How do I give medicine to hissing furrballs? :o)

Hello everyone,

I'm new here and I'm new to fostering... it's wonderful to see so many similar souls the world over )

Apologies in advance for the waffle, but I just want to give you some background info.

I live in Italy. 2 weeks ago I rescued a young tabby mama cat and her 4 adorable black and white kitties from being drowned by a farmer. They are now living in our self-contained cantina (semi-basement, but more like a Moroccan den with rugs etc) separate from the rest of my clan )

I can only foster them as I already have two rescue cats plus a hubby who had threatened me with divorce if I keep them. Of course, I've already named them and fallen in love with them all.

Hmmmm - kitties or husband? It's a tough call D

Anyway, mama cat is very friendly, affectionate and remarkably trusting under the circumstances (I found out that her siblings were drowned by the same farmer last year and, luckily, she was quick and got away. So I reckon she must only be about a year old and this is her first litter). However, her 4-month-old kitties are classic ferals - they are really timid and distrusting of humans and although curious and playful, they hiss at most things that move.

I could not take them to the vet upon capture because (a) it was 2am (b) it took three separate trappings to get the entire family of five (c) their location was 90 mins drive from where I/the vet live and (d) we were hosting a charity concert in our home the next day (talk about bad timing!) and I just didn't have the time to nurse them and feed 50 guests. This actually worked well as I left them in our dark and safe cantina to get used to their surroundings.

Anyway, once the party was over and they were safely settled in, I managed to trap the one with a suspect broken leg (Plucky) and take him to the vet. Turns out it's an old break, it's calcified and there's little we can do, but it doesn't bother him and he's really fast! While he was under anaesthetic, he was neutered + given flea/mite/worm/tick treatment.

I did the same for mama Jasmena yesterday - as she was coming onto heat and desperate to escape, it was good timing!

They were both riddled with ear mites and I've spotted fleas bouncing around our cantina (nice).

However, my problem is that I've just bought an expensive medicine (Stronghold) for the treatment of the 3 other kitties, upon the advice of the vet. And I just cannot get near enough to them to administer it. I am supposed to put drops on the skin on the back of their neck, but I've only recently conquered the hissing stage. After a lot of time with them, they now sit near me / my hands, play with toys and walk/run near to me but the only time I've managed to stroke them is mealtimes (and even then, as soon as they look up from their bowls and realise I'm human, they jump away!)

The vet wont come out to my home to help (he's a typical country vet - really lovely and helpful in surgery, but rather dismissive about stray cats).

It seems a shame to trap and dope them just to give them something which should be quick and simple. I could repeat what I did with Plucky and give them everything together, but that was exceptional as he was already under anaesthetic for his leg when we discussed neutering etc. The vet thinks that 4 months is generally too young to be neutered (especially for females) and he'd rather wait. (Plus I really cannot afford 3 more neutering fees at the mo!)

The trouble is, if I don't treat the others for worms, fleas and mites soon, the two who have been treated will be back to square one.

Does anyone have any ideas? I thought about trying to get near enough to grab their scruffs and get hubby to do the drops but I'm worried that will knock back any trust I've gained with them, especially if it all goes wrong (and trust me, they wriggle and fight - I've had to have a tetanus jab, my fingernail is black and I'm covered in scratches just from the rescue mission!)

I would be so grateful for any suggestions. I'm desperate to get them treated and start cleaning up and hovering the place!

Thank you, in advance.

Hugs and purrs,

Juliet

Hi Juliet! Welcome!! Mom kitty sounds just lovely and very sweet. Her babies will learn from her so the more you dote on mom the kittens will follow suit. I would recommend toweling the babies. Meaning wrap/swaddle them in a towel snuggly so that only their head is sticking out. I use this to socialize feral babies for petting. It really works. You can medicate easily then. I hope this works for you. Thank you for rescuing this little family!!!

Hello Feralvr,

That's a great idea - thanks so very much! I'll grab all towels in the house and try it today.

Will let you know how it goes.

I do pet mama a lot (she's so easy to love!). In fact, I've just had to peel her off my knee in order to make myself my first espresso of the day (gasping for caffeine after two hours of playtime!) I really do hope the kitties follow suit. At the moment, they just seem to be annoyed with me that I make their mum purr!

I guess patience is a virtue )

Thanks again for the advice and the welcome. It is really appreciated.

Love Juliet x

Yes, please do keep us updated! And, not to worry, your have an ace in your hand - the fact that mom is so friendly will soon wear off on her kittens. :nod: The hardest part of this whole process IS just being patient and letting the cats tell you when they are ready for more. :nod: