Why is my kitten suddenly aggressive after steroid shot for herpes?

Question

I have a 10 week old kitten. Last week we found out she had the feline herpes virus, the doctor gave her a steroid shot and prescribed eye ointment 3x/day for 12 days. She had been a loving, energetic, and playful kitten. However, a few days ago she started an aggressive behavior accompanied by the tucked back pointy ears. Pretty consistently now she starts that behavior towards my boyfriend and i, and i’ve also noticed her tail puffs up. Nothing has changed in our household. Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 2 months and 10 days old | 3 lbs

Dr. B. DVM, DACVIM (Oncology) · Accepted Answer

It is possible this is secondary to the steroid injection, and if so, dependent on the type of steroid given, it could take several weeks for the drug to be eliminated from the body. This behavior may also be her way of saying she doesn't feel good. But if everything else is normal (eating normally, breathing normally, etc.) that is good. You can try to figure out if there any specific behaviors towards her that elicit the response. And unfortunately it is sometimes just the cat but this seems less likely given what you report. I would definitely contact your vet and let them know what you are seeing at home so you can find out what drug was given to know better the duration of effect. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Why is my kitten suddenly aggressive after steroid shot for herpes?

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