Behavioral medications for cats have transformed the treatment of anxiety, aggression, and compulsive disorders, significantly improving welfare outcomes for many affected cats.
Behavioral pharmacology has dramatically expanded welfare options for cats with significant anxiety, compulsive disorders, and inter-cat aggression. Conditions that previously had poor prognoses — feline hyperesthesia syndrome, chronic over-grooming, severe separation anxiety — often respond well to appropriate medication combined with environmental management. The welfare benefit is not just behavior change but genuine reduction in the emotional suffering that drives these behaviors. Medication should not be used to suppress behavior without addressing underlying causes, but when combined with appropriate environmental modification, it can provide genuinely better quality of life for suffering cats and their owners.