Cat pee problem

[TrvlBug]

So glad she's doing better. Just remember if the wounds are too great, liquid/transdermal gel is a godsend . I couldn't live w/o it.

Another satisfied Nature Miracle's customer. I thought for sure we would have to rip out the carpet & subfloor after our sweetie passed w/6+ mos. of peeing in the hall. I really want to rip out our carpeting for hardwood flooring and thought this was the ticket, but no such luck . DH is resisting me.

 

[clifp]

I think I misspoke earlier in the thread.... he did not give me 5 days of medication, but 14 days.... he said we should see results in 5 days...

Now that my wife and kids have left for a vacation, I am the lucky one who has to give her the pills without any help... it does NOT look good for me...

But, she does seem to have recovered and is now going to the litter box... so the results so far look promising...

Probably the cat figured out that it was less painful to use the litter box than to get a pill jammed down her throat

Just curious what step were you on the 20 steps to giving a cat a pill?

So happy for you that it appears to be a urinary tract problem.

 

[Calico]

Very glad to hear she is doing better.

It is difficult to pill a cat solo; I have the wounds to prove it. If you have a small oral syringe, sometimes it helps to shoot a little water down their throat after the pill, to help send the pill on its way.

This step should occur right after you have the local high school football team over to sit on the cat while you "gently press on the cat's jaws with one hand while quickly popping the pill down it's throat with the other hand." Books containing these actual how-to instructions always make me howl with laughter, and they never tell you which hand you should then use to drive yourself to the ER for your stitches after you try the maneuver described above.

 

[TrvlBug]

If you have a small oral syringe, sometimes it helps to shoot a little water down their throat after the pill, to help send the pill on its way.

Yep, definitely do this step as they pretend to swallow the pill and you'll find it somewhere later. Stroking her neck also helps to get the pill on its way. Speaking from experience.

 

[Purron]

Remind me why we love these difficult and ornery creatures so much ;-)

 

[Texas Proud]

Thanks all for the support.... but the cat is too smart.... she has figured out that when I get the towel and wrap her up, she is about to have her mouth forcefully opened and a pill jammed down it.... even with nice stroking and some good hugs and kisses.... she does not like it... I was able to do it once myself, but the second time has not occurred....

I am lucky she was declawed on the front, but those back legs have a way of getting out of the towel...


I am going back to trying to put it in her food... with a full tablet for the whole day....

Our other cat is now here trying to get in on my typing... and walking on the printer... she is looking around to see what mischief she can do... OPPS, did not take long... she is rearranging the pics on the wall and is looking to see how she can jump to the top of the bookcase... LOL, which means she just fell behind the printer... but made it the second time....

Yes, I will have to see if we can get liquid if it comes back... for now, I will try a few more times tomorrow, but will give up if she fights as much as she did tonight...

 

[TrvlBug]

Remind me why we love these difficult and ornery creatures so much ;-)

They remind us of ourselves or what we would like to be .

 

[TrvlBug]

Thanks all for the support.... but the cat is too smart.... she has figured out that when I get the towel and wrap her up, she is about to have her mouth forcefully opened and a pill jammed down it.... even with nice stroking and some good hugs and kisses.... she does not like it... I was able to do it once myself, but the second time has not occurred....

I am lucky she was declawed on the front, but those back legs have a way of getting out of the towel...


I am going back to trying to put it in her food... with a full tablet for the whole day....

Our other cat is now here trying to get in on my typing... and walking on the printer... she is looking around to see what mischief she can do... OPPS, did not take long... she is rearranging the pics on the wall and is looking to see how she can jump to the top of the bookcase... LOL, which means she just fell behind the printer... but made it the second time....

Yes, I will have to see if we can get liquid if it comes back... for now, I will try a few more times tomorrow, but will give up if she fights as much as she did tonight...

If your vet can't provide the liquid meds ask them for the name of a local pharmacy that compounds. I didn't know that some regular pharmacies provide meds for pets.

 

[Purron]

If your vet can't provide the liquid meds ask them for the name of a local pharmacy that compounds. I didn't know that some regular pharmacies provide meds for pets.

Clavimox Drops is a very common antibiotic available in liquid form. If the vet doesn't have it (and I can't imagine they don't) it can be ordered on line with a prescription from a variety of pet medical supply businesses. I've used 1 800 pet meds in the past.

 

[Texas Proud]

Man... what an ordeal.... the cat will not cooperate at all... she fights worse than when we try to put her in a cage... I wonder what happened to her when she was young...

She also will not touch the food with the drugs.... heck, our other cat only sniffed and did not eat....

