Helpful hacks to make life easier

I'm hoping to start a thread where we can all contribute tricks or lessons learned that we've learned to get around problems we've encountered with our beloved furbabies in the goal we have one location we can refer to.  This doesn't replace your vet's advice or approval but are things we've learned that have helped.

Here's what I've learned so far:

* Because Cerenia and Pepcid are so bitter, it frequently causes drooling unless you can directly get it to the back of the cat's mouth and they swallow.  Because I use a probiotic EVERY day (Proviable DC), I use the empty capsule to put the dose of Cerenia and Pepcid in and use that to give it to my cat.  It goes right down and he has stopped fighting me so much because he's not afraid of the bitter taste any more.  It also SEEMS to me that the medication is much more effective.

* If you can't get your cat to eat, try the following and one of them may work:  baby food slightly warmed (chicken/beef/turkey/ham), High Calorie Nutrient Paste, tuna juice, crush up some of their favorite treats/hard food and put that on top of their canned food, parmesan cheese sprinkled on their food.  A cat MUST eat and "holding out" until they do is dangerous.  If you simply cannot get your cat to eat within a 24 hour period, off to the vet they must go!

* I've learned that giving my cat a small amount of grain free, hard cat food during the night helps with his acid reflux MUCH better than giving him canned food (someone else had suggested that).

* Investing in a baby scale and weighing your cat EVERY week on the same day/time and keeping a lot so you can see trends will be a great indication on their health and helps with making the call on whether they need immediate vet care

So what tips do you have to offer?

Oh, I have to agree with you on all the points, especially the last 2.

I give some dry food as a treat or as a snack in a bowl when m when my guy has extra acid. It really does seem to combat the extra acid. I like to think of it as humans taking some soda crackers when they have tummy issues.

Baby scale is a must!!

I use an extra calendar to monitor weight and poop. (sorry)

What I have found, if your cat is very fussy; try playing a game with some of the dry food. 

I stay at the end of the kitchen and throw a piece of kibble on the floor. My cat thinks it is a game.He chases all around, as if it were prey.  This way you can get some food into them without them realizing it.

You can just sweep or vacuum up the leftover 'crunchies" after. 

Leave the carrier out at all times for your kitty to get accustomed to it. This way they will not fear it and run automatically when they see it..

My guy uses it as a refuge when he does not want to be bothered. Sometimes he uses it as a bed. 

Easily to scoop him up an put him in there..no fuss.

that's it for now....

My best hack is using a modified butterfly needle instead of a formal French feeding tube for tube feeding neonatal kittens. It's clear, making seeing clogs easy, is much shorter and doesn't need to be trimmed and is more easily obtained in an emergency than the feeding tube. Simply cut off the needle and follow regular procedure.

Using Fluorescin in water to determine who's spraying/peeing in a multi cat household. Same dye used in cat and human eye exams. Add to water and get one cat to drink-- cat who consumed will pee a different color under a black light than an undosed cat. Rotate cats until you determine the culprit. (Can be obtained from your vet).

To administer an inhaler to a cat without the special adapter mask take an empty toilet tissue tube and cover one end and spray inhaler into it. Quickly place one end over cats nose and mouth and keep other end covered. Hold in place til kitty has taken several good deep breaths. To nebulize a cat, place cat in a carrier and cover it with a VERY heavy blanket or towel- taking care that vents are well covered. Slip human mouthpiece thru the grate on the door to carrier and turn it on-- then just double check that your wrap job is snug. Can also make a nebulizer chamber out of a clear Tupperware tote and cut a hole in lid just big enough for mouthpiece.

@StephenQ  ...@mrsgreenjeensanything   @LDG  anything to add? Would love to hear from you.

mphscat said:

 
@StephenQ  ...@mrsgreenjeensanything   @LDG  anything to add? Would love to hear from you.

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Ah sure.  Another way to pill a cat, especially if its bitter tasting is to cover it with about 1/2 of a pill pocket treat, they're soft and malleable like play dough, and if you pop that into kitty's mouth all they taste is the food.  You still put it far back in the throat so they don't start chewing it.

For cats who need to eat often, for one of their middle of the night meals, try putting some of their canned food in their bowl, then put it in the freezer until your bedtime.  Pull it out of the freezer and slip it into a ziploc bag.  Set it on a book or something on your nightstand, and when they wake you up to eat, voila, it should be back to room temp, or close to it.  Just take it out of the bag and set the bowl on top of the bag on your bed and let them at it.  when they are done, put the bowl back into the bag and set it back on the nightstand.  No lights need to be turned on so it's pretty easy to get right back to sleep. 

I'm probably the one who mentioned feeding dry food during the middle of the night too.  This is what I do for the other meals, even though my cat is a kidney cat .   I HATE to, but I've got to get some sleep, else who will take care of my furkids .  SO, since I have other cats that I don't want to eat HER food, I keep it under my pillow in a small ziploc bag folded up in an old washcloth.  When she wakes me up the next time (after having had her wet food), I grab her food, unfold the washcloth to set it on, and let her nibble on some.  (the washcloth is to catch any of the leftover "crunchies" that Artiesmom referenced.  When she is done, then I fold up the washcloth with the crunchies inside and put it all back under my pillow for the next meal.  We do this a couple times each night.  (Oh, and I DO give "the boys" each 1 or 2 pieces for being good boys and letting her eat in peace ....they are very well trained now to just set like vultures and wait until she is done )

I don't know if it makes life easier, but I add Egg Yolk Lecithin to their food every day (for hairballs), and I always add filtered water to their canned food just to make sure they are well hydrated.

The first one that comes to my mind is fairly well known, but I will add it here for those that do not know. The ingredients for Frontline Plus for dogs and Advantage 2 for dogs are identical to the cat versions. Do Not use Advantix or Advantage Multi- the tick repelling ingredients in these is very toxic to cats.

In a multi-cat household, you can save a lot of money by buying the extra-large dog version and measuring out the proper dose for each of your cats using a needleless, feeding syringe. Many shelters and rescues do this and it is perfectly safe (if you are careful with your measurements). Measuring the liquid yourself is also safer than buying a single dose kit online from an unknown person- you never can be sure what they are selling you. Here is a link to a chart of the proper dosages and some more explanation:

http://www.lisaviolet.com/cathouse/advantage.html

Do Not try this with the knock-off brands. They have different ingredients and can poison or kill your cat. The ones that say 'same active ingredients as Frontline' have different, toxic inactive ingredients. Avoiding knock-off products altogether is a great idea. The cat versions of these products have severely injured and killed many cats, and that is when used as directed by the box. Please do research, including looking up consumer complaints, on any flea product you are considering using on your cat.