# Growling/hissing when picked up, not playful, HELP!



## brody (Oct 27, 2008)

I've been posting a lot about my cat Sophie, but this last week has been quite hellish and I miss my sweet little kitty.

I think the Clomicalm is now totally out of her system (what a terrible mistake that was) and her pupils are no longer dilated. She seems to be returning to herself a little as I go through some of the kitty boot camp steps (catching her, holding and petting her for 10-15 minutes, then picking her up, putting her down and ignoring her until I pick her up again). She seems a tiny bit more comfortable being in the room with people and is doing better.

The thing I am concerned about, though, is her vocalization, hissing and growling. She does all of the above when I pick her up, regardless of how relaxed she is. It doesn't matter if I used the scruff of her neck (she is still very small despite being a year old, she was the runt of the litter, but her appetite is fine) or if I scoop her up from under her abdomen. It's almost as if it's causing her pain. She didn't do that at all before.

Another concern is she won't play. She was quite playful before all of this, attacking her older and bigger sister for a little play fight, going after toys, etc., and now it seems that that is all gone. 

I'm sorry to be posting so much about this, but I really am concerned.

Thanks for any help!

P.S. This is my little Soph-a-loaf, being silly, pre-medication...


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

I think, if you think she is in pain, that she probably needs a vet exam. Sudden changes in behavior and personality, like what you are describing, could certainly be due to pain...
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## brody (Oct 27, 2008)

I will make an appointment for her tomorrow. The only problem is that she absolutely freaks out every time I take her to the vet. Since I live in the city and don't have a car, I have to take public transport, and she shakes and cowers the entire trip there and back. It takes her a long time to get back to normal.


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## Nell (Apr 7, 2005)

Some vets do house calls. I'm sure its probably more expensive, but if vet visits are that traumatic for your cat it may be worth it.


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## Mom of 4 (Jul 29, 2006)

Clomipramine takes 2-3 weeks to build up to a therapeutic level in the body, so I would expect it to take about that long to be excreted. I don't know when you stopped it, so it may just take longer for your cat to return to pre-medication behavior.

It's sort of gone out of favor as a drug for use in humans due to the likelyhood of experiencing side effects - not sure how that impacts use in felines though.


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