Mrsa

Hi, Oracle. Welcome to TCS! I am truly sorry it has to be under these circumstances.

I am familiar with MRSA (to my deep regret). It's Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a "super bug" bacterium with resistance to today's most commonly-used antibiotics. It is often very difficult to manage, extremely painful and can be deadly if the infection gets into the bloodstream... although most infections are of the skin.

A MRSA infection deep inside the bladder is a very serious issue. My understanding is that cat's have a natural immunity to the human strain of MRSA and have their own strain (VRSI, I think it's called). Did they culture the infection so they know precisely which version they're dealing with and are treating it with the proper antibiotic? What meds did they prescribe for your cat?

What is your poor boy eating? Is there any way you could possibly hide the pills in some canned foods so as to reduce his stress level? Or could you offer some other treat just too tasty to resist (butter, maybe?) with the pill hidden in it? Have you tried pill pockets? I've heard people talk about how effective they are... but you'd still have to catch your kitty if he won't come to you. Do you have a smallish room he could stay in until he's well that could make pilling him easier? Any version of MRSA must be aggressively treated so you really want to get those meds into him. In fact, with a MRSA infection, I'd almost be inclined to let him stay at the clinic until it's clear, or at least under control, if you can.

I don't think I've been of much help to you here. Maybe someone else will come along with a better way to help your kitty get his pills in as stress-free a manner as possible.

Many, many get well vibes for your boy...

AC

I don't have experience with MRSA's, but do have experience giving feral rescued cats medications. I do understand your problem, as I've had 2 cats over the years where I chose not to medicate due to their stress levels while trying to medicate them.

But I will offer this thought. I've also had feral rescue cats that initially fought me when I gave them meds, and if I forced the issue long enough and they started to feel better, it's almost as if they recognize that what you are giving them is making them feel better, and they calm down when you give it to them. I always try to persist for at least a week to see their reaction.

How are you restraining him when you give him the meds? For my tough cases, I do isolate them in a room where I can catch them easily (or at least close the door on all rooms with beds so they can't hide).

To give them meds: I kneel on the floor with my ankles crossed under my behind. I place the cat between my thighs with their heads facing away from my body, holding their body somewhat firm between my thighs (I don't squeeze, but I do hold them steady). In this position, they can't wiggle out back nor from side to side. I have the pill ready in my right hand (I use a pill gun and I'm right handed), and place my left hand on top of their head with my thumb on one side of their jaw and my index finger on the other side. I open their mouths with my left hand and insert the pill with my right, coming at them at an angle to their mouth (if they see your hand coming, they fight more). I drop the pill gun and raise their head with my right hand, gently stroking their throats to force them to swallow. Then they get huge kisses and scritches once they swallow. If they like treats, I give them a treat immediately as a reward for their good behavior.

I know this doesn't work for all cats, but it does work for the majority of them. I wish you great luck in trying to treat your poor baby.

I'm not aware of any sulfa meds that are effective against MRSA. Depending on the strain of MRSA, the drug of choice is typically one of the "mycins", clindamycin or vancomycin usually.

I understand what you're saying, but I wouldn't give up totally just yet. Can you put him on a canned diet? That would at least keep him hydrated. And maybe if you push some wicked tasty treats into the top of the canned, you can feed his medicines mixed into the food?

I really feel for you! You're in a tough spot. I'm sending you many thoughts and get-well fast! vibes...

AC

I don't know if it would be of any help, but our Pollux has been on metronidazole in the past and has to take tramadol on occasion. Metronidazole is very bitter and tramadol has a very distinctive, unpleasant taste as well.

What we've been able to do is purchase empty capsules from a local pharmacy. They do compounding there, so they use them for that purpose.

But the smallest sized capsule fits the amount of medication that Pollux has needed. So we just put the icky tasting tablet (for us, it's 1/4 tablet, so it fits nicely) inside the capsule and pill him with that.

That way he doesn't taste it, and he doesn't struggle nearly as much as he did before we got the capsules.

The only thing we have to be careful with is that they kind of stick to the roof of his mouth if my aim is bad. So I typically give him a gentle squirt of a little water from a syringe to help it go down.

Hope that helps! And good luck!

Very innovative! I didn't know you could get empty capsules.

Btw, it's always a good idea to give 3 mls of water by syringe after giving a pill. Sometimes the pill can get stuck in the esophagus, not only a choking hazard but risk of esophageal ulcers.

Another suggestion could be wrapping your baby in a blanket like a burrito. The blanket should be big enough to wrap around his body and hold his legs in. Same idea as putting him between your legs like LDG said just with a blanket. Maybe you can Chase it down with some low sodium chicken broth.

Good luck on today's call, Oracle. I hope your boy is feeling better!

AC

Just for general info about MRSA:
From the Winn Feline Foundation: MRSA in Cats
This abstract has links to studies: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20943000

Ask your vet if the med can be compounded into a suspension (thick liquid), and if so you can use a needleless syringe to administer it into his mouth. I had this done with Metro, and a quick pump of liquid into the mouth was way easier than getting a pill down. Good luck.