Skip to main content
Pets

How is buspirone used for cats

Buspirone treats anxiety, behavior problems, and urine marking in cats
SingleCare logo
By | Jan. 6, 2025 Medically reviewed by Emma Ryan, DVM
Cat licking its nose: How is buspirone used for cats

Key takeaways

  • Buspirone is used to treat mild anxieties, problem behaviors, and especially urine marking in cats.

  • The standard buspirone dosage for cats is 2.5–7.5 mg daily given in two or three divided doses.

  • The most common side effects of buspirone in cats are increased affection and disinhibition.

  • Do not give buspirone to cats with known allergies to buspirone.

In this article:

Buspirone (brand name: BuSpar) is a mild anxiety medication that can help cats with low-grade anxieties or behavior problems. In particular, buspirone is an effective and safe treatment for inappropriate spraying or urine marking. Unlike other drugs used to treat anxiety or marking, buspirone has minimal side effects and produces only mild sedation. Caregivers will have to consistently give the cat two to three doses a day for buspirone to work.

What is buspirone used for in cats?

Buspirone is a mild anti-anxiety medication. It’s appropriate for cats with low-grade anxieties, fears, and behavior problems. Veterinarians particularly prefer buspirone as a treatment for urine marking and spraying. It’s not as effective as other treatments but doesn’t cause noticeable sedation or muscle relaxation as other urine-spraying medications. 

Buspirone is not FDA-approved for use in cats and dogs, so its use in veterinary medicine is “off-label.”

Anxiety and problem behaviors

Cat owners are probably familiar with both feline anxiety and unwanted behaviors. They seem to be a normal part of being a cat. However, sometimes worry, anxiety, fears, and behaviors can be hard on the cat and caregivers, seriously affecting the quality of life for both. Veterinarians can help with advice, non-pharmacological treatments, and medications if necessary.

Because cats can’t verbalize their anxieties and worries, caregivers and veterinarians can only identify anxious or worried cats from their behaviors, such as excessive grooming, aggressiveness, hostility, hiding, avoiding people, crying, meowing, and inappropriate soiling or urination. Feline anxiety is so closely associated with problem behaviors that they’re sometimes considered interchangeable in terms of treatment.

Veterinarians prefer to start with changes to the cat’s environment, usually removing anything that stresses the cat. Medications or supplements might help calm the cat when environmental changes don’t work. Since the goal of therapy is to reduce overall anxiety, these medications and supplements must be used every day. The medications used are not appropriate to treat situational anxiety due to a temporary stressful event like travel or a vet visit.

Veterinarians usually start treatment with antidepressants, but buspirone is sometimes a good alternative for low-grade anxieties or problem behaviors in a cat that may be vulnerable to adverse effects of other medications. It has very few side effects and doesn’t make the cat drowsy like other drugs. It is also a strong candidate to treat social phobias or urine marking.

Unlike other anxiety treatments, buspirone markedly reduces a cat’s inhibitions. One veterinarian calls buspirone the “bravery drug” since it makes cats bolder, more affectionate, and more eager to engage in social interactions. Unfortunately, it can also make aggressive cats even more aggressive, so veterinarians generally avoid it in those cases.

Among feline behavior disorders, inappropriate urine marking and spraying are among the most common complaints caregivers have. It is also one of the top ten reasons pet owners relinquish their cats to a shelter. Since over 70% of cats relinquished to shelters are euthanized, successfully treating a cat for urine marking can be life-saving. 

Again, veterinarians prefer to start with changes to the cat’s environment, such as removing stressors, regularly cleaning the litter box, using litter attractants, or using pheromone sprays or diffusers. However, anti-anxiety drugs like antidepressants and sedatives are very effective at reducing or eliminating marking behaviors and may help other nonpharmacological treatments succeed. Buspirone is particularly effective but not the most effective, but it does have the best side effects profile. In the defining study, 55% of the cats given buspirone reduced their marking behaviors by over 75% without unwanted adverse effects like drowsiness, lethargy, weight gain, and other issues.

Buspirone is a more demanding medication for caregivers than the alternatives. Pet parents will need to consistently give two or three doses every day. It will take seven to 30 days of continual daily dosing before the cat shows improvements. 

Is buspirone safe for cats?

Buspirone is a long-term treatment that is considered safer than other anxiolytics. Its side effects are minimal, and it causes minimal or no sedation in most cats. 

Buspirone is not safe for cats that have had an allergic reaction to buspirone. 

Veterinarians use it cautiously in pregnant or lactating cats as well as cats with kidney disease or liver impairment.

Buspirone can make aggressive cats more aggressive, so veterinarians are wary about using it in cats with a history of aggression or hostility.

