Bl. Hart et al., EFFECTIVENESS OF BUSPIRONE ON URINE SPRAYING AND INAPPROPRIATE URINATION IN CATS, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 203(2), 1993, pp. 254-258
The most frequent type of behavior problem in cats for which veterinar
y consultation is sought is problem urination. Urine spraying and urin
e marking have been treated by use of long-acting progestins and diaze
pam, a benzodiazepine antianxiety drug. Effectiveness of the nonbenzod
iazepine antianxiety drug, buspirone, in suppressing urine spraying an
d marking in 47 male and 15 female cats was evaluated. The effect of t
he drug in correcting inappropriate urination in 9 cats also was evalu
ated. Buspirone resulted in a favorable response (> 75% reduction) in
55% of cats treated for urine spraying or marking. There was no sex di
fference in effectiveness of the treatment, but cats from single-cat h
ouseholds responded favorably significantly (P < 0.001) less frequentl
y than those from multiple-cat households. The 55% response rate was w
ithin the range of treatment effectiveness that has been reported for
diazepam, and was greater than that reported for progestin. In contras
t to diazepam, with which over 90% of treated cats resumed spraying or
marking when the drug was gradually discontinued, only half of the ca
ts treated with buspirone resumed spraying when the drug was discontin
ued after 2 months of treatment (P < 0.001). This difference between d
iazepam and buspirone in resumption of urine spraying was attributed t
o diazepam's induction of physiologic and behavioral dependency, not f
ound with buspirone. Cats that resumed spraying were placed on long-te
rm treatment ranging from 6 to 18 months. Buspirone also did not cause
the adverse effects of sedation and ataxia, which commonly are seen w
ith diazepam treatment. In cats treated for inappropriate urination, 5
6% returned to normal litter box usage. Buspirone appeared to be the d
rug of choice for treating urine spraying and urine marking, and when
combined with appropriate behavioral measures, buspirone is indicated
for inappropriate urination as well.