Kitty advice?

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This is the first time I've ever had a sick kitty before, and we are having some difficulty with taking our meds.

We took a trip to the vet this week and Chelsea has an inflamed bladder. They gave me two kinds of medicine - a pain reliever in liquid form that comes in a syringe, which I'm supposed to put on her gums, but it's okay if she swallows it; and pills for the inflammation. We're doing fine with the liquid - I kinda just stick it in her mouth and squirt and hope for the best. The pills, on the other hand... the first two she took no problem, I just gave them to her with a little bit of tuna and she gobbled them right up. But now she's caught on to my evil plan, and has started ignoring the pills and eating around them. I've tried just opening her mouth and sticking it in, but she's quicker than me and spits it out before I can get it to go down. I thought about mashing them up and mixing them into her food, but I don't know if that's advisable if they're time release or whatever.

I know there's a lot of pet people on my flist - anyone have tips or tricks to get them to take their pills?

Comments

[snickfic]

Alas, I don't know what it's called, but a friend of mine has this oh-so-useful gadget for giving kitties pills. It's plastic, about the length and diameter of a pencil with a push-button at one end. You put the pill in the gadget, stick the end in the kitty's mouth, and push the button, and the kitty doesn't even have time to spit the pill out.

So, hmm, you might try looking for it at Petco or someplace like that? Good luck with the poor sick kitty. :(

[next_to_normal]

That sounds pretty nifty. Perhaps I should invest in one of those things.

And the kitty is actually doing much better. Not sure if it's the meds (what I've managed to get into her), or if it's just going away on its own. My parents' cat had the same thing, and never got any treatment - they took her to the vet, who said all her tests were normal (of course, they also gave my mom the wrong cat so I'm not ruling out a lab results mix-up) - and she was fine after a couple weeks.

Well, except for the peeing all over the sofa thing. But we're trying to avoid that.

[gabrielleabelle.livejournal.com]

A pill shooter! Was gonna suggest that.

Hold the cat, push the shooter against their teeth. When they open their mouth, shoot the pill in, hold their mouth closed, and rub their throat until they swallow.

They'll hate you, but it'll get their meds down.

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I'm considering it... if I don't have any better luck tonight, I'll be making a stop at the pet store tomorrow.

[silverusagi]

My mom has pilling cats down to an art form. Notice I use "pill" as a verb, LOL. There's no such thing as "giving a cat a pill." If you can get a pill gadget that actually works, that would probably be easier.

But, if you have to force your cat to take a pill, this works. Get a towel. Put the cat on the towel. Quickly wrap the towel over the cat so that nothing but the cat's head is sticking out. Sit and put cat in towel between your knees with cat facing outward. Now cat is immobile, cannot back up, scratch you, or get away. Open cat's mouth with one hand and poke pill down with the other. Hold cat's mouth closed so that cat must swallow pill.

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She's actually really well-behaved - a little squirmy, but she doesn't scratch at all, and I can hold her pretty still just by straddling, so I don't think the towel is necessary. It's mostly getting the pill in and her mouth closed that I'm having trouble with. I think I just need to be less concerned about my fingers getting chomped and do it. :)

[silverusagi]

Most cats are well behaved until they catch on that you're going to do this to them every damn day (or two weeks, or whatever), LOL. Then they fight you... All mine did, at least.

[next_to_normal]

Haha, Chelsea is the most mild-mannered cat ever. It doesn't matter what you do to her, she just keeps coming back for more. Unless you try to put her in the carrier, then she runs and hides.

[silverusagi]

Oh yeah, they all bolt when they see the carrier come out.

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

You have to push the pill farther back down their throat and then massage said throat until they swallow. It takes practice but it does work says the lady who gives Petzi Cat her pill every single day of the week.

[next_to_normal]

Oh goodness - I don't know what I'd do if we had to do this all the time! (Probably get one of those pill shooters, lol.)

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

Btw, it's always easier if you put them at your level. I put Petzi Cat on the kitchen counter so I can easily manage her while popping open her mouth, etc.

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Ah, I've been going down to her level (i.e. squatting on top of her and pinning her between my legs) because it's easier to hold her still that way.

[deird1]

Straddle the cat like a horse. (It can't go back past your feet, and can't go forward past your knees.)

Pull its head way back, so that the throat is vertical.

Put the pill as far down as possible.

Close its mouth, and stroke its throat until it swallows.



That tends to work...

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Heh, that is sort of my method. I got as far as "Put the pill as far down as possible" but "spit it back out" happens before "close its mouth." Maybe I'm not being forceful enough in trying to get it in - I don't want her to choke on it or anything, and I'm trying to keep all my fingers.

[louise39.livejournal.com]

I have had excellent results with 'Pill Pockets'. These are available in pet stores or on the net in at least two flavors. The pill is put into the pocket, fold over and offered to the cat while they are hungry [before meals].

Good luck!

[next_to_normal]

That might be a good one. Is it possible for them to eat around the pill, though? Because that's what she did when I hid it in her food before.

[louise39.livejournal.com]

The 'Pill Pocket' has a slit and the pill is inserted and kinda molded inside. The instructions are given for all size pills. This method has worked for all ages of cats - one was 22 years old and tricky.

[beloved-77.livejournal.com]

Okay, I had to give my old cat pills every day for years. As she got used to certain methods, I had to try different tactics:

1. Towel method--As described above, wrap the cat in a towel, blanket, etc., so that just her head is sticking out. Hold her underneath one arm. If you're a righty, under your left arm. If you're a lefty, under your right arm. Hold the pill in your preferred hand. With your pointer finger and thumb on the other hand, squeeze the sides of her mouth from the bottom to get her jaw to drop. Pop the pill into her throat from the side of her mouth. Stroke her throat until she swallows.

2. Water--I know, it seems so obvious, but I've never had another cat owner use water to help the cat swallow. I use an eye dropper or the needleless syringe that you have with her liquid medication. Just rinse it out first. Then, after you've popped the pill into her throat, squirt the water in. She's forced to swallow the water, and the pill goes with it. This is also helpful if the pill has a bad taste for her.

3. Pill shooter--This is the best thing by far. Snickfic described it above. There's a rubber tip on the end and a plunger at the back. Push the tip against her teeth until she opens up. Then just shoot it into her throat. She might gag a bit, but don't worry. I got mine from my vet for a few bucks.

4. Liquid meds--If all else fails, ask your vet if they can have the pills converted into a liquid. Mine sends it out to a lab. It's expensive, so I'd use it as a last resort.

Use any combination of these methods, and she should be good :-) I'm also experienced in kitty IV's, teeth brushing, nail clipping, ear cleaning, nose drops, eye drops, ear drops, cysts, those stupid head cones, behavior modification, and pet stains. :-P

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I just tried the water method - no dice. I only have two hands, so with one to hold her mouth open and one to drop the pill in, I couldn't get the syringe in her mouth fast enough to wash it down.

The throat-stroking thing didn't work, either. She just blocks her throat with her tongue and refuses to swallow. She also makes lots of chomping efforts to get the pill out, which ended up crushing the pill, and the contents of the gelcap got spat out on the floor.

Guess I'll be off to the pet store tomorrow to buy the pill shooter.

[ayinhara.livejournal.com]

I've used the towel method myself but with one variation. There are two of us and one cat. That means 4 arms. I've never tried to dose a cat by myself. I think the pill shooter might be the best idea for a one on one.

[next_to_normal]

Yeah, going out to buy one today. :) The good thing is, she doesn't really struggle, so I can hold her by myself. She's just an avid pill-spitter. :)