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My cat has severe anxiety. What meds can I use to avoid a vet visit?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Siamese | Female | spayed | 2 years and 3 months old | 9 lbs

I have a 2 year old female cat who has had severe anxiety since kittenhood. I have tried pheromone plug-ins, collars, sprays, and calming music. She is so skittish she runs when we approach her. I am looking for advice on medications, and our vet wants us to bring her in for an exam. This will make her anxiety a million times worse, so I am trying to avoid an in-person visit. Is there any medication that will help?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on December 11th, 2019

Hi there. Yes, there are definitely medications that can help with chronic anxiety in cats, and she would likely also benefit from other changes in her environment to help make her more comfortable. Ideally, I would strongly recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate her in person and help you put together a detailed treatment plan for her, including medication if he/she feels that it would be helpful in Sunny's case. You can search for one in your area here: www.dacvb.org If this isn't possible, then you can certainly work with your regular veterinarian if he/she is comfortable treating behavioral issues in cats. You will indeed need to have her seen for an exam in order to start any prescription medication - so you'll need to bring her into the clinic, or you can see if there are any vets in your area who offer housecall services. You can ask your veterinarian about using a calming supplement such as Anxitane or Zylkene before the visit to help make her a bit more comfortable, if needed.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Poor girl. Anxiety in cats that are super stressed typically is pretty responsive to medications prescribed by your vet such as Gabapentin or Prozac. However there is one over the counter that you may not have tried yet called Zylkene. You can purchase this online without a prescription, so it is worth a try. : ) If this doesn’t help then a vet visit is recommended to get her a prescription medication to try next. I hope that Sunny’s anxiety subsides soon! Best of luck moving forward. Take care.

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