Cat pilling

[tmm99]

We break the pills into smaller pieces and imbed them in those soft kitty treats. Those treats are like crack for cats and there is never a problem in getting pills down this way.

I may try that. Which treat works for your cats?

 

[Red Badger]

We have a cat with behavior problems,

In other words, a cat.

 

[mamadogmamacat]

We have a cat with behavior problems, and on his second visit to the vet, he was not happy at all, being very aggressive. The vet and his assistant tried to put a leather muzzle on him without success, but after that, he went absolutely nuts, but they finally managed to put him in a thing that looked like a panini press with nets (don't know what is called), but still wiggling too much for the vet to be able to examine him well. The third visit was better, probably because the vet gave up on examining him (It was his annual and the vet gave him a shot, but that's all he could do, with no physical exams). They gave us a sedative to give him for the next visit (or was it for us to take so we don't get stressed out?), but now, I'm wondering how I will pill the boy. My DH was bitten once by him and he had to go through a round of IV antibiotics, so you understand our reluctance in trying to open his mouth. Even with a pilling device, someone will have to open his mouth...

We knew he would be a challenge when we got him because nobody wanted him at Human Societies for months due to his behavior problems. He has gotten better over the years, but still, he is not easy to handle, and he probably never will be.

Just so you all know, he is loving in his own way. He likes to give my DH's arm a bath when my DH is waking up. He now purrs (not my DH, my cat) a little once in a while when he's with my DH (He's never purred around me.)

I just hope he doesn't get seriously sick. I cannot imagine pilling the boy every day, or giving him a fluid injection every day.

One thing we've noticed though is that he is more tolerable when he wants to be fed, like if we're late giving him lunch. I can hold him and bug him a little and he doesn't retaliate as much, so maybe that's my chance.

yes, each cat does seem to have a unique personality, and yes we can modify it somewhat over time with love and patience, but there are each who they are

I would strongly suggest, if your vet can get you the med in that form, to always request the transdermal gel. All you have to do is put on a finger glove and then squeeze, carefully, a measured dose of the gel from the tube onto the finger glove. then grab cat by the scruff not the head. Scruff grab will calm them a bit and also make it like you are "mom" which in time will make the process easier. Then rub the gel lightly on the hairless portion of their inner ear. i like to do both ears just to make sure no med is left on the glove.

If no gel form is available, then the second easiest is liquid form. Same scruff grab. Then slowly pulse the med, after turning head of cat to one side for your ease of access and it calms them more too, into their cheek pocket allowing for swallowing as you go. if they do not swallow at first you can, after the first small pulse, use the end of the syringe to open their mouth slightly to encourage swallowing.

Dont forget to separate the inner sleeve from the outer of the syringe after you use it and wash in warm sudsy water, rinse and air dry the two parts separately until the next time.

Also make sure you have a generous supply of syringes from the vet because with use the rubber stopper on the inner sleeve will deteriorate, even with cleaning.

Good luck
i once never thought i could do most of what I now routinely do to help my cats, so it can be done

 

[Katsmeow]

For the cat that is pictured in the bag, she hates meds. I am not worried about her biting us (she had her teeth removed) but she twists and tries to escape and claw.

I have never used the transdermal meds but some meds can be made in pill form. It is a little pricey and takes a few days to get them from the compounding pharmacy but for long-term meds it works great. When she had her teeth removed she had to take a low dose of antibiotic for a couple of months and even the liquid was a chore. They gave me several flavors of treats to try on her. I found the one she liked best. Then they put the antibiotic into the treats. It worked great.

 

[eytonxav]

I may try that. Which treat works for your cats?

Purina Whisker Lickins

 

[igsoy]

Our cat has enlarged heart so must take blood thinner permanently which is horribly bitter, impossible to take as a liquid. He cooperated for a few months eating it inside a pill pocket treat, but if he happened to chew into it and taste the bitter he would spit it out and if you tried to pill him then with the bitterness exposed, he'd start foaming at the mouth. He grew increasingly wary of eating the treat, so now I just have to scruff him and pill him with the treat before each meal. He doesn't like it, and will try to avoid me a little, but since he does want to eat his meal, he knows he needs to get his pill first, and doesn't fight it really. And as soon as he eats his meal, all is forgiven, it's just a mom thing he has to put up with, lol. The only challenge is when we have a cat sitter for a week it's harder for her to give it- our big cat who normally hates the sick one becomes protective of him when we're gone.

 

[tmm99]

Purina Whisker Lickins

Thank you! This seems like the easiest thing for me to try, so I will definitely try this first.

 

[tmm99]

yes, each cat does seem to have a unique personality, and yes we can modify it somewhat over time with love and patience, but there are each who they are

I would strongly suggest, if your vet can get you the med in that form, to always request the transdermal gel. All you have to do is put on a finger glove and then squeeze, carefully, a measured dose of the gel from the tube onto the finger glove. then grab cat by the scruff not the head. Scruff grab will calm them a bit and also make it like you are "mom" which in time will make the process easier. Then rub the gel lightly on the hairless portion of their inner ear. i like to do both ears just to make sure no med is left on the glove.

If no gel form is available, then the second easiest is liquid form. Same scruff grab. Then slowly pulse the med, after turning head of cat to one side for your ease of access and it calms them more too, into their cheek pocket allowing for swallowing as you go. if they do not swallow at first you can, after the first small pulse, use the end of the syringe to open their mouth slightly to encourage swallowing.

Dont forget to separate the inner sleeve from the outer of the syringe after you use it and wash in warm sudsy water, rinse and air dry the two parts separately until the next time.

Also make sure you have a generous supply of syringes from the vet because with use the rubber stopper on the inner sleeve will deteriorate, even with cleaning.

Good luck
i once never thought i could do most of what I now routinely do to help my cats, so it can be done

Thank you for your great write-up! I didn't know the transdermal gel application existed. I will make sure and ask our vet for the next visit. I'm not sure if the liquid via syringe is easier than a pill, but I will keep that in mind also. The transdermal gel would be very easy, for sure.

 

[Cat-tirement]

I have had this work with some cats. What I have found works better for a couple of my cats is bagging the cat.

We bought both the medium and small of this bag:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0098AOY0K/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I took a look at that link and some reviews comment about the cat's claws getting caught in the mesh that makes up part of the bag. Have you had any issues like that?

 

[Koolau]

We had two litter mate cats for many years. One was really smart and the other one was not. We thought about renaming them "Cupid" and "Stupid." "Stupid" was easy to give pills to. We put the pill in a small amount of raw hamburger. Voila'! Unfortunately, "Cupid" would eat the hamburger and then flick out the pill with his tongue. With permission of the Vet, we would crush the pill and mix it with the hamburger. This would not be appropriate with all pills, so YMMV.

 

[Katsmeow]

I took a look at that link and some reviews comment about the cat's claws getting caught in the mesh that makes up part of the bag. Have you had any issues like that?

No, not at all. Not been a problem at all. Maybe they were using too large a bag so the cats could move around too easily inside the bag. It is best to use the bag that is proper size for the cat (there are 3 sizes).