Side effects of buspirone in cats

The most common side effects of buspirone in cats are:

  • Increased affection (disinhibition)
  • Assertiveness
  • Increased aggression (in aggressive cats)
  • Drowsiness
  • Decreased appetite
  • Nausea
  • Slowed heart rate

Serious side effects are rare. Contact a veterinarian if you notice serious side effects such as:

  • Fast heartbeat
  • Continual vomiting
  • Weakness
  • Lack of coordination

Interactions of buspirone with other pet meds

To avoid possible drug interactions, tell the veterinarian about all the drugs, supplements, and herbal treatments the cat receives, particularly:

Buspirone is not safe when given to a cat taking MAOIs like Deprenyl (selegiline) or amitraz, a common ingredient in flea or tick collars

Buspirone dosage for cats

According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, the standard buspirone dosage for cats is 2.5–7.5 mg daily. 

Plumb’s Veterinary Drug Handbook has more specific dosages: 

  • For low-grade anxieties or problem behaviors: 2.5–5 mg per cat given 2-3 times daily.
  • For urine marking or spraying: 2.5–7.5 mg per cat given 2-3 times daily. 
  • For social phobias: 0.5–1 mg/kg given every eight to 12 hours.

Buspirone tablets for people and pets come in dosage strengths of 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 15 mg, and 30 mg. The tablets are scored to allow them to be divided into two doses, so the smallest dose a cat’s caregiver can give is 2.5 mg. 

Caregivers can use veterinary buspirone oral suspension for smaller doses or easier dosing. If dosing is too difficult, a compounding pharmacy can supply a transdermal patch, but it’s not considered very effective.

Can cats overdose on buspirone?

Cats can overdose on buspirone, so always give the dose exactly as prescribed. It may take several weeks for buspirone therapy to show results. Don’t increase the dose if there are any concerns about the drug not working. Talk to the veterinarian.

If too much buspirone has been given to a cat or the animal shows signs of an overdose, immediately call an ASPCA poison control helpline or get veterinary help. Symptoms of a buspirone overdose may include sleepiness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and a distended stomach.

Can I give my cat buspirone every day?

Buspirone is a long-term treatment requiring several doses daily. It is safe for long-term use and causes minimal side effects. 

How to give your cat buspirone

Buspirone can be a demanding responsibility for cat caregivers. Doses must be given at least twice daily. In the final analysis, buspirone is only as good as a caregiver’s dedication to consistently giving doses. Here are some general pointers: 

    • Follow all the veterinarian’s instructions.
    • Do not change the dose. If it isn’t working, talk to the veterinarian.
    • Give a missed dose as soon as you remember it. Skip the missed dose if it’s almost time for the next regular dose, and give the next dose as scheduled.
    • Doses can be given without regard to food.
  • How to administer buspirone tablets:
    • If you are unsure how to give a cat tablets, have a veterinary professional show you the proper procedure. 
    • Store buspirone tablets at room temperature protected from light. 
  • How to administer buspirone oral suspension:
    • Shake the bottle well before measuring or giving a dose.
    • Always use the oral syringe or dropper provided with the medicine to measure doses.
    • If you don’t know how to administer liquid medicine to a cat, ask a veterinary professional to demonstrate the proper procedure.
    • Store buspirone oral suspension in the refrigerator protected from light.
    • The oral suspension is usable for only 14 days. The expiration date is written on the label. Throw out any remaining medicine after the expiration date has passed.

Buspirone alternatives for cats

Veterinarians prefer starting with behavior modifications and environmental changes when treating a cat with low-grade anxiety or problem behaviors.

The most effective ways to deal with low-grade anxieties and behavior problems in cats are:

  • Environmental changes: Caregivers should modify the cat’s home life by removing stressors and triggers.
  • Conditioning: Classical conditioning involves giving a cat something it desires—like a treat—when exposed to a stressful situation, teaching it not to be anxious, upset, or afraid.

Urine marking can sometimes be fixed with several environmental changes, including:

  • Regular cleaning of the cat’s litter box
  • Increasing the number of litter boxes
  • Changing the locations of litter boxes
  • Use of litter attractants
  • Using pheromone sprays or diffusers on walls or other surfaces used for marking or urination

When drugs are needed, veterinarians typically don’t start with buspirone unless the anxiety or behaviors are mild. More effective drugs include:

Medications aren’t the only treatment option. Alternative or complementary therapies for cat anxiety include:

  • Prescription diets such as Royal Canin Feline Calm
  • Calming supplements such as Solliquin, Zylkene, or Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Supplements Calming Care

Summary

Buspirone is a safe treatment for low-grade anxiety or behavior disorders in cats and has only minimal adverse effects. As a mild anxiolytic, it is not always a veterinarian’s first choice unless there are reasons to worry about side effects. However, it is a proven treatment for feline social phobias or urine marking problems.

Sources