Kitty help!

[Jezebel]

I figured I should ask you guys for advice as there's always so many people willing to help around here...

My darling cat, Sebastian has been getting on in age, and now has a lot of trouble eating and digesting. He has antibiotics that help him a lot when he takes them, but it is nearly impossible to get him to take them. We've tried every trick in the book, crushing it up into his wet food, putting it in yogurt (he loves yogurt normally), and putting it in "pill pockets" (little treats with holes inside for the pill). The only sure way to get him to take it is putting the yogurt mixture in a syringe and squirting it down his throat. But that requires at least 2 people and usually results in many scratches and half of the yogurt mixture on the floor anyway.

So! I am asking you my dear friends for any methods you know of for successfully giving a cat medicine! I'm afraid if he keeps going on without his medicine, he won't have much time left

Thank you in advance! And here is my baby...

 

[Cam5]

Beautiful cat

How about trying to mask it in something really strong smelling that he normally does not get. Like canned tuna or canned salmon.
Perhaps do not feed him his regular food in the omrning so he is hungry, make sure there is only a bit of meds in each serving.
Their sense of smell is so much better than we could ever imagine...

Try sending this gal a note...Megan The Cat Lady...I have heard her on the radio give great advice...she helped our neighbors out too...via e-mail.

Best of luck...

http://community-2.webtv.net/getcathelp/thecatlady/

 

[Rich in KY]

This is similar to what happened to my mom's cat. My sister got him to take his meds by hiding it in whipped cream or wrapped in American cheese slices. Good luck.

 

[kathylove]

Whenever I have had to give meds to cats, I have always found tuna to be the most appealing thing to use. If it is liquid medicine, I use just the tuna juice. You can try putting it in the syringe with the meds. I have also had some luck letting the cat get hungry, then putting the meds (crushed or liquified) in a small amount of tuna, then putting some pure tuna on top of that to get the cat excited. But not too much tuna - he still has to be really hungry by the time he gets to the medicine. I have never found any cat food that my cats like as much as pure tuna, so that is the special treat they get when they need medication.

I have also tried sticking the pill down the throat like the vet suggested. I usually ended up with a bitten finger and a thrown up pill. I just could not get that method to work for me at all. So tuna it is, as far as I am concerened!

 

[Ceridwen]

Kitty burrito.

Get a towel of average size. Pick up cat and place him on towel. Wrap cat in towel so only his head is out of it. Place cat between your knees in your lap. Use your index finger on one hand to open his mouth by pushing at the corner of his mouth. Once mouth is open use other hand to squirt the liquid down his throat.

After the pill give him his favorite treat THEN release him from the burrito. Don't let him get out of it because he's being an ass and don't get upset. Maintain your composure and be very matter of fact about the procedure.

Ideally, give the pill just before mealtime, it will increase the positive association (in addition to the treats).

Eventually, he'll resign himself to the procedure. Any time you let him out of it, you will drag out the acceptance time.

I've got a cat that has to sit still and breathe in meds from an inhaler twice a day every day (for over a year now) because he has asthma. He thought I'd lost my damn mind at first but with time and patience he got over it and now he will come get in my lap and sit patiently for the entire procedure. He will also refuse to get out of my lap until I give him his treat (sometimes I forget).

If he doesn't already have a favorite treat here's some suggestions:
Bandits ferret treats
Feline greenies
Freeze dried chicken liver
These things, which may also help his digestion (they do for my cat)
A small bit of really smelly wet cat food (cheaper usually = smellier)
Tuna

 

[Jezebel]

Thank you guys! I have a new list of things to try! I'll try the tuna first since I already have that in the house...

 

[Bobo's Mama]

You should also try liverwurst. It always worked for our dog when I was growing up. Its pretty gross, but you just take a little ball of liverwurst and roll up the pill into it. That way, they usually eat it whole. Its really rich and strong smelling, so they seem to love it.

 

[Susan]

Depending upon what type of antibiotics your cat requires, you may want to ask your vet if the new antibiotic put out by Pfizer would work. It is called Convenia and it is an injection that lasts 14 days, which makes daily administration of antibiotics completely unnecessary. It is, however, a little pricey, depending upon how your vet charges, but since it's a cat and would require a small dose, it shouldn't be TOO expensive.

 

[Jezebel]

Hmmm, interesting, that would be a lot easier to only have to worry about it every 2 weeks!

He took the pill which had been ground into tuna today, but he was really suspicious about it and it took him a while. Tomorrow we will try hiding it whole in the tune in hope he will just swallow it.

 

[Cam5]

Good luck!

Can he have herring? That stuff is REALLY strong smelling

 

[kathylove]

Good luck!

I had to feed a tiny little cortisone pill to my cat. When I hid it in a nice, juicy chunk of tuna, he eagerly and quickly ate it up - leaving nothing but the pill on the plate! I crushed it after that. But maybe your cat won't be as good at separating it out.