SOOOO, I am crushing them up, adding a few drops of water and smearing it on her coat.... she sniffs at it for awhile, but has started to clean herself in the last few minutes....

Next time, I hope to get shots!!! If not, then a dermal... I do not see getting liquid in her either... unless it is something they would like to drink.....

 

[Purron]

I've mixed the liquid into Fancy Feast. Works best with a fishy flavor that masks the taste of the meds.

 

[TrvlBug]

If you get the liquids from a pet pharmacy, they can flavor it making it much more palatable to kitty. That's why I go thru them rather than get the liquid from the vet. The last time (with our new kitty, so no experience wrt to her and meds), some of it went into kitty, some onto kitty, some onto me and some onto the furniture . I called the pet pharmacy and they overnighted a fish flavored version which kitty accepted with no problems. They have several choices of flavoring available so you can chose the one kitty favors.

 

[Calico]

l... she fights worse than when we try to put her in a cage... I wonder what happened to her when she was young...

I have had many cats over the last 20+ years, and even those with the sweetest dispositions, whom I raised from kittenhood, and who never suffered any kind of trauma, still hate taking pills. When a cat is restrained, their "flight or fight" instinct kicks in, and since they can't flee, they struggle and fight. They don't know we are trying to help them with the pills.

Regarding putting the pill in food: I have had cats who literally eat all the food, lick the pill clean, and reposition the pill right in the center of their food dish. Then they smirk at me and walk away. Kind of makes me admire their smarts!

Regarding liquid meds: I have often had better luck with liquids. If you can squirt the liquid meds into their "cheek pouch" before they know what hit them, so to speak, it can be a faster process than pilling. Less traumatic for both you and the cat! I agree with previous posters - if you can get the liquid meds in a fishy flavor, that can help a lot.

Your cat is lucky to have a person who cares enough to keep trying with the meds - some folks just give up. Best of luck to both of you.

 

[clifp]

Man... what an ordeal.... the cat will not cooperate at all... she fights worse than when we try to put her in a cage... I wonder what happened to her when she was young...

We've all been there and than watched in amazement as the Vet pills the cat in 5 seconds with no blood loss.

There are youtube videos on pilling a call which kinda of sort of help.
But there is a reason there are comedy bits all over the net about the process.

Still it is better than having to clean up cat pee on going basis.

 

[Texas Proud]

I have had many cats over the last 20+ years, and even those with the sweetest dispositions, whom I raised from kittenhood, and who never suffered any kind of trauma, still hate taking pills. When a cat is restrained, their "flight or fight" instinct kicks in, and since they can't flee, they struggle and fight. They don't know we are trying to help them with the pills.

Regarding putting the pill in food: I have had cats who literally eat all the food, lick the pill clean, and reposition the pill right in the center of their food dish. Then they smirk at me and walk away. Kind of makes me admire their smarts!

Regarding liquid meds: I have often had better luck with liquids. If you can squirt the liquid meds into their "cheek pouch" before they know what hit them, so to speak, it can be a faster process than pilling. Less traumatic for both you and the cat! I agree with previous posters - if you can get the liquid meds in a fishy flavor, that can help a lot.

Your cat is lucky to have a person who cares enough to keep trying with the meds - some folks just give up. Best of luck to both of you.

Ours did the same with the pill.... left it and ate all the other food... so I got smart... smash it up and mix it in her fishy food... she smelled it and walked away... did not eat anything for 24 hours..... she held out longer than I could

I have only done my spread the crushed pill on her coat today, and she eventually did clean it up... not sure how much medicine got into her, but at least it is more than my other methods...

 

[Texas Proud]

We've all been there and than watched in amazement as the Vet pills the cat in 5 seconds with no blood loss.

There are youtube videos on pilling a call which kinda of sort of help.
But there is a reason there are comedy bits all over the net about the process.

Still it is better than having to clean up cat pee on going basis.

I watched a number of them..... was able to get ONE pill down her before she wised up and does not let me get her... it is funny as I will try and wrap a towel around her and she fights and fights and fights.... but once I stop, she lays right back down on my lap... I wish I could get her mouth open when she is sleeping there...


She has stopped.... so I think we have gone over the hump on this one....

 

[Calico]

Ours did the same with the pill.... left it and ate all the other food... so I got smart... smash it up and mix it in her fishy food... she smelled it and walked away... did not eat anything for 24 hours..... she held out longer than I could

I have only done my spread the crushed pill on her coat today, and she eventually did clean it up... not sure how much medicine got into her, but at least it is more than my other methods...

Oh boy, you've got yourself a smart and stubborn little one there. She may be related to some of my cats from earlier years!

