Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat urine spraying and masturbation treated with cyproheptadine
By Schwartz, S·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1999·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Use of cyproheptadine to control urine spraying and masturbation in a cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old male domestic longhair cat was brought in for urine spraying and masturbation, behaviors that had been present since he was adopted as a stray four years earlier. Despite surgeries to remove his retained testicle, these issues continued. The vet diagnosed him with territorial marking and separation anxiety, and treated him with behavior modification and cyproheptadine, a medication that can help reduce these behaviors. With consistent treatment, the cat showed a decrease in both urine spraying and masturbation, and his testosterone levels also dropped. Unfortunately, after a later surgery to remove remaining testicular tissue, the cat was lost to follow-up.
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Abstract
A 5-year-old male domestic longhair cat was examined because of urine spraying and masturbation. The cat had sprayed urine from the time it was acquired as a stray 4 years earlier. The cat was cryptorchid, and at 1 year of age, the scrotal testicle was removed. The cryptorchid testicle was surgically removed several months later; however, urine spraying and masturbation persisted. A diagnosis of territorial marking and separation anxiety was made. Serum testosterone concentration was within the reference range for sexually intact male cats. Treatment included behavior modification and administration of cyproheptadine (2 mg, p.o., q 12 h), which has been shown to have antiandrogenic effects in other species. Frequency of urine marking and masturbation decreased, along with serum testosterone concentration. The cat continued to do well as long as medication was given consistently. Eventually, the cat underwent a laparotomy for removal of remnant testicular tissues but was then lost to follow-up.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10023399/