriving. So tonight, without consulting the Vet, I am giving Annie 1 pill 5mg and not 2 of them.
She hardly ate today and has been sleeping under a blanket most of the day. Even though it was warmer today, she just stayed out for a short time. Poor kitty is not the same. Neither am I. Will see how she manages scaling down the pred.
So tomorrow she gets one and then 1/2 for 2 days, etc.
Please pray that she will not have severe pain. The tramadol is powerful even 1/8 of a tab.

[NewLeaf]

Well, my guy that had a mass on his pancreas and it grew larger, etc. also would sit    v  e  r  y   still for hours after he ate in always the same position.  I think as the food digest and travels their system they put themselves in the most comfortable position they find. It probably hurts them some to move during the digestion process.  I know it sounds cruel to allow a pet that may be in pain to continue but Mr Tuffy didn't cry and still played and purred and wanted to be a part of the cat family we have here, so we waited until it truly got the best of him and he couldn't walk and couldn't keep even baby food down.

I know it is hard to watch a pet go downhill and it is even harder to know there is not much we can do. Make her comfortable (she sounds like she is already doing that by herself) and I go by the happiness factor.  Keep me posted.

[paintsflowers]

Well, Annie is more subdued than more active. Because the pred was upsetting her stomach, Vet prescribed 1/4 tab of pepcid. She still seemed uncomfortable. Now my conception of that is after she eats, she kind of sits leaning on her paws. Don't know how to describe it, but not flat down on her stomach. After a while, she then lowers the backside. Then the Vet gave me Tramadol for pain. 1/8 of a 50 mg tab. This has calmed her down at night, but she definitely is not "active" or agressive. The only time I saw a glimmer of hope was last week when she chased a cat across the yard.
Only the Good Lord knows if this protocol will be the answer. I will see my Vet tomorrow and ask her about the pred.
Thank you again.

[NewLeaf]

Yes, prednison can affect the personality. Usually just makes em more active.

I would give her one 5 mg today and tomorrow, then cut it in half and give her 2.5mg for 2 days and then cut the half in half for 2 days and then a shave for 2 days and then pretty much done.  

[paintsflowers]

Thank you for responding

If she gets 2 5mg pills once a day. Give her one today, 2 tomorrow, one the next day, etc?
A question: Does prednisone affect the personality?

This forum has been so wonderful. The kindness and care cannot be measured.
God Bless you all.

[NewLeaf]

I would cut the dosage in half every other day until you are down to nothing. I hope she is doing OK soon.