The spread-the-pill-on-her-coat solution was creative. It's amazing the lengths we have to go to to try to outwit these little creatures.

Keep us posted on who wins the battle of wits, and how she's doing.

 

[Buckeye]

Our now deceased shelter kitty, Abby, totally freaked if she was restrained in any way. I learned how to get meds (liquid and pill) into her without restraint from the low cost vaccine clinic vet. He grabbed/gathered only the nape of her neck, lifted her a bit, and pulled back hard enough (which is pretty vigorous) such that she would have an open mouth smile.

The major yank on the nape of the neck and the lift (sometimes to the point where her front feet were off the ground and she's almost vertical) was much less traumatic for her that any type of pressure/feeling of restraint on her body. Wrapping her in a towel was by far the worst thing to do as it triggered a panic reaction and she went ballistic.

Soon after we got her, we took her to the vet to get her ears checked and the vet decided he needed to clean them out (yeast infection left over from the shelter?). He said he would take her in the back to do it and mentioned he would sedate her if required but you could tell he didn't think he would have any problem controlling her. My husband and I looked at each other and chuckled. He, of course, had to sedate her and said he had never encountered such a strong cat. The grab the neck move was a life saver when we had to start giving her Lactulose several time a week.

 

[ERD50]

She has stopped.... so I think we have gone over the hump on this one....

Isn't it dangerous to not take the full regimen of antibiotics? As I understand it, the majority of bacteria are wiped out in a short time, symptoms get better, but you (well, the cat) are left with a colony of somewhat resistant bacteria that can come back even stronger and be very difficult to treat.

You might want to talk to the vet and maybe follow up with a short round of liquid to get the 'full' treatment?

I'm not a cat lover, but years ago when DW had an 'inside cat', we went through this. I was totally aggravated and sure the cat was just being nasty, but it was a urinary infection, and the medicine cleared it right up, permanently.

Good luck - ERD50

 

[Texas Proud]

Isn't it dangerous to not take the full regimen of antibiotics? As I understand it, the majority of bacteria are wiped out in a short time, symptoms get better, but you (well, the cat) are left with a colony of somewhat resistant bacteria that can come back even stronger and be very difficult to treat.

You might want to talk to the vet and maybe follow up with a short round of liquid to get the 'full' treatment?

I'm not a cat lover, but years ago when DW had an 'inside cat', we went through this. I was totally aggravated and sure the cat was just being nasty, but it was a urinary infection, and the medicine cleared it right up, permanently.

Good luck - ERD50

I am giving her the full treatment.... I have been putting the crushed pill on her coat with a bit of water so it sticks and she is licking it off... you can tell she does not like the taste of the pill, but is more interested in being 'clean' than the taste...


I might try Buckeye's method tonight.... the only problem I have with that is the cat is only 6 lbs and you can lift her up by pulling on her nape without getting much of anything else... we will see....

 

[Sarah in SC]

The Buckeye method is a good idea, and it seems (with mine at least) to sort of freeze them into stillness. I have an especially "clawy" calico that I use it on, but we call it the Kitty Vulcan Death Hold when we do it, and include some sci-fi sound effects at the same time.

 

[Texas Proud]

The Buckeye method is a good idea, and it seems (with mine at least) to sort of freeze them into stillness. I have an especially "clawy" calico that I use it on, but we call it the Kitty Vulcan Death Hold when we do it, and include some sci-fi sound effects at the same time.

When my wife was helping, I was pulling her back and it still did not stop her from thrashing around... but as I said, she is small.... I will try and pull the skin more and see how it does... I really would like to get the pill IN her mouth because I do not know how much is being licked off her coat and how much is dropping to the floor...

 

[Purron]

Wonder if this works...
How to deactivate a cat - YouTube

 

[RunningBum]

The crushed pill on the fur is a great idea. If water doesn't work well, you could mix it with the hairball syrup stuff that comes in a tube. That's how I give my cats the hairball remedy, and there's no reason why it wouldn't work with pill powder mixed in. Just make sure to rub it in good, because mine will try to run and flick it off their paw first, but soon give up and lick it off. I have found some gobs on the wall or floor when I didn't rub it in good.

btw, that cat deactivation video is hilarious! And quite possibly very useful.

 

[Buckeye]

I am giving her the full treatment.... I have been putting the crushed pill on her coat with a bit of water so it sticks and she is licking it off... you can tell she does not like the taste of the pill, but is more interested in being 'clean' than the taste...


I might try Buckeye's method tonight.... the only problem I have with that is the cat is only 6 lbs and you can lift her up by pulling on her nape without getting much of anything else... we will see....

You also may have to bunch up the neck skin a little,