Kitten on medication schedule

... keeps biting and scratching me everytime. Hard.
As I mentioned before my two-month-old kitten has been diagnosed with Feline Hypertrophic Cardiopathy.
She will be okay despite some minor complications if her treatment is followed to a T. Which is where I'm having trouble.
Everytime I try to give her the pill (which cannot by any means be dilluted and given with a syringe, it must be administered in solid form twice a day), she bites me and scratches me so bad that I've only given her the pills for two days and she's already managed to make both my hands wounded and punctured (one hurts bad, I can't even cook because everytime I fold my hand to cup vegetables I squeak).
Does anyone have any handy tips?
Or better yet, any ideas how I can make a homemade restraint little device?
Keep in mind: a. my bf is away at work most of the day and can't hold her for me, b. we can't purchase Klaw Kontrol off the web (they won't deliver here) and c. she is a very small baby (weighs only a kilo).
Any input is much much appreciated, I need to give her the medication but I can't have her draw blood and hurt me each time I do :/

Try wrapping her in a blanket tightly, let me know how it goes.

I once made a canvas bag with an elastic neck for medicating a cat. There are also gloves availiable in hardware stores that are great for it. Made of a stretch knit, but with a thin latex coating that is flexible enough to hold and medicate a cat, but they can't claw through and can't deliver a serious bite through. I first saw them in the carpet mills, it protects against carpet burns when the stuff is speeding through a machine, and used a pair of my husbands when I had a feral needing twice daily wound cleaning. They're great.

How about a piller?

Hi,

if I were you I wouldn't use any restrains on your kitty. Buy some minced meat or tartar and coat the pill with this- it should be sticky enough to cling onto the pill tight enough. Give your kitty a small minced meat ball without a pill in it and then one with the pill. If the pill is very large cut it in half with a pill cutter and make two meat balls. The minced meat should be beef, as raw pork can contain the viral disease pseudo- rabies (Aujeszky's disease)- not sure how much of a problem this is in America.

If you have another cat feed it a mince ball first (without the pill) infront of your sick kitty- if a cat sees another cat getting treats they are more likely to get greedy and eat the treat without questioning it (to avoid the other cat from eating it). Alternate feeding the cats their minced meat balls so they hurry up without chewing too long.

Try to act normally while pilling your cat- if she senses you're nervous about getting the pill down she's less likely to eat the treat (that her mommy is so obviously worried about). I know a lady who "accidently" drops meat balls from her kitchen counter while cooking- and thus lets her sick cat find/ steal the treats intended for her.

Try to work with a routine- i.e. giving your cat a treat every day before her breakfast or at bed time, which ever suits you best.

Most cats will eat minced meat readily- just make sure the meat balls are small and are only given during medication times to keep her keen on the treats.

you'll also have to find out what treats you can use to cover the pill with as your kitty will go off and on these- one week it will be minced meat balls, the next it may be another treat. Look out for soft treats that you can use to conceal a pill within by molding it around the pill.

Find out from your vet what this particular pill tasts like- if it has a strong taste (bitter?) a jelly pill coat might be a good idea.

Anyway- this is the way I have pilled cats in the past- also longterm. After a while it turns into a routine that only takes a few minutes. If your cat is turning down all treats you'll probably still have to restrain her every now and then to get the pills down, but if you can mostly work with treats life will be easier for you and her.

For some hiding pills in treats works fine, while others prefer to hold the cat and pill it by popping a pill directly into the cats mouth. I hope you will find out soon which method works for you


Good luck with pilling her

regards,

Christine

... just now found these on the web:

Greenies Pill Pocket for cats:

"GreeniesÂ[emoji]174[/emoji] Pill PocketsÂ[emoji]174[/emoji] treats for cats are a nutritious treat that contain a built-in pocket, perfect for hiding a pill or supplement. Cats love the taste so much – they won’t even notice there’s medicine inside!"



http://www.greenies.com/en_US/Produc...llPockets.aspx


Maybe they'll work for your cat? I've never tried these myself on one of the cats as I'm from Germany and use other products sold here- but they sound worth a try to me.


regards,

christine

I use a piller. They can be purchased at most pet stores. They look like a large syringe but you just stick the pill in the end and use the plastic end to make the cat open their mouth. Once you have the end placed behind the teeth press the syringe and wallah they will swallow the pill. Simple and easy and they don't mind at all. I have had too many finger pierced by sharp kitten teeth to use any other method. LOL