Can Dogs and Cats Have Depression?
I have struggled with depression my entire life. Those of you who have waltzed with the depression devil a time or two, know. You know the feeling of clinging to the floor, unable to speak or move or even breathe.
The black hole you fall into, ripping your fingernails to the quick trying to climb out.
“You have the greatest life!” Well-intentioned people may tell you. And that makes you feel worse. You MUST be a messup of epic proportions if your life is so good yet you can’t cork the wine, turn off the sitcom and drag your butt off the couch already. Or maybe people don’t tell you that.. maybe they just think you’re a lazy human.
“Just excercise. Get those endorphins pumping,” they’ll toss out flippantly as if endorphins are the very key to the universe, the answer to every problem. Or my personal favorite, “Just be happy!” That last bit was uttered by an ex-boyfriend. Just be happy. Right. I never thought of that. Genius.
Can Dogs and Cats Have Depression?
I’ve always wondered if animals go through the same battles. Can dogs have depression? I think they can. Every now and again, my dog seems to be having a bad day. Just a little down. His tail doesn’t wag with the same verve, he doesn’t dance with the same doggy joy when I say the words WALK and BONE. Recently, I read an atricle in the New York Post that said in part:
“PROZAC is increasingly being used as a tool to beat the doggie blues, said New York animal behavior expert Dr. Peter Borchelt. “It’s very, very common,” he said. “It’s used a lot for dogs in New York who get separation anxiety issues becasue their owners are working full-time. It calms them down exactly the same as it does for humans.”
Very common, eh? And PROZAC? Interesting. Apparently the drug isn’t used very much with other animals because they are less susceptible to anxiety. Doc Borchelt says “cats usually couldn’t care less about being alone all day.”
I wasn’t entirely sure I agreed with that last bit. About cats. So I did a little Googling research and found some folks who disagree with the New York Post’s Doc B.
According to this website I discovered, cats can have depression when their routine is changed. Changing up your cat’s food or kitty litter can also bum your little buddy out. Moving, the death or introduction to a family member can be a real downer too.
The site says “cats are very sensitive to the well-being of their owners and if the owners are stressed out and acting unusually, cats are likely to pick up on this.”
Hmmm.. So depression is contagious? Watch out or you’ll infect your pet.
Reprinted with permission from Dig & Scratch.
